Bren Gun MkII
Arguably one of the best weapons of the 20th century. The original pattern was developed by the Czechs. The British knew a good design when they saw it and so purchased the patent rights to produce it in their Enfield plant in England. The gun had many innovative design features for it’s day. The barrel could be swapped in a matter of seconds thanks to a quick release handle and ingenious threading mechanism. The top feed design while somewhat cumbersome during aiming allowed the gunner to lay closer to mother earth in combat. Thus keeping his all important head lower. Like all gas fed weapons carbon tends to build up along the return line thus slowing if not completely stopping the cocking lever for the next shot. The designers therefore allowed for four selectable gas return apertures so that as carbon built up, the assistant gunner could switch to a larger aperture thereby keeping the weapon in action. The ammunition was the same calibre as the standard infantry rifle and so each man in the rifle section carried fully loaded magazines to help support the Bren team. In the eight man Dragoon section two men would be assigned to man the Bren gun to facilitate the movement of the rest of the section.