POTD: The Chinese 7.92x57mm BREN
Photo Of The Day and today we go full auto in a rare rare caliber and firearm. Rare is of course a relative term, as over 43,000 units of this light machine gun were produced. For practical reasons, I think I’d prefer my BREN in 7.62×51mm NATO, how about you?
Here is the caption from Cinematic Arms:
Introducing the CHINESE 7.92×57MM BREN: A WWII Connection!
Discover the fascinating link between the iconic British Bren light machine gun and China during WWII.
The Bren, celebrated for its reliability and quick-change barrel, originated from the Czech Zb vz.26. In China, this powerful firearm gained prominence in the Second Sino-Japanese War, becoming a symbol of resilience.
As allies, the Chinese Nationalist Army received arms, including the Bren, amidst conflicts. Canada’s John Inglis and Company stepped up when the Czech factory fell under German control. They not only produced Bren guns for Canada but also modified them for the Chinese, creating around 43,000 in the 7.92mm caliber.
These Chinese Bren guns played pivotal roles in the Second Sino-Japanese War, Sino-Mongolian clashes, and the Chinese Civil War. By war’s end, Inglis had contributed a total of 186,000 Bren guns to history.
You can read more about John Inglis and Company here. I had no idea that they fairly recently became Whirlpool Canada.
All images by Cinematic Arms, used with kind permission.
Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics, thermals and suppressors. TCCC Certified. Occasionaly seen in a 6x6 Bug Out Vehicle, always with a big smile.
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It was chambered in 8mm Mauser because prior to WW2, Germany was an ally of China's. Prewar Germany supplied China the means to manufacture a lot of small arms, all of which were in common German calibers. Germany also gave China other things, like helmets, uniforms, training and advisors. These last items, training and advisors, is why the Chinese were so effective at closing in on US positions during the Korean War - they had been trained in Von Hutier infiltration/movement tactics to achieve local superiority over American held positions.
You can find more than a few Chinese-manufactured Mausers and Lugers if you look around. And pictures abound of German-trained Nationalist troops wearing the German stahlhelm.
Call me a picky neophile, but I just can't get in with the top-magazine. I've had the opportunity to fire a replica of one of these and it was just too wierd for me. I can equally include to a lesser degree the Lewis and even the P-90; both were awkward.
I understand why, though. The contemporary use case for these(less the P-90) was long range crew fire support/suppression in a muddy trench where not having to move the weapon to reload to avoid ingress would be an advantage. They were used as really small-caliber artillery, almost. Some of them have 2000 yard graduated barrage sights. You're not "picking off the enemy" at that range; you're doing area denial.
The P-90 has an excuse, too; it was never intended to be an "assault" sub, rather a REMF truck gun to complement and showcase the 5.7 cartridge. I believe there may have been a development contract involved, as well. That didn't prevent it from being marketed as a front-line weapon, though.