[Von Paulus]

Yes, It's that time again!

Today I will be telling you a little about the MG-42 and the Bren Gun...Read On...

The German MG-42; one of the most remarkable general-purpose machine-guns ever designed, the MG-42 was introduced in 1942 to replace the MG-34 (If anyone knows why their wasn't an MG-35, 36 etc. please tell me!).

It was cheap and simple to operate, and could be used as a section LMG (light machine gun), a sustained support weapon, or a light AA (Anti-aircraft) gun. It had one major drawback when used as a section weapon - its rate of fire was so high that many rounds were wasted and it was difficult to carry adequate ammunition!

Specs.

Calibre: 7.92mm.
Weight: 25lb.
Ammunition: 50-round belts which could be clipped together.
Maximum rate of fire: 1,100 - 1,200rpm.

P.S - You may remember this from the film "Saving Private Ryan", In the scene in which they attack the bunker at the radar site, the German MG in that scene was an MG-42 on a tripod...
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The British Bren Mk III; standard section LMG throughout the war, the Bren was noted for it's ruggedness and reliability. It originated from the Czech ZB-26 (Is that right ?) which was designed at BRno and developed at ENfield. The Bren was usually used to fire single shots or bursts of 5-6 shots to cover advancing infantry, and was very economical.

Specs

Calibre: .303-inch.
Weight: 19.3lb.
Ammunition: 30-round boxes.
Maximum rate of fire: 480rpm.

Thankyou for reading...

Tomorrow: The Dreaded '88'

Note - If anyone knows of any websites that have images of any of the Weapons, Vehicles etc. mentioned on "Von P's facts of the day", please post a URL, it's just kind of hard for people to know what I'm talking about without seeing pictures. : )

Thanks, Von P.


[This message has been edited by Von Paulus (edited June 27, 2001).]