World War 2 Bren

Bren

The Bren Gun was Britain's primary light machine gun of WWII. It was adopted by the British army in 1935 to replace the aging Lewis Gun. It fired .30 caliber rounds at a rate of 500rpm. The disadvantages of the weapon were that it fired much slower than its German counterparts, and it only accepted box or drum magazines, which meant more frequent reloading than belt fed machine guns.

Its weight also stretched the definition of "light" machine gun, often requiring it to be partially disassembled and its parts carried by two soldiers when on long march. Despite these shortcomings, it was popular with British troops, and respected for its high reliability and combat effectivenes. It was manufactured by the Enfield armory, and is still in use in modified forms by the British military today.