Soldier carrying Bren gun in forest north of Arnhem

Bren gun in Italy

Two soldiers with Bren gun in a slit trench

The Bren Gun formed the main mobile firepower of a British and Commonwealth infantry unit. The Bren Gun was a .303-caliber, gas-operated, magazine-fed light machine gun developed from a Czech design and used by British and Commonwealth troops during World War II and afterward. It was first produced in 1937 and became one of the most widely used weapons of its time. It's name is derived from Br(no) and En(field), the locations of the small-arms factories in Czechoslovakia and England.

The Bren Gun was put to good use in Universal (Bren Gun) Carriers and was easily recognized by its unique 30-round magazine. It was known by those who used it in combat as a highly reliable and accurate weapon.

A Bren gun team usually consisted of two men, the Bren Gunner (or Number One) and his assistant (or Number Two). The Bren gun was used in many roles from light support in the infantry section to a medium MG role when used with the sustained fire tripod that was issued with every gun. It was also used largely in the Anti-Aircraft role and special items of equipment were issued with it for this purpose such as 100-round drum magazines and tripod extension legs.

The Bren went into front-line service as soon as the numbers were available. It went to France in 1939 with the British Expeditionary Force in the Mk I version on the gun. It served in virtually every theatre of war.

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