Vickers–Berthier

Vickers–Berthier
Type Light machine gun
Place of origin France/United Kingdom
Service history
Used by See users
Wars Chaco War
Spanish Civil War
World War II
Production history
Manufacturer Vickers-Armstrong, Rifle Factory Ishapore
Produced 1933-1942[1]
Specifications
Weight 24.4 lb (11.1 kg)
Length 45.5 in (1.156 m)
Calibre .303 British, 7.65×53mm Mauser
Action Gas-operated, tilting breech-block
Rate of fire 450-600 round/min
Muzzle velocity 2,450 ft/s (745 m/s)
Feed system box 30 rounds
Sights Iron

The Vickers–Berthier (VB) is a British light machine gun produced by Vickers-Armstrong. It was adopted by British Indian Army and saw combat during World War II.

History

Berthier machine gun

The Vickers–Berthier was based on a French design of just before World War I. It was proposed for use with infantry as Fusil Mitrailleur Berthier Modèle 1910, Modèle 1911, Modèle 1912, Modèle 1916 and Modèle 1920.[2] It was also proposed in 1918 to US Army which finally refused it.[3]

Vickers-Berthier machine gun

In 1925 Vickers in Britain purchased licence rights of the Fusil Mitrailleur Berthier Modèle 1922[4] for production in their Crayford factory, and as a replacement for the Lewis Gun. It was an alternative to the water-cooled Vickers machine gun of same manufacture.[5] The weapon used a similar gas and tipping bolt mechanism to the Bren gun, and also had a removable barrel, and was air-cooled like the Bren. It was adopted by the Indian Army in 1933.[6] During the British Army trials of several light machine guns which began in 1932, the Vickers–Berthier was in direct competition with the ZB vz. 26. The British Army adopted the latter, modified as Bren light machine gun, and the Vickers–Berthier was adopted by the British Indian Army.[7] A production line for the Vickers–Berthier Light Machine-Gun Mk 3 was established at the Rifle Factory Ishapore.[8]

Appearance and Design

The Vickers–Berthier Light Machine Gun has a 30-round box magazine and a bipod stand, and is sometimes mistaken for the Bren as both used a similar curved magazine to accommodate the rimmed .303 British cartridge.[8]

It was slightly heavier, at 24 pounds, than the Bren at 22 pounds. It was also slightly longer, and harder to stow away. The Vickers-Berthier also had a slower cyclic rate of 500 rpm.[9] The only major advantage the weapon had over the Bren was the far simpler design; it could be produced more efficiently.[7]

It existed in five versions : Mk I, Mk II, Mk II light, Mk III and Mk IIIB.[10] Mark 1 was introduced in 1928, Mark 2 in 1931 and Mark 3 in 1933.[11]

Use

Apart from India, it was only sold to Latvia and Bolivia[12], but the design was modified into the Vickers K machine gun, called the Vickers Gas Operated (VGO).[8]

In Indian service, it was replaced from 1942 by Brens[13] but continued to serve with reserve units of Indian Army by 1998.[8]

Users

Failed bids

References

  1. ↑ Grant 2013, p. 22.
  2. ↑ Lorain, Pierre (July 1980). "Le Fusil Mitrailleur Berthier (1)". La gazette des armes. No. 84.
  3. ↑ Willbanks, James H. (2004). Machine Guns: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-85109-480-6.
  4. ↑ Lorain, Pierre (September 1980). "Le Fusil Mitrailleur Berthier (2)". La gazette des armes. No. 85.
  5. ↑ "Vickers LMG". Forgotten Weapons.com.
  6. ↑ Grant 2013, p. 12.
  7. 1 2 Grant 2013, p. 10.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bishop 1998, p. 245.
  9. ↑ Grant 2013, p. 14.
  10. ↑ Davie, Don. "Vickers-Berthier and VGO Machine Guns". acant.org.au. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  11. ↑ Popenker, Maxim. "Vickers-Berthier". modernfirearms.net. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  12. ↑ Grant J 2018, p. 76.
  13. ↑ Grant 2013, p. 45&48.
  14. 1 2 3 Alejandro de Quesada (20 November 2011). The Chaco War 1932-35: South America's greatest modern conflict. Osprey Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-84908-901-2.
  15. ↑ Drēziņš, Artis (9 November 2012). "Latvijas valsts armija gadu griežos". la.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  16. 1 2 Davie, Don. "More on the Vickers-Berthier". acant.org.au. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  17. ↑ Grant J 2018, p. 90.
  18. ↑ Grant J 2018, p. 62.

Bibliography

  • Grant, Neil (2013). The Bren Gun. Weapon 22. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1782000822.
  • Bishop, Chris (1998). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. New York: MetroBooks. ISBN 1-58663-762-2.
  • Grant, Jonathan A (2018). Between Depression and Disarmament: The International Armaments Business, 1919–1939. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108552721. ISBN 9781108428354.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.