Bren light machine gun
The Bren is a light machine gun (LMG) that was used by the British military during World War II. The gun was based on a Czechoslovak gun, the ZB z/26. The name is a shortening of "Brno-Enfield". Brno was the city where the earlier z/26 was made, and Enfield was the company that made the Bren.
It was a simple but well-made LMG. It was well-known for using a curved, top-loading magazine, a carrying handle, and being light enough for one man to carry and use. It was so popular that even the Japanese made their own LMG based on the Bren, the Type-99 light machine gun.
It was so popular among British soldiers that it was used by the British Armed Forces from 1938 to the 1990s.
Bren Light Machine Gun Media
Australian assault on a pillbox at Giropa Point, Papua New Guinea, January 1943; the two soldiers in the foreground both carry Brens.
A member of No. 9 Commando at Anzio, equipped for a patrol with his Bren gun, 5 March 1944
A Bren gunner of the Norwegian Brigade takes aim during training at Dumfries, Scotland, 27 June 1941.
Bren with 100 round detachable pan magazine. With the magazine fitted, the original sights cannot be used.
Indian troops man a Bren gun on an anti-aircraft tripod, Western Desert April 1941
Veronica Foster as "Ronnie, the Bren Gun Girl", was a Canadian icon for women working in war production