View source for Bren light machine gun

{{Redirect|Bren|4=other uses|5=Bren (disambiguation)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Bren
| image              = Bren wog.jpg
| image_size         = 
| caption            = A Bren Mk.1 gun
| type               = [[Light machine gun]]
| origin             = {{indented plainlist|
* [[Czechoslovakia]] (design)
* [[United Kingdom]] (manufacture)
}}
<!-- Type selection -->
| is_ranged          = yes
| is_UK              = yes
<!-- Service history -->
| service            = 1938–2006
| used_by            = ''See {{section link|Bren light machine gun|Users|nopage=yes}}''
| wars               = ''See {{section link|Bren light machine gun|Service|nopage=yes}}''
<!-- Production history -->
| designer           = [[Václav Holek]]
| design_date        = 1935
| manufacturer       = {{indented plainlist|
* [[Royal Small Arms Factory]]
* [[John Inglis and Company]]
* [[Lithgow Small Arms Factory]]
* [[Rifle Factory Ishapore]]
}}
| production_date    = 1935–1971
| number             = 500,000{{Sfn|Grant|2013|p=17}}
| variants           = ''See'' ''{{section link|Bren light machine gun|Variants|nopage=yes}}''
<!-- General specifications -->
| weight             = {{ubl
  |'''Mk1''' & '''Mk2''':<br/>{{cvt|22.8|lb|kg|1|abbr=on}}, {{cvt|25|lb|kg|1|abbr=on}} loaded
  |'''Mk3''' & '''Mk4''':<br/>{{cvt|19.15|lb|kg|1|abbr=on}}, {{cvt|21.6|lb|1|abbr=on}} loaded
  }}
| length             = {{ubli|Mk1 & Mk2: {{Convert|45.5|in|mm|abbr=unit}} |Mk3 & Mk4: {{Convert|42.9|in|mm|abbr=unit}}{{Sfn|Grant|2013|p=17}}}}
| part_length        = {{cvt|25|in|mm|0}}
| crew               = 2, gunner and assistant
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
| cartridge          = {{ubli|[[.303 British]]|[[7.92×57mm Mauser]]{{efn|Made for [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|China]] in World War II.}}|[[.30-06 Springfield]]{{efn|Made for Taiwan & Italy after World War II}}|[[7.62×51mm NATO]]{{efn|L4 series, Gun Machine 7.62mm 1B}}|[[7.62×39mm]]{{efn|Made for [[China]] after World War II}} }}
| caliber            = 
| action             = [[Gas-operated reloading|Gas-operated]], [[tilting bolt]]
| rate               = {{ubl|500–520 rounds/min|practical 120 rounds/min sustained}}
| velocity           = {{cvt|2,440|ft/s|m/s|1}}
| range              = {{cvt|600|yd|m}}
| max_range          = {{convert|1850|yd|m|abbr=on}}
| feed               = {{ubli|30-round detachable [[box magazine]]|100-round detachable [[pan magazine]] (.303 variants only)|20-round L1A1 SLR magazine (7.62&nbsp;mm variants only)}}
| sights             = Iron
| unit_cost          = £40{{Sfn|Dugelby|Stevens|1999|p=125}}
}}

The '''Bren gun''' (Brno-Enfield) was a series of [[light machine gun]]s (LMG) made by the United Kingdom in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and [[British Empire]] forces' primary infantry LMG in [[World War II]], it was also used in the [[Korean War]] and saw service throughout the latter half of the 20th century, including the 1982 [[Falklands War]].<ref>[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bren-gun Canadian Encyclopedia: Bren Gun]</ref> Although fitted with a [[bipod]], it could also be mounted on a tripod or be vehicle-mounted.

The Bren gun was a licensed version of the Czechoslovak [[ZGB 33]] light machine gun which, in turn, was a modified version of the [[ZB vz. 26]], which [[British Army]] officials had tested during a firearms service competition in the 1930s. The designer was [[Václav Holek]], a gun inventor and design engineer. The later Bren gun featured a distinctive top-mounted curved box magazine, conical flash hider, and quick change barrel.

In the 1950s, many Bren guns were re-barrelled to accept the [[7.62×51mm NATO]] cartridge and modified to feed from the magazine for the [[L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle|L1]] (Commonwealth version of the [[FN FAL]]) rifle as the L4 light machine gun. It was replaced in the British Army as the section LMG by the [[FN MAG#British versions|L7]] [[general-purpose machine gun]] (GPMG), a [[Belt (firearm)|belt-fed]] weapon. This was supplemented in the 1980s by the [[SA80#L86 LSW|L86 Light Support Weapon]] firing the [[5.56×45mm NATO]] round, leaving the Bren gun in use only as a pintle mount on some vehicles. The Bren gun was manufactured by [[Ordnance Factories Organisation|Indian Ordnance Factories]] as the "Gun Machine 7.62mm 1B"<ref name="Ordnance Factory Board">{{cite web |title=Gun Machine 7.62 MM '1B' |url=http://ofbindia.gov.in/products/data/weapons/wsc/16.htm |publisher=[[Ordnance Factory Board]] |access-date=27 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127172921/http://ofbindia.gov.in/products/data/weapons/wsc/16.htm |archive-date=27 January 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> before it was discontinued in 2012.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=66}}

==Name==
The name ''Bren'' was derived from [[Brno]], the city in [[Czechoslovakia]], where the Zb vz. 26 was designed (in the [[Zbrojovka Brno|Zbrojovka Brno Factory]]) and [[London Borough of Enfield|Enfield]], site of the British [[Royal Small Arms Factory]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Václav Holek|url=https://encyklopedie.brna.cz/home-mmb/?acc=profil_osobnosti&load=23304|work=Encyklopedie Brna|language=cs|access-date=14 September 2023}}</ref>

==Development==
[[File:Australian assault on pillbox, January 1943, Papua, Giropa Point.jpg|thumb|left|Australian assault on a pillbox at [[Giropa Point]], Papua New Guinea, January 1943; the two soldiers in the foreground both carry Brens.]]
[[File:A member of No. 9 Commando at Anzio, equipped for a patrol with his Bren gun, 5 March 1944. NA12469.jpg|thumb|A member of [[No. 9 Commando]] at Anzio, equipped for a patrol with his Bren gun, 5 March 1944]]
[[File:Allied Forces in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H11120.jpg|thumb|A Bren gunner of the [[Free Norwegian forces|Norwegian Brigade]] takes aim during training at Dumfries, Scotland, 27 June 1941.]]
At the close of [[World War I]] in 1918, the British Army was equipped with two main automatic weapons; the [[Vickers machine gun|Vickers medium machine gun]] (MMG) and the [[Lewis gun|Lewis light machine gun]]. The Vickers was heavy and required a supply of water to keep it in operation, which tended to relegate it to static defence and indirect fire support. The Lewis, although lighter, was still heavy and was prone to frequent stoppages: its barrel could not be changed in the field, which meant that sustained firing resulted in overheating until it stopped altogether.

In 1922, to find a replacement for the Lewis, the Small Arms Committee of the British Army ran competitive trials between the [[Madsen machine gun]], the [[M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle]] (BAR), the [[Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié machine gun|Hotchkiss M1909 machine gun]], the [[Farquhar–Hill rifle|Beardmore–Farquhar rifle]], and the Lewis itself. Although the BAR was recommended, the sheer number of Lewis guns available and the difficult financial conditions meant that nothing was done. Various new models of light machine gun were tested as they became available, and in 1930, a further set of extensive trials commenced, overseen by [[Frederick Hubert Vinden]].<ref>{{cite news |last=B.S.C. |date=10 February 1977 |title=Brigadier F. H. Vinden |newspaper=The Times |location=London }}</ref> This time the weapons tested included the [[SIG Neuhausen KE7]], the [[Vickers–Berthier]] and the Czechoslovak ZB vz. 27. The last did not meet high requirements for durability and reliability, mainly because [[gunpowder residue]] from British [[cordite]] was obstructing the gas tube (ZB vz. 27 was also sent in 7.92 Mauser instead of .303 British, but ZB already held a patent<ref>{{patent|GB|336690A}}, Czech patent No. 36583</ref> for a staggered magazine for rimmed rounds).<ref name="VHU">{{cite web | url=https://www.vhu.cz/lehky-kulomet-bren | title=Vhu Praha | date=27 December 2018 }}</ref> The Vickers–Berthier was later adopted by the [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]] because it could be manufactured at once, rather than wait for the British Lewis production run to finish; it too saw extensive service in World War II.{{sfn|Grant|2013|pp=9–11}}

A modified variant with a shortened gas tube was tested again in June 1932, and then newly developed [[ZB-30]] in .303 yet again tested in November.<ref name="VHU" /> Receiving more feedback and incorporating it into the design by January 1933, yet two other modifications were tested by British representatives in [[Brno]] in July.<ref name="VHU" /> One of the variants was selected, designated ZGB 33 (for Zbrojovka, United Kingdom, 33), and 10 samples were sent to England in autumn 1933.<ref name="VHU" /> After additional trials in early 1934, more samples were ordered during the summer of 1934, and on May 24, 1935, the licence for British manufacture was finally acquired, and the design was adopted under the Bren name.<ref name="VHU" />

The major changes were in the magazine and barrel and the lower pistol grip assembly which went from a swivelling grip frame pivoted on the front of the trigger guard to a sliding grip frame which included the forward tripod mount and sliding ejection port cover. The magazine was curved in order to feed the rimmed [[.303 British|.303 inch SAA]] ("Small Arms Ammunition") cartridge, a change from the various [[rimless]] [[Mauser]]-design [[cartridge (firearm)|cartridges]] such as the [[8×57mm IS|7.9-mm Mauser]] round previously used by Czech designs. These modifications were categorised in various numbered designations, ZB vz. 27, ZB vz. 30, ZB vz. 32, and finally the ZGB 33, which was licensed for manufacture under the Bren name.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The Bren was a gas-operated weapon using the same .303 ammunition as the standard British [[bolt-action rifle]], the [[Lee–Enfield]], firing at a rate between 480 and 540 rounds per minute (rpm), depending on the model. Propellant gases vented from a port towards the muzzle end of the barrel through a regulator (visible just in front of the bipod) with four quick-adjustment apertures of different sizes, intended to tailor the gas volume to different ambient temperatures (smallest flow at high temperature, e.g. summer desert, largest at low temperature, e.g. winter Arctic). The vented gas drove a piston which in turn actuated the breech block. Each gun came with a spare barrel that could be quickly changed when the barrel became hot during sustained fire, though later guns featured a [[chromium|chrome]]-lined barrel, which reduced the need for a spare. To change barrels, the release catch in front of the magazine was rotated to unlock the barrel. The carrying handle above the barrel was used to grip and remove the hot barrel without burning the hands.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The Bren was magazine-fed, which slowed its rate of fire and required more frequent reloading than British belt-fed machine guns such as the larger .303 Vickers machine gun. The slower rate of fire prevented more rapid overheating of the Bren's air-cooled barrel, and the Bren was much lighter than belt-fed machine guns, which typically had cooling jackets, often liquid filled. The magazines also prevented the ammunition from getting dirty, which was more of a problem with the Vickers with its 250-round canvas belts. The [[Sight (device)|sights]] were offset to the left, to avoid the magazine on the top of the weapon. The position of the sights meant that the Bren could be fired only from the right shoulder.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=40}}

==Service==
===World War II===
In the British and Commonwealth armies, the Bren was generally issued on a scale of one per rifle section.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=28}} An infantry battalion also had a "carrier" platoon, equipped with [[Universal Carrier]]s, each of which carried a Bren gun.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=32}} Parachute battalions from 1944 had an extra Bren in the Anti-tank platoon.<ref>[http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.com/British/Airborne/british_parachute_battalion%201944%20to%201945.htm The British Parachute Battalion, circa 1944 to 1945] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101104240/http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.com/British/Airborne/british_parachute_battalion%201944%20to%201945.htm |date=January 1, 2009 }}.</ref> The 66-man "Assault Troop" of [[British Commandos]] had a nominal establishment of four Bren guns. Realising the need for additional section-level firepower, the British Army endeavoured to issue the Bren in great numbers, with a stated goal of one Bren to every four private soldiers.{{sfn|Dunlap|1948|p={{Page needed|date=September 2010}}}} The Bren was operated by a two-man crew, sometimes commanded by a [[Lance Corporal]] as an infantry section's "gun group", the remainder of the section forming the "rifle group". The gunner or "Number 1" carried and fired the Bren, and a loader or "Number 2" carried extra magazines, a spare barrel and a tool kit.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=29}} Number 2 helped reload the gun and replace the barrel when it overheated,<ref>Pamphlet No. 4 "Lesson 12 - Elementary Handling (No.1 Assisted by No.2)"</ref> and spotted targets for Number 1.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Generally, the Bren was fired from the prone position using the attached bipod.<ref>"It [the L4A4 Bren] is normally fired from the shoulder in the lying position, supported by the bipod, although it may be fired from other positions to engage targets at close range". Chapter 1, Section 1, para 102, Australian Army Manual of Land Warfare, Part 2, Infantry Training, Vol 4 Pam 6, Machine Gun 7.62mm L4A4, Australian Government 1979.</ref> On occasion, a Bren gunner would use his weapon on the move supported by a sling, much like an automatic rifle, and from standing or kneeling positions. Using the sling, Australian soldiers regularly fired the Bren from the hip, for instance in the [[marching fire]] tactic, a form of [[suppressive fire]] moving forward in assault. A [[Victoria Cross]] was awarded to Private [[Bruce Kingsbury]] for such use at [[Battle of Isurava|Isurava]], New Guinea, in 1942, during the Australians' fighting retreat from Kokoda.<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 35893
| date = 5 February 1943
| page = 659
| supp = y
}}</ref>

Each British soldier's equipment normally included two magazines for his section's Bren gun. The large ammunition pouches on the [[1937 pattern web equipment]] were designed around the Bren magazine. The Bren was regarded as the principal weapon of an infantry section, providing the majority of its firepower. As such, all ranks were expected to be "experts in its use".<ref>{{cite book |contribution=16. Light machine gun |title=Infantry Section Leading 1938 |date=December 1938 |edition=1940 |publisher=The War Office |url=https://archive.org/details/1938-uk-infantry-section-leading/page/7/mode/2up |page=8}}</ref>

The Bren had an effective range of around {{convert|600|yd|m}} when fired from a prone position with a [[bipod]].{{sfn|Dunlap|1948|p={{Page needed|date=September 2010}}}}{{efn|The British Army training instructions gives 1000 yds as the effective range}} It could deliver a beaten ground of {{convert|115|yd|m|abbr=on}} by {{convert|12|m|abbr=on}} at {{convert|1000|yd|abbr=on}} on the bipod. A 'rapid' fire rate of 120 rounds per minute (four magazines a minute) was sustainable with a barrel change after ten magazines (or reduction in fire rate) to limit wear but doctrine was to fire in 4-5 round bursts.<ref>{{citation |series=Small Arms Training, Vol 1 |title=Pamphlet No. 4, Light Machine Gun |publisher=War Office |date=June 1939 |page=4}}</ref> Soldiers were instructed to fire single-shot in imitation of rifle fire to conceal the presence of an automatic weapon.<ref>Pamphlet No. 4 "Lesson 4 - Firing"</ref>

For a light machine gun of the interwar and early World War II era, the Bren was about average in weight. On long marches in non-operational areas it was often partially disassembled and its parts were carried by two soldiers. The top-mounted magazine vibrated and moved during fire, making the weapon more visible in combat, and many Bren gunners used paint or improvised canvas covers to disguise the prominent magazine.{{sfn|George|1948|p={{Page needed|date=September 2010}}}}

The 30-round magazine was in practice usually filled with 27 or 28 rounds to prevent jams and for magazines kept full for a long time 20 rounds to avoid wearing out the magazine spring.<ref>{{citation |work=Army Council Instructions |title=630. Bren Gun – Filling of Magazines. (September, 1939) |id=The National Archives, WO 293/24}}, {{citation |work=Army Council Instructions |title=658. Magazines, Bren, .303-in., Machine Gun, Mark I – Filling of. (5 October 1939) |id=The National Archives, WO 293/24}}</ref> Care needed to be taken when loading the magazine to ensure that each round went ahead of the previous round, so that the .303 cartridge rims did not overlap the wrong way, which would cause a jam. The spent [[cartridge case]]s were [[Downward ejection|ejected downwards]], which was an improvement on the Lewis gun, which ejected sideways, since the glint of them flying through the air could compromise a concealed firing position.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=41}}

In general, the Bren was considered a reliable and effective light machine gun, though in [[North African campaign|North Africa]] it was reported to jam regularly unless kept very clean and free of sand or dirt.{{sfn|Dunlap|1948|p={{Page needed|date=September 2010}}}} It was popular with British troops, who respected its reliability and combat effectiveness. The quality of the materials used would generally ensure minimal jamming. When the gun did jam through fouling caused by prolonged firing, the operator could adjust the four-position gas regulator to feed more gas to the piston increasing the power to operate the mechanism. The barrel needed to be unlocked and slid forward slightly to allow the regulator to be turned. It was even said that all problems with the Bren could simply be cleared by hitting the gun, turning the regulator or doing both. It was "by general consent the finest light machine gun in the world of its period, and the most useful weapon provided to the (French) "maquis" ... accurate up to 1,000 meters, and (it) could withstand immense maltreatment and unskilled use. "Resistants" were constantly pleading for maximum drops of Brens".<ref>{{cite book |last=Hastings |author-link=Max Hastings |first=Max |title=Das Reich: The March of the 2nd SS Panzer Division through France, June 1944 |edition=2 |orig-year=1981 |year=2013 |publisher=Zenith Press |location=Minneapolis, United States |isbn=978-0-7603-4491-0 |page=236}}</ref>

[[File:Tysklandsbrigaden, øvelse Skandia III - Fo30141603020010.jpg|thumb|Bren with 100 round detachable [[pan magazine]]. With the magazine fitted, the original sights cannot be used.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McCollum|first=Ian|date=2012-06-22|title=Bren 100-round Drum|url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bren-100-round-drum/|access-date=2021-03-19|website=Forgotten Weapons|language=en-US}}</ref>]]
Although they were generally well-liked, the high cost of £40 each gun was an issue for the British Army leadership. This became a greater issue when it was discovered that only 2,300 of the 30,000 Bren guns issued to the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]] came back to the United Kingdom after the defeat of France. As the result, cost savings and increased rate of production became two main goals for subsequent variant designs. The Bren Mk II design simplified production by replacing the drum rear sight with a ladder design, making the bipod legs non-adjustable, simplifying the gun butt, reducing the use of [[stainless steel]], among other steps that reduced the cost by 20% to 25%; Mk II was approved in September 1940 and entered production in 1941. While the Bren Mk III design also aimed at reducing cost, it also had the concurrent goal of being lightened for jungle warfare; the final product weighed {{convert|19|lb|5|oz|abbr=on}}, 3 pounds lighter than the original Bren Mk I design; it was standardised in July 1944 and saw a production of 57,600. Also standardised in July 1944 was the Bren Mk IV, which was further lightened to {{convert|19|lb|2|oz|abbr=on}}; however, it did not enter production until July 1945, and only 250 were built before the end of the war. While Enfield was able to produce only 400 Bren Mk I guns each month, with the various simplification efforts production numbers rose to 1,000 guns per week by 1943. Later designs of production Bren guns featured chrome-lined barrels that offered less resistance, preventing overheating and reducing the need for quick changes of barrels.<ref name = 'WW2DB'>{{citation| title=Bren Machine Gun|first=C. Peter|last=Chen|url= https://ww2db.com/weapon.php?q=40|website= ww2db.com}}</ref>

Bren guns were produced outside of the United Kingdom as well. In Canada, the [[John Inglis and Company|John Inglis]] plant in Toronto began tooling its facilities for production in 1938; the first of 186,000 examples was completed in March 1940. Some of the Inglis-built Bren guns were chambered for the 7.92-mm Mauser ammunition; these were destined for export to [[National Revolutionary Army|Nationalist Chinese forces]] rather than for British and Commonwealth forces. In Australia, the [[Lithgow Small Arms Factory]] in New South Wales began building Bren guns in 1940; a total of 17,249 were built. In India, the [[Rifle Factory Ishapore|factory at Ishapore]] began building Bren guns in 1942 (it had produced Vickers-Berthier machine guns prior to this time), and would continue producing them for decades long after the end of World War II. Many of the Bren guns produced at Ishapore went to Indian troops, who had lost a great number of automatic weapons during the disastrous campaigns against the Japanese in Malaya and Burma; [[17th Infantry Division (India)|17th Indian Infantry Division]], for example, found itself with only 56 Bren guns after [[Burma campaign (1942–43)|fleeing out of Burma in 1942]].<ref name = 'WW2DB'/>

[[File:1944 Bren light machine gun.jpg|thumb|right|Bren gun mounted on a tripod, 2010]]
A tripod mount with 42 degrees of traverse was available to allow the Bren to be used on "fixed lines" of fire for defensive shooting at pre-determined areas in the dark or if obscured by fog or smoke. The Bren was also used on many vehicles, the [[Universal Carrier]] also known as the "Bren Gun Carrier",{{efn|the name was a carryover from the "Carrier, Bren Gun" one of four variations of the tracked vehicle before the Universal design was developed }} and on tanks and armoured cars. The Carrier was intended to use its "armour, speed and cross country performance" to bring the gun team into position from where it would fire dismounted; firing from the vehicle only in an emergency.<ref>{{cite book |contribution=16. Light machine gun |title=Infantry Section Leading 1938 |date=December 1938 |edition=1940 |publisher=The War Office |url=https://archive.org/details/1938-uk-infantry-section-leading/page/11/mode/2up |page=11}}</ref>  
The Bren could not be used as a co-axial weapon on tanks, as the magazine restricted its depression and was awkward to handle in confined spaces, and it was therefore used on a [[pintle mount]] only. (The belt fed [[Vickers light machine gun|Vickers]] or [[Besa machine gun|Besa]], the latter being another Czechoslovak machine gun design adopted by the British, were instead used as co-axial weapons.) An unfortunate problem occurred when the Bren was fired from the [[Dingo Scout Car]]; the hot cartridge cases tended to be ejected down the neck of the driver, whose position was next to the pintle. A canvas bag was designed to catch the cartridges and overcome the problem, but it seems to have been rarely issued.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=41}}

[[File:Anti-aircraft BrenGun.jpg|thumb|[[British Indian Army|Indian]] troops man a Bren gun on an anti-aircraft tripod, [[Western Desert (North Africa)|Western Desert]] April 1941]]
The Bren was also employed in the [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] role with the tripod reconfigured for high angle fire. There were also several designs of less-portable mountings, including the ''Gallows'' and ''Mottley'' mounts. A 100-round [[Magazine (firearm)#Pan|pan magazine]] was available for the Bren for use in the anti-aircraft role.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cairdpublications.com/scrap/armbitguns/images/Bren%20Guns.jpg|format=JPG|title=Image|website=Cairdpublications.com|access-date=4 July 2018}}</ref>

The Bren's direct ancestor, the Czechoslovak ZB vz. 26, was also used in World War&nbsp;II by German and Romanian forces, including units of the [[Waffen SS]]. Many [[8×57mm IS|7.92 mm]] ZB light machine guns were shipped to China, where they were employed first against the Japanese in World War II, and later against UN forces in Korea, including British and Commonwealth units. Some ex-Chinese Czech ZB weapons were also in use in the early stages of the [[Vietnam War]]. Production of a 7.92&nbsp;mm round model for the Far East was carried out by Inglis of Canada.<ref>{{cite web | title=POTD: The Chinese 7.9257mm BREN | date=23 August 2023 | url=https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2023/08/23/potd-chinese-7-92x57mm-bren/ }}</ref> The Bren was also delivered to the [[Soviet Union]] as part of the [[lend-lease]] program.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Glantz|first1=David M.|title=Colossus reborn : the Red Army at war, 1941–1943|date=2005|publisher=Univ. Press of Kansas|location=Lawrence, Kan.|isbn=978-0700613533|page=193}}</ref>

===Post-war===
The British Army, and the armies of various countries of the [[British Empire|Commonwealth]], used the Bren in the [[Korean War]], the [[Malayan Emergency]], the [[Mau Mau Uprising]] and the [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]], where it was preferred to its replacement, the belt-fed [[FN MAG|L7 GPMG]], on account of its lighter weight. In the [[Operation Banner|conflict in Northern Ireland]] (1969–1998), a British Army section typically carried the L4A4 version of the Bren as the squad automatic weapon in the 1970s.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=26}} During the [[Falklands War]] in 1982, [[40 Commando]] [[Royal Marines]] carried one L4A4 per section alongside the L7 GPMG.{{sfn|Grant|2013|pp=57, 59}} The Bren's final operational deployment with the British Army, on a limited scale, was in the [[Gulf War|First Gulf War]] in 1991.{{sfn|Grant|2013|pp=26, 59}}

[[File:Armamento - Museo de Armas de la Nación 09.JPG|left|thumb|Bren gun in an Argentine museum]]
When the British Army adopted the [[7.62×51mm NATO|7.62 mm]] [[NATO]] cartridge, the Bren was re-designed to 7.62&nbsp;mm calibre, fitted with a new bolt, barrel and magazine. It was re-designated as the "L4 light machine gun" (in various sub-versions) and remained in British Army service into the 1990s. A slotted flash hider similar to that of the contemporary L1 rifle and L7 general purpose machine gun replaced the conical flash hider. The change from a rimmed to rimless cartridge and nearly straight magazine improved feeding considerably, and allowed use of 20-round magazines from the 7.62&nbsp;mm [[L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle]]. Bren gunners using the L4A1 were normally issued with the 30-round magazine from the SAW L2A1.

Completion of the move to a [[5.56×45mm NATO|5.56 mm]] NATO cartridge led to the Army removing the Bren/L4 from the list of approved weapons and then withdrawing it from service.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The Mark III Bren remained in limited use with the [[Irish Army Reserve|Army Reserve]] of the [[Defence Forces (Ireland)|Irish Defence Forces]] until 2006, when the [[FN MAG|7.62&nbsp;mm GPMG]] replaced it. The Bren was popular with the soldiers who fired it (known as Brenners) as it was light and durable, and had a reputation for accuracy. The most notable use of the Bren by Irish forces was in the [[Congo Crisis]] during the 1960s, when the Bren was the regular army's standard section automatic weapon.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Bren guns were in service with the [[Rhodesian Security Forces]] during the [[Rhodesian Bush War]], including a substantial number re-chambered for 7.62&nbsp;mm cartridges similar to those examples in the British Army.<ref name="Moorcraft">{{Cite book|title=The Rhodesian War: A Military History |last1=Moorcraft |first1=Paul L |last2=McLaughlin |first2=Peter |publisher=Stackpole Books |location=Mechanicsburg |date=2010 |orig-year=2008 |isbn=978-0811707251 |page=92}}</ref> The Rhodesian Bren guns continued to see frequent action until the 1970s, when they were largely replaced by the [[FN MAG]].<ref name="Fireforce">{{cite book |last=Chris Cocks|title=Fireforce: One Man's War in the Rhodesian Light Infantry|date=3 April 2002|edition= July 1, 2001|pages= 139–141 |publisher=Covos Day|isbn= 978-1-919874-32-6}}</ref> A few were captured and re-issued by the [[Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army]] (ZIPRA).<ref name="Impasse">{{cite book|title=A matter of weeks rather than months: The Impasse between Harold Wilson and Ian Smith: Sanctions, Aborted Settlements and War 1965–1969|last=Wood|first=J R T|date=April 2008|location=Victoria, British Columbia|publisher=Trafford Publishing|isbn=978-1-4251-4807-2|page=411}}</ref> Some examples were still in service with reservists of the [[British South Africa Police]] in 1980, and were inherited by the [[Zimbabwe Republic Police]] upon the country's internationally recognised independence.<ref name="Cocks2">{{cite book |title=Out of Action |edition=Second |last=Cocks |first=Chris |location=Johannesburg |publisher=30° South Publishers |date=2008 |orig-year=1999 |isbn=978-1920143206|page=48}}</ref> Zimbabwean policemen continued to deploy Bren guns during operations against ZIPRA dissidents throughout the early 1980s.<ref name="Cocks2"/>

The [[South African Defence Force]] deployed Bren guns during the [[South African Border War]] alongside the more contemporary FN MAG as late as 1978.<ref name="Captor">{{Cite web 
|title=Representing history through film with reference to the documentary film ''Captor and Captive:'' Perspectives on a 1978 Border War incident.|last=Jooste|first=Rina |url=https://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10019.1/85668/jooste_representing_2013.pdf|location=Stellenbosch|publisher=Stellenbosch University|date=Dec 2013|access-date=4 January 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229222106/https://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10019.1/85668/jooste_representing_2013.pdf |archive-date= Dec 29, 2016 }}</ref>

==Variants==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}}

===Mark 1===
Introduced September 1937; the original Czechoslovak designed ZGB 33. Overall length {{convert|45.5|in|m}}, {{convert|25|in|m}} barrel length. Weight {{convert|22|lb|2|oz|kg|abbr=on}}.

Features:
* Drum-pattern rear aperture sight
* Buttstrap for use over-the-shoulder when firing
* Rear grip under butt
* Telescoping bipod
* Folding cocking handle

An Enfield-made .303 Bren Mk 1 was converted to [[7.92×57mm Mauser#British military ammunition|7.92mm]] in 1938 due to the suggestion of a possibility of a British Army change over to a rimless cartridge for machine guns being mooted.{{efn-lr|The 7.92mm was the cartridge that the original Zb 27 and Zb 30 supplied to the United Kingdom for testing had been chambered in. Guns made at BRNO chambered to .303 for the British trials were designated 'ZGB 30' at a cost of £175 per-gun with two barrels and with spares and accessories. Further British requests for modifications led to the ZGB 32, ZGB 33, and ZGB 34, the last being accepted for production as the Bren with the first Enfield production gun being completed in September 1937.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} }}

===Mark 2===
Introduced 1941. A simplified version of the Mk1 more suited to wartime production with original design features subsequently found to be unnecessary deleted.{{efn-lr|A number of features present in the original pre-war design were found to be seldom if-ever used in action. For example, the then-current continental fashion of holding the gun placed the firer's free left hand under the butt, whereas British practice was to place the firer's free hand on top of the butt stock thus making the rear grip superfluous.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} }}  Produced by Inglis of Canada and the Monotype Group through a number of component manufacturing factories. Sometimes known as the "Garage hands" model. Overall length {{convert|45.5|in|m}}, {{convert|25|in|m}} barrel length. Weight {{convert|23|lb|3|oz|kg|abbr=on}}.

'''Features:'''
* Folding-leaf rear sight
* Buttstrap deleted
* Rear grip deleted
* Fixed height bipod
* Fixed cocking handle

The Bren Mk2 was much simplified in the body, which although still being milled from a solid billet of steel, required significantly fewer milling operations than the Mk1, resulting in a much cleaner appearance. The bipod was simplified in design as well as not having extending legs. Most Mk2 bipods resembled a simple A-frame and were more 'soldier proof'. The Mk2 also featured a slightly higher rate of fire than the Mk1.

The woodwork on the Mk2 was simplified by being less ornate and ergonomic, which sped up the manufacturing process. The barrel was also simplified by means of a non-stepped removable flash hider and, in some cases, a barrel fore-end that was matte instead of highly polished. The buffered buttplate of the Mk1 was omitted and replaced with a sheet metal buttplate.

The Inglis version of the Bren Mk 2 chambered for the [[.30-06]] (7.62&nbsp;mm) cartridge and known as the M41 was also manufactured in [[Taiwan]] after the end of the [[Chinese Civil War]].{{Sfn|Grant|2013|p=24}}

===Mark 3===
A shorter and lighter Bren made by Enfield from 1944 for the war in the East and for Airborne Forces. This was similar to the Mk2 but with the light weight features of the early Mk1, with the main distinguishing feature being a shorter barrel and serrated area in front of the barrel nut.  Overall length {{convert|42.9|in|m|abbr=on}}, {{convert|22.25|in|m|abbr=on}} barrel length. Weight {{convert|19|lb|5|oz|kg|abbr=on}}.

===Mark 4===
As with the Mk3 but this was a conversion of a Mk2. Overall length {{convert|42.9|in|m|abbr=on}}, {{convert|22.25|in|m|abbr=on}} barrel length. Weight {{convert|19|lb|2|oz|kg|abbr=on}}.

===.280 in Bren===
Intended for use with the [[EM-2 rifle]], a number of Bren guns (mostly Inglis-produced Mk 2s with 7.92mm Mauser breech blocks) were converted to fire [[.280 British]] ammunition. They could use either the twenty-round magazine from the EM-2 or a new thirty-round magazine. Both these conversions and the accompanying EM-2 fell through after US-driven standardization within NATO on the larger [[7.62×51mm NATO]] round.{{Sfn|Grant|2013|pp=23-24}}

===L4===
[[File:Machine Gun (8037159644).jpg|thumb|Pintled-mounted L4A1 Bren with distinctive flash hider and magazine.]]
[[File:Operation URGENT FURY DN-SN-84-11981.jpg|thumb|L4-series Brens captured from the Grenadian military during the 1983 [[United States invasion of Grenada]]. The circular plates below the magazine and the obliterated "BREN Mk 3" marking make these out to be the L4A2 variant or the later L4A4.]]
After the adoption of the 7.62mm NATO round and the [[FN FAL]] (later the [[L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle|L1A1 SLR]]), Britain briefly considered adopting an [[Squad automatic weapon|automatic rifle]] version of the FAL. Testing of this "X8" version was seen to prove that the same task could be done more efficiently (and at a lower cost) by converting Brens to 7.62mm NATO instead. After some initial test conversions, what would become known as the L4 series began being fielded from 1955 onwards.{{Sfn|Grant|2013|pp=24-25}} L4 Brens can easily be identified by their straighter (but still slightly curved) magazine and the replacement of the original flash hider with a slotted, cylindrical model (similar to that used on the L1A1 and the L7 GPMG). The thirty-round L4 magazine was interchangeable with the L1A1 SLR's twenty-round magazine, and the L4 could also take the thirty-round magazine from the Australian [[L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle#Australia|L2A1]] and Canadian C2A1 automatic rifle versions of the SLR. The L4 remained in British service until the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=7.62 mm L4A1 Bren light machine gun, 1957 (c) |publisher=[[National Army Museum]] |location=London|url=https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1966-02-86-1|access-date=2021-03-19|website=Online Collection |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927173641/https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1966-02-86-1 |archive-date= Sep 27, 2021 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+L4 designations{{Sfn|Grant|2013|pp=25-27}}
|-
! Designation
! Description
|-
|L4A1
|Bren Mk3 conversion originally known as X10E1, with Mk1 bipod and two steel barrels. Some 1,500 guns were converted; an oversight meant that the gun could accept magazines from the original FN FAL but not the later L1A1.
|-
|L4A2
|Bren Mk3 conversion originally known as X10E2, with lightened bipod and two steel barrels. Circular body inserts on this and subsequent versions provided improved support to the magazine lips. This version could accept L1A1 magazines as originally intended. Some 7,600 guns were converted.
|-
|L4A3
|Bren Mk2 conversion, similar characteristics to the L4A2.
|-
|L4A4
|L4A2 variant with one chromium-plated steel barrel.{{efn-lr|The chromium-plated barrel had improved wear characteristics at high temperatures and so carrying a spare barrel was unnecessary.}} 6,900 guns were converted by changing the barrels of existing L4A2s, while another 500 guns were entirely new conversions. The L4A4 was the last major version in British service.
|-
|L4A5
|L4A3 variant with one chromium-plated steel barrel for the [[Royal Navy]].
|-
|L4A6
|L4A1 variant with one chromium-plated steel barrel.
|-
|L4A7
|Conversion of MK1 Bren. Did not get past the prototype stage.
|-
|L4A8, L4A9
|Variants with sight brackets for anti-aircraft and night-vision sights, implemented as an emergency measure after a heliborne [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|PIRA]] bomb attack.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=20 September 2020|publisher=[[Imperial War Museum]]|title=Machine Gun, 7.62mm, L4A9 & Bren|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30032645}}</ref> Only the L4A9 version appears to have materialised, and then only in small numbers.
|}

===L54A1===
A [[Drill purpose rifle|drill-purpose]] version of the various .303 Bren guns. It was mostly used by the [[Community Cadet Forces|Cadet Forces]] since these continued to use .303 Brens even after the Armed Forces proper had adopted the L4 Brens and the L7 GPMG.<ref>{{cite web |title=Centrefire automatic light machine gun - Bren L54A1 Drill Purpose (DP) - about 1945 |url=https://royalarmouries.org/collection/object/object-280965 |website=[[Royal Armouries]] |access-date=15 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bren light machine gun |url=https://vickersmg.blog/in-use/accessories/associated-weapons/bren-light-machine-gun/ |website=Vickers MG Collection & Research Association |access-date=15 November 2025}}</ref>

==Besal gun==
{{main|Besal}}

The Besal or Faulkner light machine gun was a Bren-inspired emergency design developed in the aftermath of the French campaign and the Dunkirk Evacuation in which the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]] lost almost 30,000 Brens and given the vulnerability of a single, well known, manufacturing site for the Bren at Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield. Developed in 1940 by Harry Faulker of the [[Birmingham Small Arms Company]], the Besal looks much like a Bren, but was developed with much simplified machining operations in mind to allow it to be produced in any machine shop. Unlike the Bren, the Besal was full automatic only rather than select fire and lacked a cocking handle, using the pistol grip instead. In Mark 2 format the Besal had no interchangeable parts with the Bren, but was designed to use Bren magazines.

===Taden gun===
{{main|Taden gun}}
The [[Taden gun]] was a post-war development of the Bren to use with the [[.280 British]] (7&nbsp;mm) intermediate round proposed to replace the .303 in British service. The Taden was belt-fed with either spade grips for MMG use or a buttstock and pistol grip for LMG use and would have replaced both the Bren and the Vickers machine gun. Although reliable{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} it was not accepted due to the US-driven standardization within NATO on the larger [[7.62×51mm NATO]] round.<ref>{{cite web |url-status=dead |url=http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/Assault.htm |title=Assault rifles and their ammunition |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140602021550/http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/Assault.htm |archive-date=June 2, 2014 |first1=Anthony G |last1=Williams |date=April 2014 }}</ref>

==X11==
The X11 was a belt-fed Bren derivative developed by RSAF Enfield after the cancellation of the EM-2 rifle and Taden machine gun, adapting the Taden concepts to a Bren derived weapon in the new [[7.62x51mm]] NATO standard round. It came second in trials behind the [[FN MAG]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=TAB |date=2017-09-17 |title=X11 Belt-Fed Bren Derivative |url=https://armourersbench.com/2017/09/17/x11-belt-fed-bren-derivative/ |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=The Armourers Bench |language=en}}</ref>

===Semiautomatic Bren guns===
Many nations' militaries have disposed of their Bren guns as surplus to their needs. Surplus Brens have been imported to the United States for sale to collectors, but due to US gun laws restricting the importation of automatic weapons such guns must be legally destroyed by cutting up the receivers. A number of US gunsmiths have manufactured new semiautomatic Brens by welding the pieces of destroyed receivers back together, with modifications to prevent the use of full automatic parts, and fitting new fire-control components capable of only semiautomatic fire. The balance of the parts are surplus Bren parts. Such "semiautomatic machine guns" are legally considered rifles under US Federal law and the laws of most states.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

==Production==
===United Kingdom===
[[File:VeronicaFoster-RonnieBrenGunGirl-smoke.jpg|thumb|right|[[Veronica Foster]] as "Ronnie, the Bren Gun Girl", was a Canadian icon for women working in war production]]
Bren guns were produced at the [[Royal Small Arms Factory]], in [[Enfield, London]].{{Sfn|Hobart|1972|p=7}} The first Bren guns were built in September 1937, and by December, a total of 42 had been produced. Weekly production was 300 Brens a week in July 1938, and 400 a week in September 1939.{{Sfn|Hobart|1972|p=9}} 
The Monotype Group{{efn|A consortium of Monotype, Daimler, Hercules Cycle, Climax Rock Drill, F. Tibbenham, British Fabricating Machine Co. and Sigmund Pumps}} produced Mark 2 Brens.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30034907|title=Bren Mk 2|website=Imperial War Museums |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105042058/https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30034907 |archive-date= Nov 5, 2023 }}</ref> Enfield produced a total of 220,000 Mark I Bren guns,{{Sfn|Dugelby|Stevens|1999|p=114}} 57,600 in Mark III,{{Sfn|Dugelby|Stevens|1999|p=171}} and 250 in Mark IV.{{Sfn|Dugelby|Stevens|1999|p=174}}

===Canada===
[[John Inglis and Company]] received a contract from the British and Canadian governments in March 1938 to supply 5,000 Bren machine guns to the UK and 7,000 Bren machine guns to Canada. Both countries shared the [[capital (economics)|capital]] costs of bringing in this new production facility.<ref>{{citation |url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1938/9/1/canadas-armament-mystery |title=Canada's Armament Mystery
|date=1 September 1938 |first= George A |last=Drew |work=Macleans |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220417040517/https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1938/9/1/canadas-armament-mystery |archive-date= Apr 17, 2022 }}</ref> Production started in 1940; by August 1942, the Inglis plant was averaging 10,000 Brens per month, and produced 186,000 Bren guns of all variants by the end of the war, including 43,000 chambered in [[7.92×57mm Mauser]] for export to the Chinese [[National Revolutionary Army]].{{Sfn|Grant|2013|p=22}}{{Sfn|Dugelby|Stevens|1999|p=244-247}}

===India===
[[File:Keeping Watch.jpg|thumb|Indian soldier armed with domestically produced 7.62mm Bren (Gun Machine 7.62mm 1B), 2009.]]

In 1942, the [[Ishapore Arsenal]] began to produce Bren guns, and continued to do so long after the end of World War II, also manufacturing variants in [[7.62×51mm NATO]].{{Sfn|Grant|2013|p=22}}
A shadow factory for Ishapore was set up at [[Kanpur]] and produced .303 Brens before it was later rechambered to fire 7.62 NATO ammo in 1964<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ofb.gov.in/unit/pages/SAF/history2|title=History |website=Small Arms Factory |publisher=Government of India |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223141317/https://ofb.gov.in/unit/pages/SAF/history2|archive-date=2020-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://saf.gov.in/product.html |title=Product development history |website=Small Arms Factory |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801055310/http://saf.gov.in/product.html |archive-date=1 August 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> as the 1A LMG.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30029893|title=Gun Machine 7.62mm IA [Indian Bren gun]|website=Imperial War Museums}}</ref>

Prior to the end of manufacturing, the Bren was made in India as the 1B.

===Australia===
In 1940, the [[Lithgow Small Arms Factory]] in [[New South Wales]] began to manufacture Bren guns, producing a total of 17,249 by 1945.{{Sfn|Grant|2013|p=22}}

==Users==
<!--READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.-->
[[File:Member of the FFI.jpg|thumb|upright|Watched by two small boys, a fighter from the [[French Forces of the Interior]] poses with his Bren in [[Châteaudun]], 1944.]]
[[File:Monument of the Martyrs 05 Algiers.jpg|thumb|upright|A statue at the Algerian [[Martyrs' Memorial, Algiers|Martyrs' Memorial]] portraying a soldier with a Bren.]]
[[File:Legeroefening in Duitsland. Soldaten met Bren-mitrailleur in stelling, Bestanddeelnr 913-0456.jpg|thumb|right|Dutch soldiers prepare a Bren machine gun position during an exercise, 1961.]]
* {{flag|Algeria}}: [[National Liberation Army (Algeria)|National Liberation Army]] received 500 Brens from Egypt<ref>{{cite book|title=The Algerian War, 1954-62|series= Men-at Arms 312|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]|place= London |year=1997|isbn=978-1-85532-658-3|first= Martin |last=Windrow|page=9}}</ref>
* {{flag|Australia}}: during World War II and Korean War. [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]] (as L4A4).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/CUN%3A65%3A0724%3AMC|title=photo caption <!--Armed with a 7.62mm L4A4 Bren light machine gun (LMG), Private (Pte) Neville Ferguson, of Ararat, Vic, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), moves cautiously through the jungle as he completes an early morning patrol near the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.--> |id=CUN/65/0724/MC |website=[[Australian War Memorial]] |last=Cunneen|first=William James|date=c. 1965|access-date=26 March 2023}}</ref> Continued in limited service until about the time of the general introduction of the [[F88 Steyr]] (circa 1990).{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}
* {{flag|Bangladesh}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Barbados}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}<ref>{{cite book |author1=Lee E Russell |title=Grenada 1983 |date=28 March 1985 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |isbn=9780850455830 |page=46}}</ref>
* {{flag|Belize}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Belgium}}: post-war{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=212}}
* {{flag|Biafra}}<ref name="auto">{{cite book|last=Jowett|first=Philip|title=Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-70|year=2016|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-1472816092|page=23}}</ref>
* {{flag|Botswana}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Canada|1921}}{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=285}}
* {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Frolinat.svg}} [[Chad]]ian [[FROLINAT]]<ref>{{cite web|date=19 September 2015|title=Les Ailes françaises au Tchad : Retournons le sablier…|first=Bernard |last=Lart |url=https://lavoiedelepee.blogspot.com/2015/09/les-ailes-francaises-au-tchad.html|website=La voie de l'epee|editor-first=Michel|editor-last=Goya}}</ref>
* {{flag|Central African Republic}}: used by [[Law enforcement in the Central African Republic|Gendarmerie]] and [[Republican Guard (Central African Republic)|Republican Guard]]<ref>{{cite book|title=The Central African Republic and Small Arms: A Regional Tinderbox|first1=Eric G.|last1= Berman |first2=Louisa N. |last2=Lombard|date= December 2008|publisher=[[Small Arms Survey]]|isbn=978-2-8288-0103-8|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/D-Book-series/book-07-CAR/SAS-Central-African-Republic-and-Small-Arms.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802224632/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/D-Book-series/book-07-CAR/SAS-Central-African-Republic-and-Small-Arms.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 August 2014|pages=43–44}}</ref>
* {{flag|Croatia}}: Mark 2 version known to be used in the [[Croatian War of Independence]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mup.hr/main.aspx?id=148928|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316182158/https://www.mup.hr/main.aspx?id=148928|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 March 2014|title=Vojničke puške |date=16 March 2014|access-date=4 July 2018 |publisher=Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova Republike Hrvatske}}</ref>
* {{flag|People's Republic of China}}: Many guns captured from [[Kuomintang]]. Used during [[Korean War]].{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=52}} Some converted to fire 7.62x39 caliber ammunition from ammo supplied by their Soviet allies. They used regular AK-47 magazines.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=24}}
* {{flag|Republic of China (1912-1949)|name=Republic of China}}: used by [[National Revolutionary Army]]{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=6}} 43,000 guns produced in [[7.92×57mm Mauser]] by [[John Inglis and Company|Inglis]] in Canada.{{sfn|Grant|2013|pp=22&24}} Later in 1952, [[Taiwan]] produced a [[.30-06 Springfield]] version of Bren Mk II, the ''Type 41''.{{sfn|Smith|1969|pp=293&296}}{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=24}}
* {{flag|Democratic Republic of Congo}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Cyprus}}<ref>{{cite magazine|date=28 February 1964|title=On a sun-washed island a brutal back-alley war|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TFQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA29|pages=24–31|magazine = [[Life (magazine)|LIFE]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Big gun sale in Cyprus|url=http://oldbritishguns.com/207-big-gun-sale-in-cyprus|date=25 February 2011|website=oldbritishguns.com|access-date=5 July 2018|archive-date=5 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705175841/http://oldbritishguns.com/207-big-gun-sale-in-cyprus|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Denmark}}: post-war{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=337}}
* {{flag|Egypt|1958}}{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=613}}
* {{flag|France}}
** {{flag|Free France}}: Used by the [[Free French Forces]] and [[French Resistance]].{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=372}}<ref>{{cite book|page=320|title=War In The Shadows: The Guerrilla in History|year=2002|author=Robert Asprey|publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-0595225934}}</ref>
** {{flag|Vichy France}}: Captured Brens were issued to the [[Milice]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Histoire de la Milice et des forces du maintien de l'ordre en Haute-Savoie 1940–1945 : Guerre civile en Haute-Savoie|page=144|year=1998|author=Michel Germain }}</ref>
** [[French Far East Expeditionary Corps]]<ref name ="Indochina">{{cite book|title=The French Indochina War 1946–54|series=Men-at-Arms 322|first= Martin |last=Windrow|isbn=9781855327894 |date=15 Nov 1998|page=41|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]}}</ref>
* {{flag|Gambia}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Ghana}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Greece}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Needham |first=William R. |url=http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/773486.pdf |title=Paramilitary forces in Greece, 1946-1949. An Institute for Advanced Studies-Individual Study Project |date=26 February 1971 |publisher=[[United States Army War College|US Army War College]] |page=31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031011619/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/773486.pdf |archive-date=2018-10-31 |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=450}}
* {{flag|Grenada}}: People's Revolutionary Armed Forces<ref>{{cite web |author1=JOC Gary Miller |title=Bren light machine guns seized by US military personnel during Operation URGENT FURY |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6382883 |website=catalog.archives.gov |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]] |access-date=3 October 2022 |date=26 October 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=JO1 Peter D. Sundberg |title=A Marine displays a seized Soviet RPG-2 rocket launcher and Bren light machine gun, after arriving with Battalion Landing Team A during Operation Urgent Fury. They were deployed from Grenada when informed that members of the Peoples Revolutionary Army were here on the island |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6382849 |website=catalog.archives.gov |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]] |access-date=3 October 2022 |date=2 November 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=TSGT Mike Creen |title=Two Bren light machine guns seized by US military personnel during Operation URGENT FURY |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6377730 |website=catalog.archives.gov |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]] |access-date=3 October 2022 |date=3 November 1983}}</ref>
* {{flag|Guyana}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Hong Kong|colonial}}: Used by the [[Royal Hong Kong Regiment]].<ref name="RHKR_Weapon">{{cite web|title=RHKR Equipment - Weapons |url=https://www.rhkr.org/equipment/weapon.htm |publisher=The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) Association |website=www.rhkr.org |access-date=16 June 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210616152909/https://www.rhkr.org/equipment/weapon.htm |archive-date=16 June 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* {{flag|India}}: manufactured by the [[Ordnance Factories Board]]<ref name="Ordnance Factory Board"/>{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}} Phased out of Indian military service in 2012.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=66}}
* {{flag|Indonesia}} Used by Republican Forces During [[Indonesian National Revolution]] :<ref>{{cite book|first=P.R.S.|last=Mani|title=The Story of Indonesian Revolution, 1945-1950|publisher=Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies, [[University of Madras]]|series=Monograph 6|year=1986|page=7|url=https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/28111/1/MANIS027_web.pdf}}</ref>{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=461}} 
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Iraq (1924–1959).svg}} [[Kingdom of Iraq|Iraq]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/26/iraq-revolution-ousts-monarchy-1958|title=Military coup in Iraq ousts monarchy - archive, 1958|work=The Guardian|date=26 July 2017}}</ref>
* {{flag|Ireland}}: [[Irish Defence Forces]], replaced by the [[FN MAG]] in 1960s.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=65}} Remained in use with Irish military reserve forces until the early 2000s.
* {{flag|Israel}}: During the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] and for some time thereafter by the [[Haganah]] and the [[Israeli Defense Forces]]. Replaced after [[Operation Kadesh]] (1956).{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=64}}
* {{flag|Italy}}: [[airdrop]]ped to [[Resistenza|partisans]] and also issued to the [[Italian Co-Belligerent Army]] in the latter part of WWII. It continued to see post-war use with the Italian Army.<ref name=ArmiEMezzi1955>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Armi e mezzi in dotazione all'esercito|trans-title=Arms and Means Supplied to the Army  |publisher=Ministero della difesa italiano |date=1955 |url=https://archive.org/details/ArmiEMezziInDotazioneAllesercitoItaliano-1955 |language=it}}</ref> Also used by the [[Polizia di Stato|Italian Police]] in .30-06 caliber.{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=24}}
* {{flag|Jamaica}}{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=66}}
* {{flag|Empire of Japan}}: captured weapons.{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=498}}
* {{flag|Jordan}}: [[Arab Legion]]<ref>{{cite book| first=Peter |last=Young |series=Men-at-Arms |title=The Arab Legion| url=https://archive.org/details/arablegion00youn | url-access=limited |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |year=1972|isbn=978-0-85045-084-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/arablegion00youn/page/n23 24]}}</ref>
* {{flag|Kenya}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}{{sfn|USMC Bren, Kenya}}
* {{flag|North Korea}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=North Korean Small Arms (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)|magazine=Small Arms Review|volume=16|issue=2|date=June 2012|url=https://smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1108|access-date=2 February 2019|archive-date=2 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202212301/https://smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1108|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Lesotho}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Libya|1951}}{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=26}}
* {{flag|Malaysia}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Parliamentary Debates|page=554|chapter=Adjournement Defense|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=514hAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA554|author=New Zealand House of Representatives|author-link=New Zealand House of Representatives|date=17 July 1968}}</ref>
* {{flag|Myanmar}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1154|title=Burmese Small Arms Development|website=Small Arms Review |first=V |last=Kenneth |date=26 August 2009 |quote=Originally published in Small Arms Review V12N11 (August 2009) |publisher=Chipotle Publishing LLC}}</ref>
* {{flag|Mauritius}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Nazi Germany}}: used captured examples<ref>{{cite book|title=Siegfried: The Nazis' Last Stand|page=181|author=Charles Whiting|publisher=Cooper Square Press|year=2001|isbn=978-0815411666}}</ref> under the designation ''7.7 mm Leichtes MG 138(e)''{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=65}}
* {{flag|Nepal}}:{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}} Bren L4<ref name = 'Nepal'>{{cite journal|first=Aaron |last=Karp |title=Legacies of War in the Company of Peace|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/G-Issue-briefs/NAVA-IB2-Legacies-of-War.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225063835/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/G-Issue-briefs/NAVA-IB2-Legacies-of-War.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 February 2014|journal=Nepal Armed Violence Assessment Issue Brief|issue=2|date=May 2013 |publisher=Small Arms Survey}}</ref>
* {{flag|Netherlands}}: Used in post-war{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=521}}
* {{flag|New Zealand}}: WWII and L4 post war<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armsregister.com/arms_register/arms_register_documents/nzar_204_bren_l4a4_lmg.pdf|first=Phil|last=Cregeen|title=NZART 204 Bren L4A4 LMG|date=14 November 2013}}</ref>
* {{flag|Nigeria}}{{sfn|Jowett|2016|p=20}}
* {{flag|Norway}}: post-war{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=523}}
* {{flag|Pakistan}}{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=66}}
* {{flag|Papua New Guinea}}<ref name=Alpers>{{cite book|last=Alpers|first=Philip|editor1-last=Karp|editor1-first=Aaron|title=The Politics of Destroying Surplus Small Arms: Inconspicuous Disarmament|date=2010|pages=168–169|publisher=Routledge Books|location=Abingdon-on-Thames|isbn=978-0-415-49461-8}}</ref>
* {{flag|Poland}}: Used by the [[Polish Underground State]]{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} and [[Polish Armed Forces in the West]]{{sfn|Polish Army 1939–45|pages=29, 36}} during World War II.
* {{flag|Portugal}}: ''m/43''{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=530}}
* {{flagdeco|Ireland}} [[Provisional IRA]]<ref>"Soldier and civilian shot dead'", ''Irish Press'', 19 July 1972.</ref>  
* {{flag|Rhodesia}}<ref>{{cite book|page=13|title=Rhodesian Light Infantryman: 1961–1980|first=Neil |last=Grant|year=2015|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1472809629}}</ref>
* {{flag|Seychelles}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Sierra Leone}}<ref>{{cite web|title=World Infantry Weapons: Sierra Leone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124203938/https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_af_sierraleone|archive-date=24 November 2016|url=https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_af_sierraleone|date=2013}}</ref>
* {{flag|Somalia|name=Somali Republic}}<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP79S00427A000500040036-2.pdf |title=MEMORANDUM: REQUESTS FROM THE SOMALI REPUBLIC FOR MILITARY AID |date=20 August 1961 |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |pages=2}}</ref>
* {{flag|South Africa|1928}}<ref name="Captor"/>
* {{flag|Sri Lanka}}: Used by [[Ceylon Defence Force]] in World War II<ref>{{cite web|first=Alan|last=Shaw|title=Marching on to Laffan's Plain - Chapter 9|website=[[BBC WW2 People's War]]|date=11 November 2004|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/34/a3260134.shtml}}</ref>
* {{flag|Suriname}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Swaziland}} (now [[Eswatini]]){{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Tibet}}: 294 guns were purchased by the [[Tibetan Army]] in 1950.<ref name="Shakya">{{Cite book|title=The Dragon in the Land of Shows: A History of Modern Tibet Since 1949|first=Tsering|last=Shakya|author-link=Tsering Shakya|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=1999|isbn=9781448114290|page=43|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WWjMMS7dHc0C&pg=PT65}}</ref>
* {{flag|Tonga}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}<ref name=Capie>{{cite book|last=Capie|first=David|title=Under the Gun: The Small Arms Challenge in the Pacific|date=2004|pages=68–69|publisher=Victoria University Press|location=Wellington|isbn=978-0864734532 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|Uganda}}{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}: British and Commonwealth forces, and cadet forces until the introduction of the [[L98 Cadet Rifle]]
*{{flagicon|South Vietnam}} [[State of Vietnam]]<ref name ="Indochina"/>
*{{flag|Vietnam}}: used by [[Viet-Minh]]{{sfn|Windrow|1998|p=24}} acquired from China and the Soviet Union or by capture
* {{flag|Soviet Union}}: Supplied by the United Kingdom during the Lend-Lease program.{{Sfn|Grant|2013|p=45}}
* {{flag|Yugoslavia}}: [[Yugoslav Partisans]] and [[Chetniks]] during World War II;{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=43}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Yugoslav Partisans In Malta|date=2 September 2012|newspaper=[[The Malta Independent]]|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2012-09-02/news/yugoslav-partisans-in-malta-315299/}}</ref>
* {{flag|Zimbabwe}}:{{sfn|Jones|Ness|2009|p=}}{{page needed|date=September 2021}}

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-720-0318-04, Frankreich, Parade der Milice Francaise.jpg|Members of the [[Milice]] with captured Bren guns.
File:8th Royal Scots halted 27-10-1944.jpg|8th Bn Royal Scots with Bren near [[Tilburg]], October 1944
File:Twin Bren gun anti-aircraft mounting at RAF Duxford.jpg|Twin Bren anti-aircraft mounting
File:The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H37157.jpg|Two Brens (with [[Universal Carrier]] and Vickers machine gun) were a gift of the [[Esan people|Ishan people]] in Nigeria to British Army 
</gallery>

==In popular culture==
*"[[Could You Please Oblige Us with a Bren Gun?]]" is a humorous song, written and composed in 1941 by [[Noël Coward]], that focuses on the shortages of equipment experienced by the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]] in Britain during the Second World War.

==See also==<!-- PLEASE RESPECT ALPHABETICAL ORDER -->
* {{lwc|CZ 805 BREN}}
* {{lwc|Charlton Automatic Rifle}}
* {{lwc|Degtyaryov machine gun}}
* {{lwc|FM 24/29 light machine gun}}
* {{lwc|Mendoza RM2}}
* {{lwc|Type 73 light machine gun}}
* {{lwc|Type 96 light machine gun}}
* {{lwc|Type 99 light machine gun}}
* {{lwc|Vickers K machine gun}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
;Special notes
{{notelist-lr}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

===Main sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book | last1=Dugelby | first1=T.B. | last2=Stevens | first2=R.B. | title=The Bren Gun Saga | publisher=Collector Grade Publications |  year=1999 | isbn=978-0-88935-249-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ekjPQAACAAJ }}
* {{Cite book |last=Dunlap|first=Roy F.|title=Ordnance Went Up Front|publisher=The Samworth Press|year=1948}}
* {{Cite book |last=George|first=John (Lt. Col.)|title=Shots Fired In Anger|publisher=The Samworth Press|year=1948}}
* {{cite book |last=Grant|first= Neil |date=20 July 2013|title=The Bren Gun|publisher= [[Osprey Publishing]]|isbn=9781782000822}}
* {{cite book |last=Hobart |first=Frank William Arthur |year=1972 |title=The Bren gun |series=Small Arms Profile 13 |publisher=Profile Publications |oclc=18196829 }}
* {{cite book |editor1-first=Richard D. |editor1-last=Jones |editor2-first=Leland S. |editor2-last=Ness |title=Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010 |date=27 January 2009 |edition=35th |publisher=Jane's Information Group |location=Coulsdon |isbn=978-0-7106-2869-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Smith|first=Joseph E.|title=Small Arms of the World|url=https://archive.org/details/smallarmsofworld00smit|url-access=registration|edition =11|location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|publisher= The Stackpole Company|year=1969|isbn=9780811715669}}
* {{cite book |last=Zaloga |first=Steven J. |date=June 20, 2013 |title=The Polish Army 1939–45 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y1-ICwAAQBAJ |format=ebook |series=Men-at-Arms 117 |publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=9781472804471 |ref={{harvid|Polish Army 1939–45}} }}
* {{cite book |last=Windrow |first= Martin |year=1997 |title=The Algerian War, 1954-62 |series=Men-at Arms 312 |location=London |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-85532-658-3}}
{{refend}}

===Secondary sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title=Bren (Bren L4) |url=https://weaponsystems.net/system/1324-Bren |website=weaponsystems.net |location= |publisher= |access-date= |ref={{harvid|Bren (weaponsystems.net)}} }}
* {{cite web |author1=CPL Jeff Sisto, USMC |date=December 9, 2002|title=Lance Corporal (LCPL) Seamus Conner, USMC, M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) GUNNER, Golf Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines (BLT 2/2), 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU SOC), fires the Bren Light Machine Gun (LMG) during a cross training portion of Exercise EDGED MALLET 2003 in Manda Bay, Kenya  |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6635060 |website=catalog.archives.gov |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]] |access-date=November 27, 2021 |ref={{harvid|USMC Bren, Kenya}} }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bren light machine guns}}
* [http://modernfirearms.net/en/machineguns/great-britain-machineguns/bren-eng/ Modern Firearms (additional information)]

{{WW2 Brit Comm infantry guns}}
{{ModernUKInfWeaponsNav}}
{{BritishEmpireWeapons}}

{{Notelist}}

[[Category:History of the London Borough of Enfield]]
[[Category:Light machine guns]]
[[Category:Machine guns of Czechoslovakia]]
[[Category:Machine guns of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:World War II infantry weapons of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:World War II machine guns]]
[[Category:.303 British machine guns]]
[[Category:Czechoslovakia–United Kingdom relations]]
[[Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1930s]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1935]]