When the machine gun appeared at the beginning of the last century, researchers were made to enhance, at best, its mobility to keep up with the infantry during attacks.

In Belgium, the army used machine guns on a wheeled carriage towed by dogs.

During WWI, many designers proposed several devices: 

• Gounouilou mount (August 1916); 
• Mount designed by Captain Colleau from 251st Infantry Regiment (August 1916), several variations exist: No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. The weight was 7.7 pounds, 6 pounds and 2.2 pounds. The Model 1907 machine gun could not be used with mount No. 2 and No. 3; 
• Mount invented by Captain Breche, 39th Infantry Regiment; made with a sole and a support. Weight was 22 pounds (October 1916); 
• Lieutenant Fulchiron mount (October 1916); 
• Captain Bedu mount, 26.5 pounds (July 1917).

All these mounts were unsteady, and the adoption of the Chauchat light machine gun made them useless.

In France, during WWI, an Invention Secretary was set up to register proposals and inventions which could improve the war effort. Ingenious ideas were proposed, beside crazy ones, and the most interesting of them were forwarded to the Commission d’Expérience Auxiliaire de Paris to put them on trial. Many reports on these trials still exist and are kept at the Armament Archive Center in Châtellerault (formerly MAC).

There, we discovered the report pertaining to the test of the Vélo-mitrailleur Blanchard. This vehicle is known since a picture of it was hanging on a wall of the Section Technique de l’Armée de Terre, or Versailles Proving Ground of Versailles established in Camp de Satory, located on a hill 1 mile south of Versailles. The text and the picture were a happy marriage! The idea to set up an automatic gun on a bicycle was not new, since the Italians tried it in 1915, with a twin Villar Perosa submachine gun fixed on the handlebar of a bicycle.

On June 15, 1917, the Commission d’Expérience Auxiliaire de Paris filed a report on the trials of the devices presented by Mr. Blanchard: 

• a bicycle with a Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun; 
• another to carry ammunition; 
• a light mount, nicknamed “toad,” carried on the ammunition carrier bicycle.

Each bicycle was fitted with a stabilizing device which allowed immediate fire after stopping. The “toad” mount was meant to set the machine gun for shooting in a prone position. The mount had two curved sectors, one of them with slots. It was made to have its axis permanently vertical, allowing a mowing (Traversing) fire without any adjustment in height. This device did not exist on the service mounts.

Trials

The first trials were made at Camp de Satory on March 28, 1917, with Major Porteret from the Commission d’Expérience Auxiliaire de Paris; Captain Roux vice-ministry from the Invention Secretary; and Mr. Blanchard, the designer. They went on with an M1907 Saint-Étienne machine gun, with sighting and shooting exercises at 200 meters. Sighting and locking the machine gun proved unsatisfactory, and the designer was asked to improve them. New trials were organized on May 25 and 31, 1917.

The mount could be fitted with the M1907 Saint-Étienne, the M1914 Hotchkiss or the Chauchat light machine gun. The mowing device was improved and now had two hollow sectors joined by a spring-operated brake.

The field trials began with bicycling with soldiers coming from the bicycle section of 1st Cavalry Division. They donned the battle dress of the time: helmet, cartridge pouches, belt, suspenders, coat, rucksack, calf strips and shoes with nails on their soles. They handled two Vélo-mitrailleuses, one with an M1907 Saint-Étienne MG and the other with an M1914 Hotchkiss MG. Another bicycle carried reserve ammunition and the “toad” mount.

After a short warm-up session inside Camp de Satory, the three bicyclists rode to Versailles, up to the entrance gate of the city and then to the Engineer Regiment depot. There the road turns up very steeply. Then, with the Vélo-mitrailleur in hand, they crossed an uneven exercise ground next to the depot, passed over a ditch and over an embankment. After a 100 yards’ run, they drove by the road to the shooting range of “La Minière” and set up the machine guns for shooting. The report says that the handling of the machines was very convenient, and the bicyclists were able to use their equipment easily. After the travel, they were able to set up the machine guns quickly for shooting. But the men complained that the brakes of the bicycles were not efficient.

Results

Shooting trials were done on May 31. The results in terms of precision were compared with an M1907 Saint-Étienne MG on the M1915 service mount and the same gun installed on the Vélo-mitrailleur, with 25-shot bursts at 400 meters (437 feet): 

• With M1915 mount: the rectangle around impact is 59 inches high and 56 inches wide, at medium rate of fire; 
• With bicycle used as a mount: 39”x75”, at medium rate; 
• With M1915 mount: 82”x153” at high rate of fire; 
• With bicycle: 67”x63”, at high rate.

Several other shots were fired on designated targets. The results of shooting with a gun mounted on the bicycle were similar to those obtained with the service mount, but the shooter had to hold the machine gun firmly.

With the Hotchkiss machine gun, the results on the bicycle were not as good as on the service mount, but they were better when using the “toad” mount.

Others trials showed a slight increase in range when using the Vélo-mitrailleur: 100m more between 400m and 800m, and 50m between 800m and 1,000m. These devices were like wheeled mounts and allowed a quick use of any machine gun. The ammunition carrier bicycle was able to carry 300 cartridges and a “toad” mount. Other bicycles could carry accessories and more ammunition. This piece of equipment was an ingenious device and easy to use; the instruction of soldiers was quick and effortless. Shooting results were the same as with an M1915 mount; a slight deviation in height was observed but insignificant.

In his conclusion, the reporting officer writes: “Le Vélo-mitrailleur Blanchard is able [to] fulfill the purpose of its designer: To carry a machine gun with a bicycle and convert it quickly in a steady mount. This equipment can be very useful for the service, and it is has to be presented at the Army headquarters.”

But no answer was given to this suggestion, and nobody heard of the Vélo-mitrailleur Blanchard. New tactics were developed for attacks, and it turned out more efficient to resort to tanks rather than to bicycles for the fire support of infantry assaults! 

The author recently made a trip to Vietnam and selected a tour which led to the main battlefields, where the Communists fought the French and later the South Vietnamese and the American troops, and several military museums. 

History of the Country 

In the past, the Indochinese Peninsula was a meeting point for itinerant people from China and India and South seas mariners. After 1801, the Nguyen Dynasty became the leader of a large state called Vietnam, ranging from the Chinese border to the Ca Mau Peninsula at the southern tip of the country. The border was pushed to the west after annexation of the Cambodia and Laos districts. The Dynasty remained in control of the country until 1945, and the last emperor was Bao Dai. 

French Colony 

Portuguese and French missionaries settled in Vietnam around the 16th century and established a religious, commercial and strategic organization in Indochina. Protectorates were established with Annam and Tonkin in 1883, confirmed by the Tianjin Treaty in 1858 after a conflict with China. The Indochina Union, including Tonkin, Annam, Cochinchina and Cambodia, was established in 1887; later in 1898, Laos and Kouang Tcheou Wan area (formerly Chinese) joined the Union. 

An assembly of representatives for Annam and Tonkin was organized in 1928. An ambitious program permitted installations of infrastructure, industrial development and many other activities. The country was one of the most prosperous in Southeast Asia. 

Vietnamese Communists 

During the 19th century, mandarins (seigniorial) were the main assailants against the French. After WWI, the opposition was taken up by the bourgeoisie, enriched by the economic growth and by some intellectuals educated in French universities. But the most virulent opponent was a young revolutionary Vietnamese, educated by the Komintern in Moscow and the Red Chinese. His name was Nguyen Ai Quoc, but he took the pseudonym of “Ho Chi Minh” after he created the Vietnamese Communist Party in February 1930. During WWII, he established a structured organization in many places of the country and founded the Front for Independence of Vietnam in 1941. 

Japanese Occupation 

In August 1940, 30,000 Japanese soldiers invaded Indochina, but the French administration remained in place. 

War with Thailand 

On September 25, 1940, on the pretense of territorial claims in Laos and Cambodia, Thailand invaded Indochina. After some air raids, a Thai land offensive was launched, during which the French troops resisted with difficulties. 

France replied with a naval assault against the Siamese Navy at Koh Chang, where in less than 2 hours, three torpedo boats and two battleships were sunk. Japan, which was part of the conflict, proposed a mediation. It resulted in an increase of its influence in Indochina. France had to give away some districts in the west of the Indochinese confederation. These territories were returned to France only in 1947.

Act of Aggression March 9, 1945

On March 9, 1945, the Japanese tried to destabilize the French administration and its small colonial army and then give its armament to the Vietnamese nationalists. But when Japan surrendered, neither the United States, Great Britain or China wished to see the comeback of France in Indochina.

France Comes Back

France returned with Admiral d’Argenlieu as governor and General Leclerc as chief of the military headquarters. On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed independence of the country and created the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Jean Sainteny, a diplomat, was tasked to discuss relations with Ho Chi Minh. They reached an agreement preliminary to a conference meant to resolve the relationship between the French and Vietnamese, but Admiral d’Argenlieu denounced the agreement, and General Leclerc, who disagreed with him, asked to be relieved of his command.

A peace conference was organized in Fontainebleau on September 10, 1946, but it failed. It was the result of the admiral’s stubbornness, the intransigence of French politics and the xenophobia of the Vietnamese.

War in Indochina

General Giap, the commander of the Vietnamese People’s Army, began the First Indochina War in December 1946. Gradually, the entire country became involved. The French troops, 70,000 strong, were systematically attacked. Against guerilla warfare, tanks, aircraft and artillery were powerless. France reinforced the Southeast Asia Expeditionary Force with volunteers, but the troops were poorly equipped with old vehicles and obsolete equipment or armament.

The French Army was constrained to defensive action. In December 1950, General de Lattre de Tassigny was appointed chief commander. He tried to improve the situation, but his poor health did not permit him to succeed. He won an increase of the American supply effort and the creation of a Vietnamese Army. His successor, General Salan, followed a similar strategy. But back in France, the war was unpopular, the government was unsteady, and trade unions close to the Communist Party provoked sabotage and betrayed their country.

Dien Bien Phu

The French headquarters tried to remove resistance in the North by installing a large military base from where operation against the Viet Minh could be organized to prevent infiltrations into Tonkin. During the build-up of the French installation in the Dien Bien Phu basin, the Viet Minh built bunkers hollowed out of the limestone cliffs overhanging the base. More than 260,000 coolies were commandeered to ferry equipment, big bore guns and ammunition with their bicycles.

The offensive began on March 13, 1954, with an artillery bombardment followed by attacks of the strongholds built by the French on the hills bearing Christian code names: Anne-Marie, Gabrielle, Beatrice, Huguette, Françoise, Dominque, Claudine, Eliane and Isabelle.

Despite troops being air-dropped for reinforcement, the base surrendered on May 7, 1954. After the battle, 2,293 French soldiers were killed, 5,195 were wounded and 11,721 were taken prisoners. They walked more than 400 miles to reach internment camps where their “political reeducation” was organized. Only 3,290 returned to France.

Geneva Conference

After the disaster in Dien Bien Phu, the French government disengaged quickly. The Geneva Accords in July 1954 stopped the war. Laos and Cambodia became independent. Tonkin, Annam and Cochinchina were separated in two states: The Democratic Republic of Vietnam, north of the 17th parallel, and the Republic of Vietnam to the south. The French Army left Southeast Asia in 1955.

American Intervention

After the French departure, the U.S. supported the South Vietnamese government. In May 1959, 15 task forces, 46 air bases and 11 Navy bases were set up with 685 military advisors. After President Johnson arrived at the White House, the American expeditionary force increased to 543,482 men on April 30, 1969.

The Communists built up their offensive and systematically attacked American and South Vietnamese troops. In January 1969, peace negotiations were opened in Paris.

President Nixon announced a progressive retreat of the American forces. A peace agreement was reached on January 27, 1973, by Henri Kissinger and Le Duc Tho. On March 29, the last American Combat troops left the country.

The Fall of Saigon

The American pullout did not stop the war. Launched in March 1975, the North Vietnamese People’s Army’s offensive pushed across South Vietnam, and districts fell despite the resistance of the Vietnamese Army. Hue surrendered on March 25 and Da Nang on April 2.

The offensive on Saigon began on April 27 and was achieved 3 days later. The following year, the country was unified and became the Vietnamese Socialist Republic. Thirty years of war considerably upset Southeast Asia and caused 2 million victims. 

My Trip to Vietnam

After a first tour, I wished to come back for a better knowledge of the country, discover new landscapes, meet local people and visit historical museums.

The trip began in Hanoi. The city now has a new international airport, highways, bridges and high tower buildings, all generally built by Chinese, Japanese and/or Korean investors. The population is now 7.6 million people with about 3 million bicycles, auto cycles and scooters. We visited several museums: Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Temple of Literature to learn about Confucius and finally the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where we saw the guard change.

One day later we went to Dien Bien Phu (DBP). Before boarding, I imagined all the boys who at the same place 60 years ago traveled by other planes and jumped—often for the first time—for a hopeless fight.

After a 1-hour flight we arrived at DBP. The village which existed in 1954 is now a 50,000-person city. It is long and narrow, built next to the airport railway which is the site of the former runway created before the battle. The Eliane 2 entrenchment is faithfully regenerated but with concrete sand bags. Crossing through there is particularly touching, and I take to heart the glory and sacrifice here.

Military Museums

The Dien Bien Phu Museum presents several scenes of the battle, small arms and equipment. Small arms exhibited in the museum are the glint of military material used by the French Army or Viet Minh troops. A wide variety of French and other small arms from WWII include: 

• Approximately 10 variations of pistols and revolvers (the MAS 35 S, SACM 35A, P38, Colt M1911, Browning, MAB or other .32 pistol, M1892 revolver, Smith & Wesson, Enfield, Webley and more); 
• MAS-38, MAT-49, Thompson, STEN, MP40 submachine guns; 
• Berthier rifles, MAS-36 and MAS-36 CR39, U.S. M1 carbine, Garand M1, U.S. Enfield M1917, Mauser K98k and Lee–Enfield; 
• M1924/M29, Bren, BAR, MG34 and MG42 light machine guns; and 
• MAC 31, Hotchkiss, Browning M1919A4 or A6, Vickers, M2HB machine guns.

Viet Minh had approximately the same small arms, with a large quantity of M1902 “Indochinese” rifles and also Mosin-Nagants, a Chinese copy of the PPSh 41, ZB vz. 26 and various Russian machine guns, including the DShK-1938/46.

Beyond the military hospital is a necropolis where several thousand soldiers from France and former colonies are buried. This cemetery and the monument were not established by the French government, but by a lone man, Rolf Rodel, a French Foreign Legion veteran.

One day after this visit, we left on a bus headed to the North. We visited several villages and schools where Thaï and Red H’Mong people live and learn the Vietnamese language and the history and culture of living in a communist country.

Then we traveled again by a mountain road. The Black H’Mong (Meos) people who came from China in the 18th century and never joined the Vietnamese live here. Many of them joined the French and are Catholic. Some Meos resistance organizations against Communism remained after 1954. After the departure of the French, they helped the Americans, so Vietnamese do not like them very much. They lived in isolation and were particularly hermetic to Marxist culture. The Vietnamese government consolidated them in villages near roads for easier control. 

After traveling through several other towns, including Sapa, Lai Chau and Lao Cai, we returned to Hanoi where there are several military museums, such as: 

• B52 Victory Museum, with a lot of information about Hanoi’s anti-aircraft defense. Outside, there are various rockets, anti-aircraft cannons and a MiG-21. 
• Vietnam Military History Museum, near the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, covers approximately 130,000 square feet and testimonies of their fight against the French, Americans and their allies, with many pictures and documents.

On the way back to Hanoi, we visited the small city of Dong Trieu. Between 1885 and 1889, my grandfather’s uncle served here as a Foreign Legion Lieutenant. He fought “Chinese pirates” (rebels) and was wounded. His received the Legion d’honneur medal for his bravery.

From Hanoi, we flew to Hue, the “Forbidden City,” which is the former emperor’s palace. Just beside it is a military museum where there are many American vehicles, tanks and helicopters exhibited.

Heading west en route to Saigon, we followed the Ho Chi Minh Trail and crossed through the small cities of Tan An, Kham Duc, Dak Glei, Dak Sut, Plei Can, Dak To and Dak Ha and on through Dalat. In the past, it was a resort city with many old houses and monuments, miraculously saved from American bombing. We visited the summer residence of Bao Dai, the last Vietnam emperor.

Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is very crowded with 7 million bicycles or scooters; what will happen when they can buy cars? Our visit included a stop at the War Remnants Museum, which describes the history of the country from 1945, with a large place for the atrocities of the French or American imperialists and south puppet allies! The museum also shows the devastating results of the use of napalm or Agent Orange. But there was nothing about the reeducation camps, inhuman incarceration conditions of the French prisoners after Dien Bien Phu or captured American pilots. The museum has an interesting collection of small arms and on the outside, various materials with wheels, tracks or propellers. There is also a shop with interesting English-language books on the war and nearby an authentic guillotine!

We also toured the Reunification/Independence Palace. Originally built in the late 1870s, the imperial palace was destroyed by an assassination attempt via a bombing in February 1962. At the same site, a presidential palace was built. It was both the residence of the president and the government office. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, it became a museum but sometimes official meetings are organized there. The museum covers the main events of the Republic of Vietnam and capture of the palace by North Vietnamese forces. 

The museum and palace permitted us to see firearms and material used by the Viet Cong, South Vietnamese and American forces, which are different from those used during the Indochina War. 

At the beginning of the War, Americans used the M2 carbine, Garand, M14, Thompson, Browning M1919A4 and later the M16A1, M79, M60 and a wide variety of mortars or anti-tank guns. Various armored vehicles and tanks such as M50 Ontos with six 106mm guns; helicopters used were the CH-47 Chinook, Bell UH-1 Iroquois and many others. The North Vietnamese used the Russian AK-47 or Chinese Type 56 rifles, machine guns or tanks. 

End of the Tour 

Our trip concluded with a walk on the historic Catinat Street, now Dong Khoi (“Total Revolution Street”), in Ho Chi Minh City. It is now a very luxurious area with nice hotels, restaurants and stores. The tour finished with a cruise on the Mekong River and a flight back to Paris after a fantastic 16-day trip in Vietnam. I highly recommend visiting Vietnam for all of its military history. 

After WWII, the French Army was completely reorganised and wished to upgrade its equipment. Stores were filled with odd equipment such as obsolete French, British, American, German or Japanese arms and even civilian models that were quickly purchased in wartime. The French Army’s renewal concerns were: equipment, uniforms, helmets, vehicles, planes, boats and small arms. The maintenance of such an odd inventory and the supply of ammunition were a very difficult task. Only for the small arms, there were more than 20 different types of cartridges.

On May 11, 1945, a new program was set up. It concerned the replacement of pistols, submachine guns, rifles, automatic rifles, carbines and light machine guns. Concerning the SMG, the program was very similar to the one that was set up in 1933. A new caliber was chosen, along with a folding stock and a magazine housing. The French factories proposed several models.

MAC 47/1 

This model is very similar to the ETVS which underwent field trials before the War. It was manufactured by MAC. Except for the bolt and the barrel, the MAC 47/1 was made of sheet metal. It works as a delayed blowback weapon, with a hammer acting on the firing pin; its bolt head associated with a lever. The cocking handle can be folded down and was located under the trigger guard. The U-shaped stock can be folded over the frame. The magazine comes from a German MP 40 and can also be folded; a cover closes the magazine housing when the magazine is not in place. There is no selector or safety. The front sight is matched with a folding “L-”shaped rear sight scaled for 100m and 200m ranges. 

TECHNICAL FEATURES 

• Caliber 9mm (.38in) 
• Ammunition 9mm Luger 
• Overall length 0.633m (24.92in) 
• Barrel length 0.210m (8.26in) 
• Weight 2,100kg (4.63lb) 
• Magazine capacity 32 rounds 
• Cyclic rate 640 rpm 

MAC 47/2 

The MAC 47/2 is a variation of the former model, but with a skeleton stock similar to the one used on the STEN Mark II SMG. Both submachine guns were tested in May 1948, with the following results: 

Advantage

• Light weight  
• Folding magazine

Disadvantage 

• Recoil spring weak
• Poor handling due to unfit stocks 

MAC 48/1 Light

Completely different from the others, the MAC 48/1 looks like a STEN with a tubular frame and a cover for the ejection port. The barrel is fixed into the frame and cannot be dismounted; it has a tubular cooler jacket with oval holes. The cocking handle is on the left side; the bolt is cylindrical with a large-sized recoil spring. An anatomical pistol grip has a safety lever on the rear side. The trigger mechanism allows only full-auto fire. A triangular stock is made of wood and is located on the floor of the pistol grip. A German MP 40 magazine is used; it is located in a long housing which is used as a second hand-grip.

TECHNICAL FEATURES 

• Caliber 9mm (.38in) 
• Ammunition 9mm Luger 
• Overall length 0.800m (31.5in) 
• Barrel length 0.300m (11.81in) 
• Weight 3,440kg (7.58lb) 
• Magazine capacity 32 rounds 
• Cyclic rate 475 rpm

MAC 48/1 (Heavy)

The MAC 48/1 is a variation of the model above, with a long barrel and a Chatellerault M 1924 M29 bipod.

MAC 48/2 (Light) 

The MAC 48/2 is similar to the MAC 48/1 Light but with two triggers which allow single shots or burst. The stock had a folding flap designed to allow shooting singlehandedly.

MAC 48 L.S. (Light and Simplified)

This is a submachine gun with a modern design, a short barrel, a folding magazine and a telescopic stock similar to those of the U.S. M 3. The cocking lever is independent from the bolt, attached with a cover. The rear sight is a folding “L” with two apertures. The front sight is covered by a tunnel. The pistol grip has a safety button and no other safety.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

MAC 48 L.S. 

• Caliber 9mm (.38in) 
• Ammunition 9mm Luger 
• Overall length 0.640m (25.19in) 
• Overall length with stock retracted 0.420m (16.53in) 
• Barrel length 0.200m (11.81in) 
• Weight 2,700kg (7.87lb) 
• Magazine capacity 32 rounds 
• Cyclic rate 600 rpm 

Saint-Etienne Submachine Gun

Before the beginning of the new military program, MAS (a Saint-Étienne arms manufacturer) designed several prototypes from the MAS 38: 

• 9mm Luger SMG with light alloy stock; 
• Another in the same caliber with folding stock and magazine housing; 
• A .45 ACP model.

MAS 47

In 1947, MAS developed a new mechanism with a delayed blowback. It was used on several submachine guns and automatic carbines. The bolt is made of three parts: a cylindrical carrier which moves over the barrel, a bolt head and a lever. After the shot, the gas pressure pushes the empty case on the bolt head and locks the bolt in place. After a short delay, the pressure decreases, and the lever can move and push the carrier to the rear. Then the bolt can open.

A first M 1947 was designed. It has a triangular wooden stock which can be folded on the left side. The weapon has a safety grip and staged trigger which allows both single-shot and burst, depending on the pressure exerted on it.

MAS 48

This is the next generation of submachine guns, and several variations were made: A, B, C, D, E. We never saw the A and B variations, but the others can be described.

MAS 48 C1

The frame is made of moulded steel. The front looks like one cylinder over another. The top cylinder receives the carrier and the recoil spring, and the barrel is located in the other. The cocking lever is on the left side. The rear looks like a box with flat sides. It contains the bolt under which are the pistol grip, lock and magazine housing. A metal stock can be folded under the SMG, and the magazine is from a German MP 40. The sights are made of a tangent rear sight and a front sight under a cover.

MAS 48 C2

It is the same as the MAS 48 C1 but with a shorter barrel, a trombone-type stock and an “L-”shaped flap rear sight with two apertures.

MAS 48 C3 

The MAS 48 C3 has a triangular wooden stock folding on the right. The ejection port has a cover.

MAS 48 C4 

This is similar to the MAS 48 C3 but with a left side folding stock. The folding magazine housing was improved.

The MAS 48 C3 and C4 were used in Indochina, like the MAT 48.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

MAS 48 C4 

• Caliber 9mm (.38in) 
• Ammunition 9mm Luger 
• Overall length 0.650m (25.59in) 
• Overall length with stock folded 0.406m (15.98in) 
• Barrel length 0.205m (8.07in) 
• Weight 3,000kg (6.61lb) 
• Magazine capacity 32 rounds 
• Cyclic rate 600 rpm

MAS 48 D Light 

The MAS 48 D Light has a medium-length barrel and a fixed stock assembled on the base of the pistol grip. Several firing devices were used with one or two triggers.

MAS 48 D Heavy 

This gun has a long barrel and conventional fixed stock.

MAS 48 E 

The MAS 48 E is the same as the MAS 48 C3 with a longer barrel.

Tulle Submachine Gun

MAT 48

The MAT 48 was the first of a long family of experimental guns, designed by Chief Engineer Pierre Monteil and Factory Manager Jacques Delamaire of Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Tulle (MAT). Its manufacturing process was the result of modern applications with many sheet metal parts, designed with the help of German technicians working at the Saint-Louis factory and Dallet Company in Brive.

The gun is made around a square frame associated with another part which bears the pistol grip, trigger mechanism and folding magazine housing. The magazine is the same as the one used on the STEN SMG. The front sights are at the top of the barrel, and a rear aperture sight is set on the frame (100m to 300m ranges) with a rack adjustment.

Variations were: 

• MAT 48 (light), fixed wooden stock and metallic frame; 
• MAT 48 (light), folding right side wooden stock; 
• MAT 48 (light), metal-made stock, which can be folded under the gun; 
• MAT 48 (light), with telescopic stock; 
• MAT 48 (heavy), long barrel and upper wooden stock; and 
• MAT 48 (heavy), wooden stock fixed under the pistol grip.

TECHNICAL FEATURES 

MAT 48 (Light) MAT 48 (Heavy) 

• Caliber 9mm (.38in) 9mm (.38in) 
• Ammunition 9mm Luger 9mm Luger 
• Overall length 0.708m (27.84in) 0.810m (31.89in) 
• Barrel length 0.220m (8.66in) 0.320m (12.59in) 
• Weight 3,000kg (6.61lb) 3,700kg (8.16lb) 
• Magazine capacity 32 rounds 32 rounds

MAT 49

After good results came during the field trials, the MAT 48 with a telescopic stock was adopted in June 1949 as the MAT 49 SMG. After the beginning of its production, some parts were improved: 

• The rear “cube” was enlarged; 
• A more effective safety pedal was developed, on the grip (five-point star stamped on the left side of the trigger); and
• Other details to make its manufacturing easier.

The MAT 49 was built by MAT from January 1950 to 1964 (more than 700,000 were made) and also built by MAC from May 1951 to December 1958 (125,143 specimens). 

In 1946, an ambitious program was launched, intended to replace all the existing small arms of the French Army. A substitute for the M1 carbine, a new cartridge was developed: the 7.65mm M1948 (7.65×35), which was very similar to the 7.92mm Kurz (7.92×33). 

The 7.65mm M1948 Cartridge 

Experimented with since 1947, the 7.65mm cartridge was tested and compared to the .30 M1, the 7.92mm Kurz and the 7.5x54mm. Its results were better than those of the .30 and of the 7.92mm, but it was not adopted, mainly because of the growing cooperation and support of the United States which furnished military equipment to the European armies as well as to the French forces fighting in French Indochina. 

Its spitzer bullet was designed by the Ballistic Laboratory established in Satory, near Versailles. Its core was made of light alloy at the tip and of lead at the rear, with a brass or light alloy jacket. Unfortunately, just after WWII, brass was scarce and expensive, but light alloy was not a good choice because it self-ignited the cartridge in the hot barrel! 

Then, cupro-nickel-plated steel jackets coming from the 7.5x54mm cartridge were used after matrix forming. The result was a 6g bullet (0.21 ounces) with a 600 m/s (2,000 feet/s) initial velocity. Later, bullets for tests were made at the Tarbes cartridge factory. 

The bottleneck, rimless case was made of brass. It was designed by D.E.F.A. (Small Arms Research Service). Valence factory marks can be seen on some cases, others have no headstamp marks. The primer was of Berdan type and an American powder was used for loading. 

Several factories developed experimental carbines.

CEAM Carbine 

On April 20, 1945, General de Tassigny’s French First Army entered in Oberndorf, 3 weeks before the end of WWII. The French military discovered the Mauser factory without any damage; its machinery was not present, but the soldiers found a large quantity of experimental small arms (some happy collectors were lucky) and enormous quantities of small arms parts ready to be assemblead. Machinery workers and their families had traveled to Tyrol by train, hoping to escape. 

In August 1945, the factory was ready to work again and produced several thousands of small arms for the French Army, including: 

• 15,000 H.S.c. .32 pistols; 
• 1,000 W.T.P. II .25 pistols; 
• 38,000 P38 pistols; 
• 2,500 P08 pistols; 
• 60,000 K98k rifles; 
• 10,000 .22 LR Mauser .45 carbines, later made in France as MAS 45; 
• 300 MG 151 cannons; and 
• 41 flammenwerfers. 

These were mainly used in French Indochina, but the Soviets protested against this use of the factory in June 1946. The Mauser factory was closed and destroyed between July and December 1948. But before its destruction, 6,142 weapons were sent to France, in various arsenals, and several tons of gun parts. 

Many drawings and technical documents were also transferred in France, as well as some engineers who were “invited” to work in the French gun factories, but the German engineers claimed to be too distant from their families in Germany. They were then regrouped in Mulhouse (South Alsace) in a former shell factory: FOHMAR converted in a stamping center. The society became CEAM (Centre d’Etudes et d’Armement de Mulhouse), a research center. 

These Germans had a particular worker status: They lived with their families in Switzerland, very close to Mulhouse, but their passports were confiscated. 

The CEAM developed many prototypes and designs, such as: 

• stamping operation for MAT 49 SMG; 
• semi-automatic carbines; 
• light assault rifles (called machine carbines); 
• assault rifles; 
• 7.5mm and 7.62mm machine guns; 
• .50 machine gun; 
• 20mm and 30mm aircraft cannons 
• ammunition, links and tripods; and 
• stamped frame for the MAS 36. 

The CEAM became AME (Mulhouse Small Arms Factory) in 1952 and closed in 1967. AME is not to be confused with Saint-Louis Research Laboratory, also established in Alsace at 30km (20 miles) from Mulhouse. In 1959, it became a joint French/German venture for defense, and it is still open. 

In 1948, the CEAM developed a semi-automatic carbine derived from a German prototype realized by Mauser in 1945. It was a simplified G43, firing a 7.92×57 cartridge with a bolt locked by lateral rolls. The CEAM 1948 Carbine is a light gun with a single part stock and short forearm. A short handguard covers the barrel. Its tubular frame is made of stamped metal, and its actuating lever is on the right. 

The gun works with a delayed opening bolt, locked by lateral rollers like CETME and G3 rifles. It fires the .30 M1 cartridge, and its curved magazine is the same one as the M1 U.S. carbine. It has no safety device. The sights are two apertures in a folding “L” rear sight and a front sight with ears, adjustable in elevation. For disassembly, a push button at the rear locks/unlocks the frame assembly. A variation had an actuating lever on the left and a tangent rear sight. 

CEAM 48 Features 

• CALIBRE: 7.62mm (.30in) 
• AMMUNITION: .30 M1 
• LENGTH: 0.892m (35.12in) 
• BARREL LENGTH : 0.397m (15.43in) 
• WEIGHT: 2,930kg (6.46lb) 
• CAPACITY: 15 Rounds 

MAC Carbines 

MAC 48 

Like other factories, the Manufacture d’ Armes de Chatellerault (MAC) developed a carbine firing the 7.65mm M1948 cartridge, but before completion, the choice was made to make the .30 M1 cartridge. 

MAC 49 

This short carbine has a stock with a pistol grip and short forearm. A short handguard covers the barrel and is fixed by a cap. Its frame is made of sheet metal; the ejection port is on the right. It works with a delayed opening bolt, with an inertia lever like the AA-52 LMG. Firing is obtained after a linear hammer course. The carbine has a safety. The rear sight has two apertures, and its front sight is protected by ears. Feeding is performed from a vertical box magazine. 

The MAC carbine was tested by the Army Technical Section (STAT or Section Technique de l’Armée) from December 18, 1950. The MAC’s short length, accuracy and easy handling were much appreciated, but reliability was poor, with five parts broken after 2,500 rounds. Disassembly was more difficult than the MAS carbine tested at the same period. 

MAC 49 Features 

• CALIBRE: 7.62mm (.30in) 
• AMMUNITION: .30 M1 
• LENGTH: 0.895m (35.23in) 
• BARREL LENGTH: 0.400m (15.75in) 
• WEIGHT: 2,405kg (5.30lb) 
• CAPACITY: 15 rounds 

MAS Carbines 

MAS 49 

Like other arsenals, the Saint-Etienne small arms factory designed several semi-automatic carbines (designated at this date automatic carbine). Most of them were derived from the 7.5mm MAS 49 semi-auto rifle but were simplified. The stock and forearm are two parts; the barrel is covered by a long handguard with swivel band and forward band. The barrel is 7.62mm (0.30 inches) with four grooves to the right—one spin/twist in 508mm (20 inches). 

The frame has an ejection port on the right and a cocking handle on the left; it can be retained in the front position by a ball stop and is associated with a slide cover. The trigger guard and mechanism are mounted in front of the stock. The bolt carrier and the bolt are actuated by the gas coming from a tube without a piston. 

The MAS 49’s stock, forearm and handguard are made of wood, and the frame is made of machined steel with a sheet metal cover. The sights are a tangent rear sight scaled to 600m (650 yards) adjustable for windage and a front sight protected by ears, adjustable in elevation. 

The carbine uses a vertical 15-round magazine, which cannot be used on a U.S. M1 carbine. 

Several variations of the MAS 49 carbine exist, such as: 

• a standard model with a grenade launching device for the M1948 anti-personnel rifle grenade; and 
• a carbine with a folding stock similar to the model used on the MAS 36 CR 39 rifle. 

Both were also developed for the 7.65×33 M1948 cartridge. 

From September 11, 1950, S.T.A. tests and experimentations of both .30 prototype carbines were made and were to be compared with the MAC 49 and the U.S. M1. These tests included: 

• general organization and characteristics; 
• ballistics; 
• working in normal conditions; 
• working in adverse conditions (mud, sand, snow); and 
• reliability of the mechanism and barrel. 

Due to damages during the tests, all the models were rejected: MAS prototypes after normal conditions of shooting as well as after adverse condition tests for the MAC carbine. 

Comments for the MAS models were: Easy to handle and to use, accurate; but working safety (3.5% incidents) and reliability too poor. 

In the final report, S.T.A. wrote that no model can be accepted, but perhaps after some improvements, they could be better than U.S. M1 carbine. 

MAS 49 Features 

• AMMUNITION: .30 M1 
• LENGTH: 0.895m (35.23in) 
• BARREL LENGTH: 0.400m (15.74in) 
• WEIGHT: 2,430kg (5.07lb) 
• CAPACITY: 15 rounds 

MAS 51 

The MAS 51 is an evolution of the former model MAS 49, with a rigid wooden stock and a 22mm grenade launcher. The automatic MAS 50 and the MAS 51 carbines were developed with the same action. 

MAS 51 Features 

• AMMUNITION: .30 M1 
• LENGTH: 0.920m (36.22in) 
• BARREL LENGTH: 0.450m (17.71in) 
• WEIGHT: 2,880kg (6.40lb) 
• CAPACITY: 15 rounds 

Other Models 

Another MAS prototype was seen, but despite our research, no document was found about it. Its presentation was very crude, and it seemed to be a model design rather than a prototype. 

The stock and short forearm are two parts. It fires the 7.65mm M1948 cartridge and works with a gas action and a piston. The frame is made of machined steel and receives a tilting bolt similar to the model used on the MAS 44. The cocking lever is on the right. 

The rear sight is an ascending aperture adjustable from 100m to 600m with a rotating button. The magazine is retained by a right external button similar to those of the MAS 49. Disassembly is possible after removing a transversal axis at the rear of the frame. 

MAS Carbine Features 

• AMMUNITION: 7.65×35 
• LENGTH: 0.869m (34.21in) 
• BARREL LENGTH: 0.400m (15.74in) 
• WEIGHT: 3kg (6.61lb) 
• CAPACITY: 15 rounds 

MAT Carbine 

MAT 50 

The MAT 50 works on gas action. Its organization is very simple, but ingenious. The stock has a pistol grip, and its forearm is like a tube; both are made of wood. The frame is made of sheet metal, with an ejection port on the right and a gas cylinder in front. Its bolt has an oscillating locking lever and a cocking lever on both sides. After the last round, a bolt stop retains the bolt in rear position. 

The tangent rear sight has an aperture; the front sight has a tunnel mounted of a forward band. Feeding is from a vertical box magazine. 

During the same year, MAT developed a machine carbine, very close to the semi-automatic carbine with similar parts. 

MAT 50 Features 

• AMMUNITION: .30 M1 
• LENGTH: 0.910m (35.82in) 
• BARREL LENGTH: 0.450m (18.30in) 
• WEIGHT: 2,850kg (6.28lb) 
• CAPACITY: 15 rounds 

French missionaries tried to convert Siamese people since 1550 but without success. One century later, they established some missions, and a Siamese delegation came to France in 1684 and 1686; it was received by King Louis the XIV. Some ambassadors, military councilors, soldiers and Jesuits were sent into the country to curb the British influence. But a revolution at the end of the 17th century put an end to the French presence.

Both countries established new diplomatic relations in 1856. A few years later, the French settled in Indochina, namely in Tourane in 1858, and took control of the Mekong Delta between 1859 and 1867. The King of Cambodia accepted a protectorate of France in 1863, without the agreement of Siam which was holding sway over Cambodia. But this situation was accepted by a peace treaty signed on July 15, 1867.

France extended its colonization of the country by the conquest of the Red River Delta and of Hanoi in 1873. In 1887, the Indochinese Union was created with Tonkin, Annam, Cochinchina and Cambodia. Laos would join later, in 1893.

Few people know that a war happened in Indochina, between France and Thailand in 1940-1941. Tourist guides are silent on the subject, and tours of the city of Bangkok never show the Victory Monument built after the conflict. 

The Origins of Conflict

Siam resented the integration of Laos in the Indochinese Union. Many skirmishes happened on the border, and France sent a warship off Bangkok. Without any help from the British, Siam accepted this situation.

New incidents erupted in 1906 and 1907 because of new territorial claims concerning territories in Cambodia and in Laos. After a British mediation, some exchanges of land were made, and the problem was solved by an agreement in 1909.

During WWI, Siam joined the Allies in July 1917, and an expeditionary force of 1,284 volunteers was sent in France. They were mainly assigned to services such as drivers, medical service and ordnance. One hundred of them were trained as aircraft pilots.

After the War and for 20 years, no trouble occurred between France and Siam. In 1932, after a coup d’état, the King was forced to accept a constitutional regime. Lieutenant-Colonel Prajadhipok, also known as Phibun, became the leader of the country. He was a former cadet of the French Military Academy and an admirer of Mussolini. He established a strong, nationalist, authoritarian government. He changed the name of the country of Siam into “Thailand” and claimed the incorporation to Thailand of all Thai people living in Burma and Laos. After discussions with France, a no-aggression agreement was reached and signed on June 12, 1940.

Hostilities

After the disaster of June 1940 and the defeat of France, Thailand expressed again territorial claims. Japan was probably part of this scheme. Japan issued an ultimatum to the French to allow the Japanese Army to march through Tonkin and take the control of the railway between Hanoi and the Chinese border. General Catroux, commanding the French Army in Indochina declined, but he was dismissed by the Vichy French government and replaced by Admiral Decoux. 

Decoux reached an agreement on September 22, 1940, with the Japanese. They were allowed to use French air bases and set up 6,000 men on the Northern bank of the Red River. On the same day in the evening, 30,000 Japanese soldiers invaded Indochina. Despite the resistance of the French, 4 days later, the Japanese occupied the country. But strangely, the French administration remained in place. 

During this time in Thailand, Phibun became general and prime minister, setting up an authoritarian policy. 

He believed that he could take advantage of the weakness of France to send an ultimatum to the government of Vichy, claiming the territories lost during King Chulalongkorn’s reign: Melou Prei and Tonle, Repou in 1904; and Battambang, Sisophon and Siem Reap in 1907. 

In November 1940, taking advantage of the French being busy quelling a rebellion among peasants, Thai Armed Forces crossed the Cambodian border on several locations. The Thai Air Force dropped bombs on Thatket and Savannakhet in Laos. After December 1, new incidents happened in Cambodia: bombing and artillery shelling. In retaliation, several Thai air bases were attacked by the French Air Force. 

In January 1941, Thai forces attacked both Cambodia and Laos. They invaded Yang Dang Khum and Phum Preav, and the French forces reeled back. Admiral Decoux set up a counter-attack with the 5th French Foreign Legion Infantry regiment on January 16. Several Thai villages were taken, but the troops could not hold on the battlefield. Thai tanks tried to pursue but were stopped by an anti-tank gun. 

Admiral Terreau, the French Navy commander, received the order to set up urgently a naval force. He rallied all the warships available: the Lamotte-Picquet cruiser, the Dumont d’Urville, Amiral Charner, Tahure and Marne corvettes. Its commander was Captain Bérenger. He attacked the superior Thai fleet in the Koh Chang Gulf. After 2 hours, the torpedo boats Songhkla, Chonburi and Trad were sunk; the Donburi and Sri Ayudhya armoured gunboats, severely damaged. 

End of the War and the Japanese Mediation 

On January 19, 1941, the Thai Army reached the South of Laos, and Angkor was bombed. One day later, Japan imposed its mediation. On January 30, an armistice was signed in Saigon, and hostilities stopped for 2 weeks. The troops had to pull back 6 miles from the frontline. 

Negotiations were opened in Tokyo on February 7. At first, the French delegation rejected the Thai claims. But at that moment, Admiral Darlan became the head of the Vichy government, favoring cooperation, and it had to submit. 

A peace treaty was signed on March 11; Thailand recovered the territories given to France: Battambang, Siem Reap, Kampong Thom and Stung Treng in Cambodia; Sayabouri and Champasak in Laos. 420,000 people and 19,000 square miles were involved. The monarchs of Cambodia and Laos were not even consulted! The territories annexed by Thailand were returned to France only on November 1947.

Retaliation

These annexations and the growing Japanese influence had a negative influence on the relations between Japan and the United States, which declared an embargo on steel and oil sales to Japan.

Meanwhile, the American secret services and the British set up a local resistance against the Japanese called “Seri Thai.”

Epilogue

After the war between France and Thailand, Japan invaded Cambodia and demanded to march through Thailand into Malaysia and Burma.

Without any answer from the Thai government, Japan invaded Thailand. Despite the resistance of the Thai Army, the government was forced into an agreement with Japan, and an alliance treaty was signed on December 21, 1941. Thailand declared war on Great Britain and on the United States on January 25, 1942. The Thai troops clashed with the British in Burma. A resistance was organized by the OSS.

At the end of war, the government of Thailand was overthrown and Phibun stepped down . He was arrested by the Allies as a war criminal, but could not be put in court because of a strong popular support; he was ultimately released. 

I discovered the Burma Campaign when I was 10 with a comic strip which told the Chindit’s story …

History of Myanmar/Burma

Myanmar (Burma) was, in the past, a group of many kingdoms with a way of life guided by Buddhist culture, up to the 9th century. Later, populations coming from the North appeared, and during several centuries, the country was the theatre of many foreign or domestic wars.
The arrival of French and Portuguese colonists enhanced the trade and influence of Burma. Europeans supported various communities, according to their interests. A new dynasty arrived in the middle of 18th century. Burmese interests often conflicted with those of Britain in India, and several conflicts opposed both countries between 1824 and 1886.

Finally, Burma became a British district of India, the capital city being Rangoon (Yangon today). Educated young people opposed the colonial organization, and under the mounting pressure a local elected body was established in 1923. Burma and India were set apart in 1937, and the election of a local assembly was prepared. But WWII broke out, and Burmese nationalists saw it as an opportunity to drive the British out of the country. One of their leaders was Aung San, who created the Burmese communist party in 1939. He was searched by Her Majesty’s police and escaped to China were he sought help from the Chinese communists. Captured by the Japanese, he moved to Japan where he received military training and became the chief of the Burmese Independent Army organised in Siam (Thailand), with the rank of colonel. Later, he became a general.

the Northern part of the country to link it with India and China, where the Chinese Kuomintang Army fought against the Japanese. Ever since that moment, the Japanese tried to destroy this artery.

Coming from Thailand, the Japanese Army entered into Burma on February 23, 1942, capturing and controlling the bridge on the Sittaung River. They occupied the south and later the central part of the country including Rangoon. The Burmese Independent Army with its commander Aung San, allied with the Japanese, fought against the British.

The Burmese Campaign

On April 29, 1942, the Japanese Army attacked the British troops which were driven back to the North of the country. Two brigades and the 17th Indian Division were destroyed. Despite the help of a Chinese expeditionary force and of British/Burmese troops, the Allied forces could not prevent the Japanese from capturing the strategic road on May 15, 1942. At the same time, the Burmese Independent Army was present in the whole country, a permanent menace.

The Allied headquarters finally decided to abandon Burma. Retreat-ing units, or what was left of them, and many refugees arrived in India where nothing had been prepared for their arrival. Between May 10 and 27, 1942, four Thai divisions (allied with Japan) invaded the eastern part of Burma. Several attacks organised by the Allied forces in 1943 and 1944 failed to alter the situation.

The Chindits

Lord Louis Mountbatten was the supreme allied commander of the Allied troops in Southeast Asia. He conducted the campaign against Ja-pan that led to the recapture of Burma. The troops were trained in India within various units, their commander being an American general: Josef Stilwell (nicknamed “Vinegar Joe,” which explains his personality), who was Mountbatten’s deputy. He was also the military advisor to Chinese General Chiang Kai-shek.

A special 3,000-men elite unit called the “Chindits” was created under the command of British General Orde Wingate and was organised as commandos to fight Japanese forces. The Chindits included British, Australian, New Zealand, Indian, Gurkha, West African and Chinese soldiers.

They were dropped by parachute behind enemy lines, and after a long march toward their objective (disorganized Japanese units), they de-stroyed roads and supply centers. At the same time, the Japanese troops occupied the whole of Burma, behaving like savages and mistreating the civilian population.

Burma declared its independence on August 1, 1943, though its government was devoted to Japan. On March 19, 1944, the Japanese troops launched an attack against India with 40,000 men. 30,000 British and Indian troops repelled them. General Wingate was killed in an aircraft accident on March 24.

The combined actions of the Chindits, the 5307th Composite Unit (known as Merrill’s Marauders) an American similar organisation, Chinese troops with the airborne support of General Chennault’s “Flying Tigers,” allowed the conquest of Burma.

On January 21, 1945, the British and the Chinese troops were able to establish a junction, and the Burma Road was reopened. Defeat-ed on every frontline, the Japanese troops resisted but were forced out of occupied territories despite illness, malnutrition and adverse climatic conditions. Considering that Japan, through its occupation, tried to set up a new form of colonisation, the Burmese Independent Army joined the Allies and triggered a general mutiny against the Jap-anese. The Burmese government, in favor of Japan, disappeared in the general unrest.

On May 1, 1945, an Allied offensive was launched against Rangoon. Gurkha paratroopers were dropped in the back of the enemy, and the 26th Indian division, ferried on boats, landed on the river banks. Both troops made their junction on May 6, 1945, and Rangoon was taken back by the Allies.

War Cemetery

It is located in the small city of Taukkyan, near Rangoon, where 6,000 allied soldiers are buried. A memorial bears the names of 27,000 people who died during the war against Japan between 1942 and 1945.

After the War

General Aung San discussed with the British the independence terms of the country, which was obtained in 1947 and implemented one year later.

He set up a provisional government which was not agreed by all (particularly the Trotskyists and ultra-Nationalists). On July 19, 1947, he was killed with six ministers of his government by the former prime minister U Saw, who was arrested and hanged by the British. July 19 became the national holiday of Burma.

A civilian democratic government led the country from 1948 to 1958, but the situation deteriorated, and it was replaced by a general. Two years later, he overthrew the legal government and established a military dictatorship. Despite local opposition and the disapproval of most countries of the Free World, the military junta stayed in power until 2015 with the help of Russia, China and (more discreetly) of Thailand. Political opponents were released from prison where some of them were kept since 1960.

Although the military keeps 25% of the seats in the parliament, democracy is back in Burma. People are allowed to move freely and can communicate (by Internet and cell phone).

The junta changed the name of the country to Myanmar; Rangoon is now called Yangon. A new capital city was built in the jungle, 200 miles from anywhere, called Naypyidaw.

Aung San Suu Kyi became the government’s leader by proxy. She is the daughter of general Aung San and was harassed during 25 years (assigned in a house or imprisoned). She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

The Myanmar Military Today

he Myanmar/Burmese Army is the fourth largest armed force in Southeast Asia. It relies on volunteers (in principle).

Ground Forces (Tatmadaw Kyee)

Since 1950, Burma has had its own armament industry located in 13 factories, where the following weapons are manufactured:

• BA 94 smg, a copy of the UZI with a plastic stock
• MA-3 rifle, local version of the Galil
• MA-15 machine gun (MG3) Tanks are old Russian or Chinese models.

Air Force (Tatmadaw Kyee)

The Air Force uses Russian, Chinese or American aircraft and French or American helicopters.

Navy (Tatmadaw Yay)

125 boats and about 19,000 sailors.

Military Police (Myanmar Yae Tat Phwe)

Trained by Australian and Israeli advisers.

Border Patrol (Na Sa Kha)

It is a composite organization with members of the Army, Military Police, Customs and immigration officers.

The Military Museum in Rangoon

Located in a three-story building, Schweda-gon Pagoda Road in Yangon (formerly, Ran-goon), the museum has 52 rooms with many objects pertaining to the old history of Burma.

Defense Services Museum

Built in Naypyidaw, the new capital, it covers 72 square miles, and several days are necessary to visit it! Unfortunately, it is far from all the roads travelled by tourists.

I have visited many military museums around the world, but Belgrade Military Museum is one of the best. With 52 rooms it covers 2,000 years of history, and it presents a large variety of articles of a high patrimonial value.

Some Serbian History

The people came to Serbia 8,000 years ago, and nomads from Russia arrived in the country 3,500 years before Christ. Later Celtics disembarked (300 B.C.). Romans were established in the Balkan countries 300 years later, ruling the east and west. In 395, Imperator Theodosius died, and the empire was divided between east and west; Serbia chose to join the Byzantine group.

A first principality was created in Serbia in the 9^th century, and the Orthodox Church extended between the Danube River and Adriatic Sea. Middle-Ages Serbia was conquered and became a part of the Ottoman Empire (Turkish Empire) for four centuries. A slight inclination for independence came in 1804. In 1830, Serbia obtained self-governance and became a constitutional monarchy, but independence was obtained only in 1878, after a war between Serbia (allied with Bulgaria) and Turkey.

Several wars happened between Serbia and other Balkan countries: Bulgaria in 1885, Turkey in 1912 and Bulgaria again in 1913; the assassination of the Austrian Archduke in Sarajevo is credited as the start of WWI.

In 1915, Germany, Austria and Bulgaria attacked Serbia, and after some success, Serbian troops retreated. Recovered by the French Orient Army, under General Franchet d’Esperey’s command, the Serbian Army regained the offensive and marched to Belgrade and Vienna. At the end of WWI, south Slavic countries joined Serbia to become the Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian Kingdom, later becoming Yugoslavia in 1929. Then in 1934, King Alexander I encountered agitation from Croatian independents and was killed in Marseille, France.

In 1941, Croatia became dissident and facilitated the arrival of the Germans with their allies: Italy, Hungary and Bulgaria. The Regent had an agreement with its occupiers, but patriots denounced it. The Resistance was organized between Draza Mihailovic (nationalist) and Marshal Tito (communist).

At the end of the war, Tito was the winner, and he organized Yugoslavia into a socialist republic with several federated districts: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and two provinces: Vojvodina and Kosovo-Metohija. Under Tito, Yugoslavia became a communist republic, but he veered far from Moscow and joined the Neutral countries.

After Tito’s death in 1980, the relationship between the Yugoslavian areas became damaged, by 1989 it was evident Yugoslavia was coming apart and a civil war occurred between 1991 and 1995. All former Yugoslavian countries became independent. But the situation declined, and NATO intervened by aircraft bombing Serbia in 1999. In 2003 the last of the former Yugoslavia became Serbia-Montenegro, but they separated in 2008.

A Museum Born with the Country

In 1878, Serbia became an independent country. A law regarding the organization of the army was adopted and stipulated that all guns or materials regarding the military history of the country had to be kept for scientific and memory purposes. The War Ministry was responsible for this organization, and the museum was founded as a celebration of Serbia’s independence.

In May 1879, the military museum project began. First, Turkish and Serbian arms and flags used during the Independence War were consolidated, and later with uniforms, horse-drawn trucks and cannons. The collection became more significant at the end of the 19th Century.

The first permanent museum display was established in 1904, in a small octagonal 17-yard diameter room in the Kalemagdan fortress in Belgrade. It displayed a lot of information about the history of Serbia, and people were invited to give military souvenirs to the museum.

The establishment took part at the Balkan Exhibition in London in 1907. But due to a lack of interest, it closed in 1912-1913 during the war. When WWI began, bombs fell on Belgrade, and many buildings including the museum were destroyed. The Austro-Hungarians arrived, and many pieces were sent to Vienna or Budapest. The Serbian king and government went to Paris; survivors of the Serbian Army were recovered by the French in Durazzo (Durrës) on the Adriatic Sea; they moved to Salonique (Salonika) and began reconquest of the country.

A long time before the end of the war, headquarters required all the branches of the army (infantry, cavalry, engineers, sanitary corps, etc.) to keep one or more specimens of all small arms, equipment, uniforms or accessories used to create a reference collection. A visionary and foresighted spirit rarely encountered (look around … ).

A New Museum

After peace was achieved, the hunt for pieces stolen by the enemy began, and a new museum was created inside the Kalemegdan fortress.

The museum opened in 1937; collections were widely developed, and new divisions were opened including a library, an artist section and several tanks; aircraft were located in a shed near the museum.

After the beginning of WWII in 1941, museum managers placed many pieces in wooden boxes stored in underground tunnels of the fortress. It was a very good idea because several bombs fell here, and some pieces were kept by Germans.

Belgrade recovered freedom on October 20, 1944, after a combined fight of the Resistance and the Red Soviet Army. On April 2, 1945, a new collection of historical pieces began. The museum was partially destroyed, but some temporary exhibitions were organized.

In 1956, the museum moved to the former building of the Geographic Institution and was completely rebuilt. It was inaugurated on October 20, 1961. Numbers of visitors increased, many of them were foreign presidents, monarchs, chiefs of government or WWII military commanders.

Guided Visit

My last visit in Belgrade was on October 2018. Walking through the beautiful Kalemegdan park, visitors will discover several decades of old and modern cannons. A visit of the rooms by crossing a particular way allows one to discover Serbian history of 2,000 years. After the Roman artifacts comes Middle Age items with edged weapon armour and scale models of catapults or others, mainly Byzantine. Further in there were primitive and flintlock rifles, mainly Turkish.

When the country was independent many European small arms were used before the country chose various Mauser rifles:

• M1871
• Mauser Milovanovič M1880, 1884 and 1880/07
• M1899, 1899/07, 1899/08, 1908 and 1910

Handguns used were mainly Gasser and Nagant revolvers.

Most of the wars where Serbia fought are exhibited; mainly the Balkans wars and WWI. Weapons, uniforms and flags are exhibited in several rooms with maps, pictures and military equipment. Most of the small arms are German, Austrian, Turkish or French. Some curious models could be seen, such as the Chauchat light machine gun converted for the 7.92mm cartridge by Kragujevac Arsenal in the 1920s.

Histories of the Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian Kingdoms and later Yugoslavia are also presented. The dramatic story of King Alexander I’s assassination in Marseille, France, on October 9, 1934 is described. The king’s jacket with several bullet holes and the assassin’s gun, a Mauser Schnellfeuerpistole (it is a copy; the original is in France), are exhibited.

Rooms about WWII exhibit many German, Italian, American, British or Russian small arms. A scarce Knorr-Bremse light machine gun can be seen. A large room is dedicated to Marshal Tito, the Yugoslavic communist revolutionary and political leader whose memory is still present in the country.

In the newest rooms Serbian small arms produced by Zastava are exhibited and so is the recent history of Serbia:

• UN peace representation in Yemen, Congo, Namibia, Iran, Egypt (etc.)
• Civil war
• NATO bombing

Outside of the fortress, a large collection of tanks is exhibited in a moat. The aircraft museum is now near the international Nikola Tesla airport a few miles from Belgrade.

Military Museum

The Serbian Military Museum is located in the fortress of Kalemegdan in Belgrade. It is a Vauban-style castle built with brick at the top of a hill between the Danube and Sava Rivers. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday between 10:00a.m. and 5:00p.m; entry is 200 Serbian dinars ($2.00). There is a cloakroom and a store where technical and historical books can be found. Several of them are written in Serbian and English; they are cheap and very interesting. It is possible to find several restaurants in the park around the fortress.

How to Visit Serbia

Serbia can be accessed by one or more daily flights from all the main cities in Europe. It is possible to lease a car; driving is on the right, but gasoline is expensive.

Money is the Serbian dinar. Check a currency exchange website, such as xe.com, for rates.

Belgrade has a variety of features: small streets, large avenues, old buildings recently restored or near downfall, Stalin-style concrete buildings, old monuments and churches, futurist construction, an embassy, hotels, many small stores, modern shops and restaurants.

There is sufficient security in the country; many people (in cities, hotels or stores) speak English.

It is easy to find a hotel via Trip Advisor or similar reservation site. Prices are cheap: $35-$40 for a night in comfortable hotel including breakfast.

Restaurants are also inexpensive: $6-$8 for a quick meal and $15-$20 for a good dinner.

Some useful Serbian words to know in a restaurant:

Voda = water

Pivo = beer

Nema = finished! (y’en a plus)

The most difficult problem in Serbia is orientation. Inside large cities all the signals along the roads are written in Cyrillic alphabet, which is different than Russian! The use of a GPS is absolutely necessary.

Have a nice trip!

Bibliography

Serbian and Yugoslavian Mauser Rifles, Branko Bogdanovič, North Cape Publications (2005).

Пешалијско Аутоматско Оружје Другог Светског Рата (World War Two Infantry Automatic Weapons), Dejan Milivojevič & Vuk Obradoivič – Odbrana (2012).

Војни Мчэеј Ъеограѧ (Military Museum Belgrade), Predrag Lazevič & Andeliza Radovič – Odbrana (2013).

The history of Knorr-Bremse light machine gun LMG is a interesting, if a bit confusing ride through pre- and post-war European arms development. In the 1920’s Hans Lauf, a German engineer, was the director of a tool-machine factory in Magdeburg called Magdeburg Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik AG. It was founded in 1892. He was also interested in armament design and in 1923, he developed a device for a rotating turret to the benefit of Oerlikon in Switzerland.

One year later, Lauf struck a secret agreement with the Army of the Weimar Republic to develop new guns, something strictly prohibited by the Versailles Treaty after World War I.

He had a relationship with the Werkzeug Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon in Switzerland, the director of which was a former German cavalry officer named Emil Burhle, who was tasked to secretly develop a new small arms program for the German army.

In 1924, Magdeburg Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik AG bought Maschinenbau Seebach which had gone bankrupt and then both companies jointed Oerlikon. Seebach was also a firearms designer and the result of this merger greatly benefitted Oerlikon, as the company inherited all the information on small arms development from Seebach.

Emil Burhle bought, little by little, all the shares of Oerlikon, then became the main stockholder and director in 1929. During this time, Hans Lauf developed a light machine gun, designated LH 33, which was patented on November 22, 1933. But Oerlikon was not really interested in the LH 33 since its main objective was the development of automatic cannons, so the LH 33 patent was sold to Sweden. Like Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherland, Sweden had a privileged relationship with the German aircraft and arms industries.

Torsten Lindfors and Ivar Staeck, two Swedish engineers improved the LH 33 with new patents. But in 1935, the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty were denounced by Germany.

So, Hand Lauf developed a new variation of the LH 33, designated LH 35 in association with Wendelin Przykalla. As a sidenote, he was the director of the Knorr-Bremse company founded in 1905 at Bowhagen-Rummelsburg, near Berlin.

The company specialized in pneumatic braking devices for railway engines and trucks. But in the new Third Reich, all industrial enterprises were expected to take a part of the re-arming of the country.

Knorr-Bremse proposed some models of its new gun to the Wehrmacht, which had just adopted the MG 34 machine gun, but the LH 35 was also retained as the LMG 35/36 A.

The company was not successful in manufacturing the gun and decided to enlist the help of the Steyr Factory in Austria. Production began in 1939, and approximately 4,000 guns were manufactured. They were used by the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS. Since Knorr-Bremse had influenced its development, small arms historians still refer to the LMG 35/36 A as the “Knorr-Bremse.”

LMG 35/36 LAYOUT

The LMG has a long triangular wooden stock, which sets the shooter’s eye far away from the rear sight. The frame is cylindrical. It receives the barrel and a magazine on the left side. The gun has a single trigger and a large rectangular trigger guard. The controls are located on the left side, just over the trigger guard. It takes a 25-round MG 13machine gun magazine.

The gas cylinder is over the barrel and the recoil spring is in the same axis, located in the stock. The rod itself has an integral buffer. The cocking lever is on the right side of the frame. The bolt carrier is attached to a long piston.

The short barrel has no cooling device and its muzzle is fitted with a truncated flash hider that is easily changed. Along the side, there’s a handle for transportation and handling.

The front sight is protected by two ears, the rear sight is the same as found on the K98k rifle, but this one includes an anti-aircraft aiming device.

The action is gas-operated, and the bolt is locked with the carrier by a link. The bolt stays open before shooting. A bipod is mounted on the gas cylinder, with its legs folding to the rear.

The main drawback of this model is its low cyclic rate of 490 RPM.

MG 35/36 A Features

KG m/40 LAYOUT

The LH 33 was improved and adopted as the Kulsprutegevär m/40 by the Swedes, who secured new patents for its design. Its layout is the same as the German gun, but both models have no common parts.

It was built by Svenska Automatvwapen AB. 5,400 were manufactured; most were used by the Swede’s home defense force, some others by Danish and Norwegian troops stationed in Sweden during WWII.

The stock is shorter and made of wood with a particular shape. The pistol grip has asteel frame and has two wooden grip panels. The selector was removed and was replaced by a

double half-moon trigger which allows single shots or bursts, which was later discarded.

Initially, a grip safety was located at the rear of the pistol grip, but it was also discarded.

Feeding is performed by a Browning KP m/21 magazine, converted into a single stack magazine. It was necessary to improve the feeding lips and to lengthen the box to keep a 20-round capacity.

The sights are identical to those of the Browning LMG with a 200 to 1,200-meter rear sight (identical to those of the U.S. Enfield M1917 rifle.) The rear is located on the base of the gas cylinder. The barrel is easily replaced, and it has a handle.

One of the main features of the Swedish model is the gas port with two curved, metal pipes.

The gun has a particular bipod with two square legs which are front-folding.

Kg m/40 Features

DISASSEMBLY – ASSEMBLY

• The gun is made of 62 parts and is disassembled without tools. The process is the same with the German or Swedish Model.
• Remove the magazine and clear the gun.
• Extract the lock located at the rear of the frame.
• Stock and frame case are taken apart.
• Remove the recoil spring.
• Take out bolt and carrier.
• Unlock the barrel and take it off.
• Remove bipod.
• Reassemble in reverse order.

DISPLAY

The Knorr-Bremse LMG is a scarce weapon. After more than fifty years researching firearms, I saw only a few located at:

• Ordnance Army Museum in Bourges (France) ;
• National Firearms Collection, Leeds (Great-Britain);
• National Museum of the Marine Corps, Quantico (Virginia), U.S.A.
• Belgrade Military Museum in Serbia (incomplete).

Some also reside in military museums in Norway and Sweden.

Acknowledgment

The curator of Kungl. Armémuseum, Stockholm (Sweden).

Bibliography

The Machine Gun, George M. Chinn, Department of the Navy (1951).

Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the Third Reich, Terry Gander & Peter Chamberlain, Mac Donald and Jane’s (1978).

German Machineguns, Daniel Musgrave, Ironside International Publisher (1992).

MG 34-MG 42, Folke Myrvang, Collector Grade Publications (2002).

The Light Machine Guns of Sweden, O. Janson.

The post-World War II French program of infantry small arms included a light machine gun. Several models were developed.

Automatic Rifle

Châtellerault Model 1924 M 29

Based on an instruction dated October 17, 1951, the Manufacture d’Armes de Châtellerault (or MAC) small arms factory was to develop a Model 1924 M 29 LMG for the 7.62mm T65 cartridge. The barrel was replaced and a new extractor and magazine were fitted. The cost was about 10 600 French francs. A conversion was developed by their chief engineer, Lecuiller. Several prototypes were tested in 1957.

Another variation included a belt-fed weapon. Several pictures of it can be found, but they may be fake. The conversion seemed difficult to manufacture and no trial report could be found.

Heavy Assault Rifles

Several variations of assault rifles with heavy barrels were made:

• MAS 53 received a heavy barrel, a bipod, a flash suppressor and a short forearm. The stock received a rear monopod and a folding butt plate. The rifle could launch a grenade and did not have a bayonet.
• MAS 54 developed from the MAS 54 C, but was improved with a carrying handle. It was tested by the Section Technique de l’Armée (or STA) in October of 1954 at the French Army Proving Ground at Satory (near Versailles). They shot 44,000 cartridges with only 44 malfunctions.
• MAS A.P. 1959 received a quick-change barrel and was developed in three versions: standard (rifle), short (SMG) and LMG.

Light Machine Gun

Despite the condition of the “poor” Army of the Vichy Government, a project was developed to reach the best performance of a new automatic rifle/light machine gun.

A technical report from October 11, 1941 describes the project:

• Caliber: 7.5mm
• Light and short
• Easy to handle
• Able to shoot at aircraft at low altitude
• Able to shoot at light armored vehicles
• Simple design
• Easy to produce
• Easy field stripping
• Complete disassembly can be done by any soldier, with only a screwdriver
• Easy handling and instruction
• Protected against mud and dust

It had to include:

• Locked bolt
• Gas action or recoil
• Air cooled
• Loading with metallic disintegrating or articulated links
• Ejection on the right side, or under
• Two rates of automatic fire: 600rpm against a ground target and 900rpm against an aircraft
• Cocking lever on the right
• Barrel fitted with a flash hider and a carrying handle
• No safety lever was needed

Specifications of the automatic rifle:

• Barrel: 0.50m (19.68in)
• Weight: 7kg (15.4lbs)
• Stock with folding butt plate
• Rear monopod and folding bipod; and a light tripod (like a photograph tripod) to shoot against aircraft

Specifications of the light machine gun:

• Barrel: 0.75m (29.53in)
• Weight: 13kg (28.7lbs)
• Removable stock
• Two-position tripod (high and low) to shoot at ground targets and a special device to shoot at aircraft
• Tripod Weight: 15kg (33lbs)

This program seemed to learn lessons from the combat in May and June of 1940 and acknowledges (without saying it) the qualities of the German MG34 light machine gun. Strangely, on May 12, 1942, the German Armistice Commission allowed the conversion of 2,021 aircraft belt-fed machine guns (MAS 34 M 39) for ground use. The conversion would be made by MAS with tools, parts and plans furnished by the MAC factory. After an examination of the French request, the Germans also allowed the manufacture of 2,700 aircraft MAC 34 M 39 machine guns, out of which 679 came from captured stocks and 700 20mm H aircraft cannons (the amount was reduced later to 500) and another order would be given later for 200 more.

The machine guns had fluted chambers and the piston was removed. The MAS also proposed a conversion for ground use: 1) put it on the M 1915 tripod and 2) add rear monopod and bipod like the Châtellerault automatic rifle.

After Germany invaded the South of France in November of 1942, all of these projects were discarded.

After the 1941 program, in 1945 the DEFA (French Army Ordnance Organisation) started a new project for the development of small arms. The universal machine gun program was very similar to the previous ones.

The specifications of the May 25, 1945 project were:

• Cartridge: 7.5mm Model 1933 D (heavy bullet)
• Weight: 7kg (15.4lbs) with bipod
• Barrel: 235mm (9.25in) rifled, length 0.60m (23.62in), easy to change without a tool
• Action: At the choice of the designer
• Feeding: 50 magazine or belt-fed cartridges or 30-round magazine
• Lateral ejection
• Cyclic Rate: Between 500-900rpm
• Sights: Rear sight and rectangular front sight
• Air cooling
• Accessories: flash hider, silencer, muzzle brake, sling, carrying handle, tools
• Easy to produce

This program had to take into account the shortage of industrial equipment and the reduced production capacities during this period of reconstruction. Most of the parts needed to be made by stamping, sintering or casting, if possible. Raw material could be found in the country, in case of war. Disassembly was to be as easy as the Châtellerault automatic rifle and shouldn’t require any tools.

The light machine gun would need a rear monopod, a stock with stock folding butt plate and a bipod. The machine gun would use a 13kg (28.7lbs) tripod.

Between 1948 and 1953, several prototypes were developed by the Mulhouse research center and the Châtellerault and Saint-Étienne small arms factories.

Mulhouse Prototypes

In 1950, the CEAM manufactured a light machine gun, very similar to the MG42. It was developed as an automatic rifle, with a vertical magazine and a bipod. A heavier variation, fed with links and using a tripod, was also made. Both shot the 7.5mm M1929 or .30-06 cartridges. But the guns were too heavy and many malfunctions were noted during the testing, so the CEAM weapons were not selected.

MAS Prototypes

The machine guns developed by the MAS were very similar to the MAS 36 and MAS 38 prototypes with gas tubes (without piston) were presented: A light machine gun with a short barrel and a magazine or a machine gun with a long barrel, link-fed, both in 7.5mm and .30-06. The barrel could be easily replaced. It had a gas tube, a carrying handle and a flash hider. The frame was of rectangular shape. It received a bolt carrier, a bolt and its lock. The pistol grip included a selector and a safety lever.

Feeding could be done with a magazine or a belt, after an exchange of the bolt cover.

The gun works by gas action, without a piston. The light machine gun had a bipod and received a stock. The heavy model had a tripod MAS M 1950. The MAS 50 prototypes with a gas tube worked correctly but they were too heavy and the cyclic rate was too slow.

A MAS 53 was also made, lighter, with a sheet cover around the gas tube.

Châtellerault Machine Gun

The Châtellerault factory developed a blowback machine gun, with a two-part bolt and an inertia lever. Two variations were made: one magazine-fed, one belt-fed. To make production easier, an MG42 pistol grip was used. During the tests, some specifications of the guns were modified by the DEFA on March 30, 1951: the barrel had to be easily exchanged, feeding used disintegrating links and the caliber was to be 7.62mm T65. None of the factories could manufacture models in 7.62mm quickly, therefore production would be delayed. After the tests, the CEAM and MAS prototypes were rejected and the MAC model was selected, with a short barrel and a bipod to replace the F.-M. M 1924-M 29. A heavy barrel was selected for the machine gun.

A.A. 52

A.A. 52 and its variations were manufactured with modern techniques using many sheet metal parts. Only the barrel and the bolts were machined. The weapon worked with semi-rigid locking, the opening is delayed by an inertia-amplifying lever. The receiver is of rectangular section, with a cover receiving the feeding device at the top. The cocking lever with slide is on the right. The trigger mechanism and the pistol grip are under the frame.

The ejection port is under the frame and it has a folding cover. The bolt is made of a bolt carrier with a mobile head and an inertia-amplifying lever. The weapon received a telescopic stock with an articulated butt plate. The dismountable and interchangeable barrel was fitted with a handle also used for transport of the weapon. The barrel had a fluted chamber. The barrel has four right-hand grooves with a 240mm twist rate. The 7.62mm barrel has the same groves but with a 300mm twist rate.

A push-button safety is inserted on the trigger mechanism. There is no selector. The sights are made of a folding front sight and a U-notch rear sight, adjustable from 200 to 2,000 meters. After 1962, they receive phosphorescent pellets for night shooting.

Feeding can be made with German Gurt 34 links, or French-designed detachable links (several models exist). The feeding mechanism, trigger device and pistol grip are copies of the MG42.

The first machine guns were delivered in February of 1956 and 35,000 A.A. 52 in 7.5mm were made.

A.A. 7.62mm N – F 1

Development began in 1954 and was finished in 1962. After the MAC factory was shut down, the production was transferred to the MAS in 1964 and later to Tulle in 1967-68. Production of A.A. 7.62mm N-F 1 was 17,000 weapons.

.50 Caliber Machine Guns

Several prototypes of a .50 caliber heavy machine guns were developed to replace the .50 M2HB machine gun.

AME 12.7mm

Developed in Mulhouse, it could be tested by the French but was presented to the German Bundeswehr in 1963, without any success.

MAC 56 and MAC 58

Made in Châtellerault by a team (MM. Davail, Martin, Nardin and Rabbe), it was an enlarged version of the A.A. 52. The frame has no rear block and the dismounting of the gun is slightly different. The rear sights are scaled in hectometers from 0 to 30, the front sight can be folded down.

The feeding is carried out with metallic links:

• American detachable links,
• French-designed detachable links, similar but larger than those used with the A.A. 52,
• French-designed non-detachable links, an enlarged copy of the Gurt 34.

The barrel can be easily replaced; it has no water jacket or carrying handle. The 12.7mm automatic weapon has a particular trigger mechanism and several variations exist.

On the MAC 56, two rear handles are fixed to the frame with an axial trigger pushed by the thumbs, firing like the Browning U.S. M2HB machine guns. The barrel has a truncated, forked flash hider.

On the MAC 58, the trigger mechanism is completed by a conventional pistol grip. The safety is set by a lever on the left side. The barrel has a cylindrical flash hider with lateral holes. Both weapons are fitted with a recoil absorber. A French-designed mount, with a recoil-absorbing device, allowed the use of the U.S. M3 tripod on any vehicle mount initially intended to receive the American weapon.

Tested during a short time, this model was not selected because it did not show particular improvements compared to weapons of the same caliber already in use. In addition, there was interest in the 20mm automatic guns for the armament of armored vehicles.

Other Machine Guns

MAC 31

After 1945, the MAC 31 tank machine guns were converted for infantry use:

• MAS 31 A1, fed by a drum, mounted on vehicles or on a MAS 1945 tripod.
• MAC 31 A2, fed by a flat, curved, horizontal 35-round magazine, mounted on a modified U.S. M2 light tripod.

Newly-manufactured MAC 31 E weapons with a short barrel were used on the AMX 13 light tank or on the EBR armored vehicle.

MGD

The MGD prototype was developed by Merlin Gerin Company, which also produced a light machine gun with the same mechanism. The machine gun was presented in 1946, but was not adopted.

This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V25N7 (August-September 2021)

Machine Gun Designer Saw His Weapons Used by China, Japan, Columbia, Finland, and the Vatican

Pál Király was a Hungarian automatic small arms designer whose work was very interesting indeed. Born in Budapest in 1880, he acquired professional experience at the Mechanical Science University, where he became an assistant teacher in 1902. He published a book on automatic small arms in 1915. During his military service, he was a second lieutenant in an artillery regiment, and during WWI he was assigned to a small arms research office. After also spending time as an observer-machine gunner, he ended the war as a captain.

After WWI, like Germany, Austria-Hungary was struck with a ban on the development and manufacture of armament. Pál Király therefore went to work at the SIG factory in Neuhausen, Switzerland, where he contributed to several projects. With Gotthard End, he developed the KE-7 light machine gun (KE-7 = Király End 7th model), which featured a short recoil barrel action and a tilting bolt. It was fed by a 25-round vertical curved magazine and can receive a bipod or tripod. It was not adopted by Switzerland, but it was sold to several other countries (China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Japan and the Dutch Indies) and was built from 1929 until 1938.

Király also designed the MKMO submachine gun with two Swiss engineers: Jacob Gaetzi and Gotthard End. It looked like a small carbine, fired the powerful 9mm Mauser cartridge and worked with a delayed blowback bolt. Lighter models that fired less powerful cartridges with a blowback action were designated MKMS and MKPS. These models were built between 1933 and 1941—only 1,228 were produced. They were used in Finland and in Vatican City by the Papal Swiss Guard!

In 1929, Pál Király returned to Hungary, but the Swiss did not allow him to take the plans of the guns he designed with him. He worked at the Danuvia factory in Budapest and designed a 9mm pistol known as the KD, of which 20 examples were made. The German Army expressed their interest in it for a time, but they instead embarked on the adoption of the P-38. From 1932 onwards, Király developed a semiautomatic rifle in several variants. All possessed an impressive muzzle brake.

39M Submachine Gun

The designer did produce a submachine gun very similar to the MKMO model; it looked like a small carbine, with a single-piece wooden butt, a delayed blowback action and a folding magazine. It could receive the same bayonet as the 35M Hungarian carbine. However, it was too long (more than 3 feet long) and had disastrous handling. To reduce its length, a redesigned 39M was tested; it had a folding wooden stock, but it was not kept. The exact number of 39M submachine guns produced is not known, but it is between 13,000 and 177,000 models from 1942 to 1944. Finally, another, completely different model was made in 1943 and was adopted as the 43M.

43M Submachine Gun

Description

This gun works like the 39M, but most of its parts have been modified. The stock can be folded under the frame, it has two metal rods covered with wood and receives a folding butt plate. The magazine can also be folded under the frame, but its design differs from that of the 39M. A wooden handguard covers the barrel and is locked by a ring, to which the sling attachment is connected. Ventilation holes can be seen on both sides. The frame is made of a cylindrical tube and receives a rear plug. On the right side are the ejection port and the cocking handle. The 9mm-caliber barrel is screwed into the frame and features six right-hand twist lands and grooves.

The bolt is made of three parts: the main bolt at the rear, which holds the firing pin; the bolt head, which features the extractor and ejector; and a simplified inertia lever. This bolt differs from and is not exchangeable with that of the 39M. The grip is a wooden part with horizontal grooves. The three-position selector is mounted at the rear of the frame and is turned left for automatic shooting (S = Sorozat), right for safety (Z = Zàarva) and top for single shot (E = Egyenkén). The gun receives a 40-round straight magazine. Cartridges are arranged in two columns and are fed alternately from left and right, as for the Thompson. When in a firing position, it tilts forward slightly. For transport, it can be pulled down under the frame. The 43M magazine is not the same as that used for the 39M! The front sight is located on the barrel and the rear sight aids shooting between 50 meters and 600 meters. Between 5,000 and 9,000 43M submachine guns were produced in 1944. A 44M variant, without a shoulder stock, was also made but was not adopted.

Operation

The 43M features a patented two-part delayed blowback bolt. When shooting, the gas pressure pushes both the bullet and the bolt head, which is locked by the high pressure. When the bullet exits the barrel the pressure lessens, and the bolt can then unlock and open. The empty case is extracted and ejected, and the main spring is compressed. The device is complicated, but its design permits a 60% reduction in recoil and the use of a light bolt (only one pound).

Disassembly and Reassembly

Put the weapon on safe. Depress the receiver cap-retaining plug located on the rear left side of the receiver. Give the cap a quarter turn, while maintaining pressure on the cap to prevent the main spring from flying out of the rear of the receiver. Remove the receiver cap and main operating spring. Retract the bolt assembly to the rear. Push the bolt assembly retaining pin out and separate the heavy rear portion of the bolt and the cocking lever. The firing pin may also be removed. To assemble, reverse the above procedure.

Accessories

Accessories include a leather sling; 35M bayonet with a 33-centimeter blade and a wooden handle; the scabbard is made of sheet metal with a leather holder.

Postscript

The 39M and 43M submachine guns were used by the Hungarians on the Eastern Front, as they were allied to the Germans against the Soviet Union. In 1944, Pál Király escaped from Hungary before the arrival of the Soviets. He travelled to Spain and proposed some of his designs to the Spanish arsenals, but they were not interested. He made his way to Switzerland and then to Santo Domingo, where he arrived with a passport delivered by the Red Cross! There, he found his fellow countryman Alexander Kovacs, who supervised La Armeria, a Dominican arsenal that repairs various small arms.

Later, Király developed the M2 Cristóbal carbine, a light assault rifle that fired the .30 M1 cartridge and employed a delayed blowback action, like the 43M. It was produced between 1950 and 1957. The designer worked at La Armeria until 1962 and died in 1965.