The Besa Machine Gun

The mention of ‘IA’ brings memories. tumbling back...GPMG IA training went something like this:

“Gun firing alright. Gun STOPS!”
“Butt in the shoulder. Working parts to the rear. Lower the butt. Open the top cover. Clear the feed tray. Open the feed tray. On looking inside you see...[stoppage details then described from which hapless gunner has to make decision on what subsequent drill to follow].

All etched in my memory, which probably explains why I tend to forget to get the car taxed, walk the dog, mow lawn etc etc.

 

Just so long as you don't mow the dog

 

Weapons a bit like mobile phones reveal clues to ones age. Lewis Gun, Bren, LMG, GPMG, no LSW yet.

 

From the rest of the sequence - the Besa looks Carrier mounted. There is a .30 Browning on a similar Carrier featured twice - appears to be badged with AoS 174. This AoS is problematic to the resources I have to hand as it was 144 RAC when they operated Shermans in 33 Brigade which this clearly isn't. I'll need to consult my better sources when home.

 

On reflection, it’s possible the Besa shown in the clip was taken from a Cromwell of 6th Airborne Recce Regt. Why? By this stage of the advance the regiment’s armoured squadron had lost most, if not all, of its Cromwells and this resulted in the division having to be allocated 15 (Scottish) Recce Regt to conduct its mechanised recce. The Cromwells’ Besas would therefore have been available and the paras would not have been slow in grabbing them to beef up their fire power.

 

That is certainly possible. I looked at some online accounts of the operation in question, and 4th Grenadiers of 6th Gds Tank Bde were along to give support, so maybe they had a spare Besa or two.

 

I've shot a bow and handled a Brown Bess.

 

Found this today
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Tower flintlock for me

 

Not mentioned in the video or the thread: the 15mm variant of the Besa which was the main armament of the Light Tank Mk VI and Humber armoured cars Marks I-III. Why 15mm? Does anyone know why that calibre was chosen?

 

In case anyone was wondering what the liaison between the Royal Arsenal, BSA, and the Czechs was like:

 

Sorry, Uncle Target, but 2nd IA on the Bren involved adjusting the gas regulator, not changing the barrel! Admittedly you had to disengage the barrel to do it.
Chris

 

I concur. My favorite 1950s pinup was June Wilkinson, who died not long ago. She had great tracts of land and became one of Playboy's most popular models. She was English of course and she began her fleshy career at the Windmill when she was only about fifteen. She was a very bright woman who had a career as a journalist after her modeling days.

 

We definitely need a pin-ups thread.

 

That's for another site, I think.

 

We have a Nose Art thread

WW2 Nose Art Pictures