Vickers K Machine Gun
- Thread starter Micdrow
- Start date
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Glider
Captain
I wouldn't fancy firing one from the shoulder, I don't care what they say
Fokker D21
Airman
Amazing that in 1939 there was already public awareness about the trend of increasing gun sizes.
Equally amazing that sensitive technical data in July '39 was not classified.
Great article.
Equally amazing that sensitive technical data in July '39 was not classified.
Great article.
Tony Williams
Airman 1st Class
Thanks for posting that.
There was nothing very secret about the Class K: it was a beefed-up and speeded-up version of the Vickers-Berthier light machine gun, which was nearly chosen for the British Army (the Bren just beat it) and was used by the Indian Army. This was in turn based on the French Berthier LMG, which was developed before the First World War.
The Class K was a very good gun. It was test-flown with the big 300-round drum mentioned, and beat the .303 Browning for reliability. However, the wide drum would have caused problems to accommodate, since it would have interfered with wing structures.
When Class Ks were removed from aircraft, special forces in the North African Desert liked to attach them to their vehicles, as they liked the higher rate of fire and bigger magazine capacity compared with the Bren. Of course, they couldn't have fired very long bursts without running into overheating problems.
There was nothing very secret about the Class K: it was a beefed-up and speeded-up version of the Vickers-Berthier light machine gun, which was nearly chosen for the British Army (the Bren just beat it) and was used by the Indian Army. This was in turn based on the French Berthier LMG, which was developed before the First World War.
The Class K was a very good gun. It was test-flown with the big 300-round drum mentioned, and beat the .303 Browning for reliability. However, the wide drum would have caused problems to accommodate, since it would have interfered with wing structures.
When Class Ks were removed from aircraft, special forces in the North African Desert liked to attach them to their vehicles, as they liked the higher rate of fire and bigger magazine capacity compared with the Bren. Of course, they couldn't have fired very long bursts without running into overheating problems.
CharlesBronson
Senior Master Sergeant
Very good, Thanks.
A4K
Brigadier General
Great article Paul, thanks!
derekbu
Airman
Hi Bitis, did you ever receive a response to your request? I'm looking for the same thing.
Regards,
Derek
Regards,
Derek
yulzari
Staff Sergeant
The hand held Vickers K was issued as a ground force weapon in 1944. The Royal Marines for one used it in NW Europe. The fast rate of fire was a nuisance as the ammunition pan emptied in only two or three bursts and the replacement pans were a difficult load for the number 2.
