The Bren LMG

The Bren Gun was Britain's primary light machine gun of WWII. It was adopted to replace the ageing Lewis Gun by the British army in 1935 after adaptation from a Czech design.

A gas operated weapon, it fired the regular .303 inch (rimmed) rounds as used by the common Lee Enfield rifle (later versions were adapted to 7.62mm NATO), at a rate between 480 and 540 rpm depending on the model. A disadvantage of the weapon was that its rate of fire was much slower than its German counterparts, and it only accepted magazines, demanding more frequent reloading than belt fed machine guns. It was considered by some to have the "disadvantage" of being too accurate because its cone of fire was extremely concentrated.

The Bren was typically used with a 30 round magazine, but in practise it was filled to 28 rounds to prevent jamming. There is also a 100 round drum available for Brens in an anti-aircraft role.

Its weight also stretched the definition of "light" machine gun, often requiring it to be partially disassembled and its parts carried by two soldiers when on long marches. Despite these shortcomings, it was popular with British troops, and respected for its high reliability and combat effectiveness. It was manufactured by the Enfield armory, and, re-barrelled to NATO 7.62 and renamed the LMG, was used by the British Army until the late 1970s.

The name Bren derives from Brno in Czechoslovakia and Enfield.

Bren is also a commune of the Drôme département in France.