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{{Infobox Weapon|is_ranged=yes|
{{Infobox weapon
| name = ZB vz. 26
|image=
| image = ZB vz. 26 at Great Patriotic War museum in Smolensk.jpg
|caption=
| image_size = 300
|name=ZB vz. 26
| caption = vz. 26 at the Great Patriotic War Museum, Smolensk
|type=Light machine gun
|origin={{flagcountry|Czechoslovakia}}
| origin = Czechoslovakia
| type = [[Light machine gun]]
|era=[[World War II]]
<!-- Type selection -->| is_ranged = yes
|platform=Individual
<!-- Service history -->| service = 1926 – Present
|target=Personnel
| used_by = See ''[[ZB vz. 26#Users|Users]]''
|design_date=1923
| wars = [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]<br />[[Constitutionalist Revolution]]<br />[[Chaco War]]<br />[[Spanish Civil War]]<br />[[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]]<br />[[Dersim rebellion]]<br />[[Sudeten German uprising]]<br />[[World War II]]<br />[[Ecuadorian–Peruvian War]]<ref name="Peru"/><br />[[Chinese Civil War]]<br />[[Korean War]]<br />[[First Indochina War|Indochina War]]<br />[[Vietnam War]]<br />[[Laotian Civil War]]<br />[[Nigerian Civil War|Biafran war]]<br />[[Insurgency in Aceh]]<ref name="Aceh">{{cite book|title=Indonesia's War over Aceh: Last Stand on Mecca's Porch|first=Matt |last=Davies|edition=eBook|orig-year= 1970|date= 27 September 2006|location= London|publisher= Routledge|doi=10.4324/9780203968802|isbn=9781134193318|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ppx-AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA32|page=32}}</ref><br />[[South African Border War]]<br />[[Soviet–Afghan War]]<br />[[Yugoslav Wars]]<ref>{{cite AV media |date=April 1999 |title=The Defense Of Bosnia |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a1bQTDR9y8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/3a1bQTDR9y8 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|access-date=22 May 2015 |time=45:53 |publisher=Studio "FLASH" Sarajevo}}{{cbignore}}{{better source needed|reason = photographic evidence but possibly confusion with ZB vz 30|date=October 2018}}</ref>
|production_date=1928-1945
<!-- Production history -->| designer = [[Václav Holek]]
|service=1928-
| design_date = 1924
|used_by=[[Czechoslovakia]], [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]], German [[Wehrmacht]], [[Republic of China|Nationalist China]], [[Communist China]],[[Romania]], [[Slovak Republic (WWII)|Slovakia]], [[North Vietnam]], [[Yugoslavia]], [[Turkey]], [[Lithuania]], others.
| manufacturer = [[Zbrojovka Brno]], [[Zastava Arms]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.zastava-arms.rs/sr/imagetext/1919-1941 |title=1919-1941 &#124; Zastava-arms |access-date=18 October 2015 |archive-date=22 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052941/http://www.zastava-arms.rs/sr/imagetext/1919-1941 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|wars=[[Second Sino-Japanese War]],[[World War II]], [[Korean War]], others
| unit_cost =
|spec_type=[[Machine gun]]
| production_date = 1924–1953
|caliber=
| number =
|part_length=672 mm
| variants = See [[ZB vz. 26#Variants|Variants]]
|cartridge=[[7.92x57mm Mauser]]
<!-- General specifications -->| spec_label =
|feed=20-round magazine
| weight = {{convert|9.65|kg|lb|2|abbr=on}}<ref name="Encyclopedie" />
|action=[[Gas operated]], tilting breechblock
| length = {{convert|1161|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}<ref name="Encyclopedie" />
|rate=approx. 500 rounds/min
| part_length = {{convert|672|mm|abbr=on|1}}<ref name="Encyclopedie" />
|velocity=744 m/s
| width =
|weight=22.5 lb or 10.5 kg
| height = <!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
|length=45.3 in or 1150 mm
| cartridge = [[7.92×57mm Mauser]]
|variants=ZGB 30 [[Bren]], MG-26(t) ([[Germany|German]] designation), many more
| caliber =
|number=
| action = [[Gas-operated reloading|Gas-operated]], tilting breechblock
|range=1000 m
| rate = 500 rounds/min<ref name="Encyclopedie"/>
| velocity = {{convert|764|m/s|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="Encyclopedie"/>
| range = {{convert|1000|m|yd|abbr=on}}
| max_range =
| feed = 20- or 30-round detachable box [[Magazine (firearms)|magazine]]<ref name="Encyclopedie"/>
| sights = Front blade, rear leaf sight
}}
}}


The '''ZB vz. 26''' was a Czechoslovak [[light machine gun]] developed in the [[1920s]], which went on to enter service with several countries. It would see its major use during [[World War II]], and spawned the related ZB vz. 27, vz. 30, and vz. 33.
The '''ZB vz. 26''' was a Czechoslovak [[light machine gun]] developed in the 1920s, which went on to enter service with several countries. It saw its major use during [[World War II]], and spawned the related ZB vz. 27, vz. 30, and vz. 33. The ZB vz. 26 influenced many other light machine gun designs including the British [[Bren light machine gun]] and the Japanese [[Type 97 heavy tank machine gun]]. The ZB-26 is famous for its reliability, simple components, quick-change barrel and ease of manufacturing.
This light machine gun in the Czechoslovak army was marked as the '''LK vz. 26''' ("LK" means ''lehký kulomet'', light machine gun; "vz." stands for ''vzor'', ''Model'' in Czech). ZB vz. 26 is incorrect nomenclature because "ZB-26" is a factory designation (Československá zbrojovka v Brně), while "vzor 26" or "vz. 26" is an army designation.


==Development==
==Development==
In around 1921 the military of the young Czechoslovakian state embarked on a quest for a light machine gun of their own. Early trials included foreign designs such as [[Berthier rifle|Berthier]], [[M1918 Browning automatic rifle]], [[Darne machine gun]], [[Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun]], [[Madsen machine gun]], [[St. Étienne Mle 1907]], and several domestic designs. Of these, the most important was the Praha II, a lightweight, belt-fed weapon built at [[Česka Zbrojovka]] (CZ) Praha (Czech Arms factory in [[Prague]]).
Development on the ZB-26 began in 1923 after the Czechoslovak [[Brno]] arms factory came into existence. A designer by the name of [[Václav Holek]] was charged by the Czechoslovak army to produce a new light machine gun. He was assisted by his brother Emmanuel, as well as 2 expatriate Poles; Marek and Podrabsky. Holek was a genius as a firearms designer; he quickly began work on a prototype and within a year the quartet created an automatic light machine gun that would later be known as the ZB. The Czechoslovak army quickly adopted the ZB as the vz. 26, and many other countries later adopted the ZB or similar designs.
this gun was what they used to rape the chinks


Development of the ZB-26 began in 1923 after the Czechoslovak [[Zbrojovka Brno|Brno arms factory]] was built. Since CZ-Praha was a relatively small factory with limited industrial capabilities, it was decided to transfer the production of the new automatic weapon to the more advanced Zbrojovka Brno, or ZB in short. This transfer resulted in a long series of court trials over royalties, between the owners of the design (CZ-Praha) and the manufacturer (ZB). Designer [[Václav Holek]] was charged by the Czechoslovak army with producing a new light machine gun. He was assisted by his brother Emmanuel, as well as two Austrian and Polish engineers, respectively named Marek and Podrabsky.<ref name="Smith 125">{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Joseph E.|title=Small Arms of the World|url=https://archive.org/details/smallarmsofworld00smit|url-access=registration|edition =11|location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|publisher= The Stackpole Company|year=1969|page=[https://archive.org/details/smallarmsofworld00smit/page/125 125]|isbn=9780811715669}}</ref> Holek quickly began work on the prototype of the Praha II and within a year the quartet had created an automatic light machine gun that was later known as the ZB.
==Service==
The ZB-26 saw service with the Czechoslovak infantry, as well as being the primary or secondary armament on many later model [[Škoda Auto|Škoda]] armored vehicles. The gun possessed a bipod and could also be mounted on a tripod for better support fire if needed.


Before long, the Holek brothers abandoned the belt feed in favor of a top-feeding box magazine and the resulting weapon, known as the Praha I-23, was selected. Despite the past legal troubles, manufacture of the new weapon had commenced at the ZB factory by late 1926, and it became the standard light machine gun of the Czechoslovak Army by 1928.
The [[Wehrmacht]] soon adopted the ZB-26 after the occupation of Czechoslovakia, renaming it the MG 26(t); it was used in the same role as the [[MG34]], as a light machine gun. In the opening phases of WWII, the ZB-26 in 7.92 mm Mauser caliber was used in large numbers by elements of the German Waffen SS, who at first did not have full access to standard Wehrmacht supply channels. In its most famous incarnation the ZB-26 was modified by ZB and [[British Empire|British]] technicians, entering service as the famous [[Bren]] gun. Many more countries imported or produced the design under license, including the USSR, China, Yugoslavia, and Lithuania. Chinese Nationalist forces used the ZB-26 in 7.92 mm Mauser in their struggle with Communist Chinese and later Japanese forces. During the Korean War, Chinese Communist forces employed the ZB-26 against UN forces, and PVA ZB gunners developed a well-deserved reputation for long-range marksmanship. During the Vietnam conflict with French and later South Vietnamese forces, the ZB-26 was found in the hands of both North Vietnamese army and Viet Minh guerrillas.


==Design==
The gun has been reportedly used by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.{{Fact|date=January 2008}}
The ZB-26 is a gas-operated, air-cooled, selective-fire [[machine gun]]. It has a finned, quick-detachable [[Gun barrel|barrel]] and fires from an [[open bolt]]. Its [[Firearm action|action]] is powered by a long-stroke gas piston, located below the barrel. The gas block is mounted at the muzzle end of the barrel and also serves as the front sight base. The action is locked by tipping the rear of the bolt (breechblock) upwards, and into a locking recess in the receiver. The return spring is located in the butt of the weapon, and is connected to the bolt carrier/gas piston via a long rod; additionally, there is a short spring buffer located around the return spring at the juncture of the receiver and butt, which softens the impact of the bolt group at the end of its rearward stroke.


Its charging handle is located at the right side of receiver and does not reciprocate when the gun is fired. The ammunition feed is from a top-mounted [[magazine (firearm)#Box|box magazine]] made from [[sheet steel]], holding just 20 rounds in a two-row configuration. The magazine housing has a forward-sliding dust cover. Spent cartridges are ejected downwards. The ejection port is normally closed with its own dust cover which opens automatically once the [[trigger (firearms)|trigger]] is pressed. The trigger unit permits both single shots and automatic fire, selectable through a safety/fire mode selector lever situated at the left side of the [[pistol grip]]. The gun fires from an open bolt and the spring-loaded [[firing pin]] is operated by a projection on the bolt carrier, once the bolt is fully in battery and locked. Because of the overhead magazine, the sight line is offset to the left, and the front sight is mounted on a base which protrudes upward and to the left from the gas block.
==Variants==
Although the ZB-26 had few variants, some weapons were closely based on it:


The rear sight is attached to the left side of receiver, and has a range adjustment mechanism controlled by a knurled rotating knob. Standard furniture consists of an integral folding [[bipod]], which is attached to the [[gas cylinder]] tube, and a wooden butt with a spring-buffered buttplate and a folding shoulder rest plate. Although the ZB-26 was intended for the light machine gun role, it was also offered with a sustained-fire tripod, and provided with a sufficient supply of full magazines and spare barrels it could serve (to some extent) as a [[medium machine gun]]. The same tripod was also adaptable for the [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] role.
* '''ZGB 30/33''': these 2 variants are commonly referred to as the Bren.
* Japanese '''[[Type 97 Light Machine Gun|Type 97]]''': This gun was closely modeled on the ZB-26.
* Finnish [[KvKK 62]] Light Machine Gun
* In addition, the '''mkb 42(h)''' assault rifle uses a virtually identical, although inverted, bolt / bolt carrier system.


==Deployment and service==
Several more designations appear depending on the adoptive army, though generally the gun retains its 'ZB-26' initials in one or another form.
The ZB-26 saw service with the Czechoslovak infantry from 1928, as well as being the primary or secondary armament on many later model [[Škoda Auto|Škoda]] armored vehicles. 45,132 were bought by Czechoslovakia during the interwar.<ref name="vhu.cz"/> It is believed that the ZB factory turned more than 120,000 ZB-26 guns between 1926 and 1939 in a variety of calibers (the most popular being its original 7.92×57mm Mauser). It was exported to twenty-four European, South American and Asian countries, both in its original form and in the slightly improved ZB-30 version. Large batches of ZB light machine guns went to Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia. Lithuania and Yugoslavia were the first users to adopt the gun, before the Czechoslovak Army.<ref name="vhu.cz"/> Exports continued until 1939, when [[Nazi Germany]] under [[Adolf Hitler]] [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia|took over]] Czechoslovakia. More were produced for export than for the Czechoslovak Army<ref>{{cite book |last=Grant |first=Neil |year=2013 |title=The Bren Gun |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vZWdAwAAQBAJ |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=978-1782000822 |series=Weapon |volume=22 |page=10 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 7,136 ZB-26 were produced in Czechoslovakia after the war, from 1945 to 1953.<ref name="vhu.cz"/>

[[File:1941jcj.jpg|thumb|right|Chinese soldiers were the main ZB-26 users during World War II.]]

The [[Wehrmacht]] soon adopted the ZB-26 after the occupation of Czechoslovakia, renaming it the '''MG 26(t)''';<ref>The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II by Chris Bishop, page 237.</ref> it was used in the same role as the [[MG 34]], as a light machine gun. In the opening phases of World War II, the ZB-26 in 7.92 mm Mauser caliber was used in large numbers by elements of the German [[Waffen-SS]], who at first did not have full access to standard Wehrmacht supply channels. In its most famous incarnation, the ZB-26 was modified by ZB and [[British Empire|British]] technicians, entering service as the famous [[Bren light machine gun|Bren]] gun.<ref>{{cite journal|title= On the Nature and Role of Arms Production in Interwar Czechoslovakia|first= Aleš|last= Skřivan|pages =630–640 | doi=10.1080/13518046.2010.525488|issue=4|volume=23|year=2010|journal= The Journal of Slavic Military Studies|s2cid= 154648623|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303051440/https://khd.vse.cz/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/skrivan-on-the-nature.pdf|archive-date=3 March 2017|url=https://khd.vse.cz/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/skrivan-on-the-nature.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many more countries imported or produced the design under license, including China and Yugoslavia. [[National Revolutionary Army|Chinese Nationalist]] forces used the ZB-26 chambered for the [[7.92×57mm Mauser]] round in their struggle with [[Communist Party of China|Communist Chinese]] and later Imperial Japanese forces. Likewise, the [[People's Liberation Army|Chinese Red Army]] (as with any other captured weapon) turned the Nationalists' ZB-26 machine guns against them and the Japanese. According to Brno, from 1927 to 1939, a total of 30,249 ZB-26 were exported to China.<ref name="vhu.cz"/> Various Chinese pro-Japanese forces, such as the [[Collaborationist Chinese Army]]{{sfn|Jowett|2004|pp=46,71}} or the [[Inner Mongolian Army]], used it.{{sfn|Jowett|2004|pp=51,56}} During this time due to high demand, Chinese small-arms factories—state-owned as well as those controlled by various warlords—were producing the ZB-26 as the '''Type 26'''. During the [[Korean War]], Chinese Communist forces employed the ZB-26/Type 26 against UN forces, and PVA ZB gunners developed a well-deserved reputation for long-range marksmanship.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} During the [[First Indochina War]] with French and later South Vietnamese forces, the ZB-26/Type 26 was found in the hands of both [[Vietnam People's Army|North Vietnamese Army]] and [[Viet Minh]] guerrillas.<ref>{{cite book|title=French Foreign Légionnaire vs Viet Minh Insurgent: North Vietnam 1948–52|series=Combat 36|first=Martin |last=Windrow|date=20 Sep 2018|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=9781472828910|pages=24–25}}</ref>

==Variants==
[[File:CSR soldiers ZB vz 26.PNG|thumb|300px|Czechoslovakian soldiers with a ZB vz. 26 and a [[vz. 24]].]]
* '''ZB vz. 24''': the weapon's predecessor.<ref name="vhu.cz">{{cite web|title=Lehký kulomet ZB 26|language=cs|url=http://www.vhu.cz/exhibit/lehky-kulomet-zb-26/|trans-title=Light machine gun ZB 26| website=vhu.cz|publisher={{ill|Vojenský historický ústav Praha|cs}}}}</ref>
* '''ZB vz. 27''': later variant, proposed to [[Portugal]] and United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|title=Čs. lehký kulomet ZB vz. 27|language=cs|url=http://www.vhu.cz/exhibit/cs-lehky-kulomet-zb-vz-27/|trans-title=Czech light machine gun ZB vz. 27|website=vhu.cz|publisher={{ill|Vojenský historický ústav Praha|cs}}}}</ref>
* '''[[ZB vz. 30]]''' and ZB 30J: later variants.
* '''ZGB 30''': final modifications to the vz. 30 for British trials.
* '''ZGB 33''': in its final form was virtually identical to the British [[Bren light machine gun]].
* '''ZB 39''': commercial variant similar to the Bren, chambered in various different rounds and having different sights, among other minor changes.<ref name="Bulgaria">{{cite web|title= ZB 39|url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30029730|website=iwm.org.uk|publisher=[[Imperial War Museum]]}}</ref>
* [[Vz. 52 machine gun|ZB vz. 52]] : post-war derivative of the ZB vz. 26.
* The Japanese [[Type 97 heavy tank machine gun]] was a license built copy of the ZB-26 and intended for use in Japanese tanks. It was not normally issued as an infantry light machine gun. Other than the cocking handle being moved from the right side of the receiver to the left it is essentially a duplicate of the Czech gun in operation.
* The Spanish [[Fusil ametrallador Oviedo]] was a post-war clone of the ZB vz.26/30.
More designations appear depending on the adopting army, though generally the gun retains its 'ZB 26' initials in one form or another.

==Users==
[[File:NRA machinegunners.jpg|thumb|Chinese [[National Revolutionary Army]] soldiers firing the ZB vz. 26.]]
[[File:DavidYovanitch.png|thumb|Yugoslav [[Chetniks|Chetnik]] fighter with M37.]]
<!-- READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.-->
* {{flag|Afghanistan}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society|first1=Michael Vinai|last1=Bhatia |first2=Mark |last2=Sedra|publisher=[[Routledge]]|editor=Small Arms Survey|editor-link=Small Arms Survey|isbn=978-0-415-45308-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P4N9AgAAQBAJ|page=65|date=May 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/wwii-gear-in-afghan-use-part-i-firearms/|title=WWII gear in Afghan use: Part I – Firearms|date=1 June 2015|website=wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com|access-date=10 April 2018}}</ref>
* {{flag|Bolivia}}{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=65}}
* {{flag|Brazil}}: 1,080 in [[7×57mm Mauser|7mm Mauser]] received in 1930<ref name="militaria.cz"/> for the Polícia Militar de Minas Gerais (Military Police of the state of Minas Gerais){{citation needed|date=July 2018}}. Adopted by the São Paulo Public Force<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-06-25 |title=O Museu de Polícia Militar de São Paulo |url=https://armasonline.org/armas-on-line/o-museu-da-pm-de-sao-paulo/ |access-date=2022-12-16 |website=Armas On-Line |language=pt-BR}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Bulgaria}}: 100 of an order of 3,000 ZB-39s delivered, chambered in [[8×56mmR]]<ref name="Bulgaria"/>
* {{flag|Biafra}}<ref name="auto">{{cite book|last=Jowett|first=Philip|title=Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-70|year=2016|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-1472816092|page=23}}</ref>
* {{flag|Chile}}: 11 in 7mm received in 1928<ref name="militaria.cz"/>
* {{flag|People's Republic of China}}<ref>{{cite book|last = Jowett|first = Philip|title = The Chinese Army 1937-49: World War II and Civil War|date = 13 July 2005| publisher = Osprey Publishing|page=44|isbn=1-84176-904-5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=2406|title=Indigenous Machine Guns of China – Small Arms Defense Journal}}</ref>
* {{flag|Republic of China (1912–1949)|name=Republic of China}}: 30,249 received between 1927 and 1939.<ref name="militaria.cz"/> Produced under license.{{sfn|Smith|1969|pp=295-296}} Clones made in Taku Naval Dockyard in 1927, later produced in Gongxian Arsenal, the 21st/51st Arsenals.<ref name="MG">{{cite web | website=chinaww2.com | date=2014-09-27 | url=http://www.chinaww2.com/2014/09/27/favorite-machine-gun/ |title=China's Favorite Machine Gun}}</ref>
* {{flag|Independent State of Croatia}}{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}
* {{flag|Czechoslovakia}}: Adopted by the Czechoslovak Army as the '''ZB LK VZ 26'''.<ref name="MG"/><ref>Gun Digest Book of Cz Firearms by Robb Manning, page 22.</ref>
* {{flag|Ecuador|1900}}:<ref>{{cite web|title=Zarumilla War 1941: Ecuadorian-Peruvian War of 1941|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/zarumilla.htm|website=globalsecurity.org|access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref> 200 supplied in 1930-1932<ref name="militaria.cz"/>
* {{flag|Egypt|1922}}: 1,060 7.7mm ZGB-33 bought in 1937-1939<ref name="militaria.cz"/>
* {{flag|Ethiopian Empire|name=Ethiopia}}: Used against the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War|Italians]]{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=65}}
* {{flag|Nazi Germany}}
* {{flag|Indonesia}}: [[Free Aceh Movement]]<ref name="Aceh"/>
* {{flag|Kingdom of Iraq}}: 850 7.7mm ZGB-33 received in 1936-1937<ref name="militaria.cz"/>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Iran with standardized lion and sun.svg}} [[Pahlavi dynasty|Imperial State of Iran]]: [[ZB vz. 30]] produced under license{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=320}} 6,000 ZB-26 received in 1934<ref name="militaria.cz"/>
* {{flag|Empire of Japan}}: Used captured Chinese guns{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=498}} 2,200 others were received in 1938-1939<ref name="militaria.cz"/>
* {{flag|North Korea}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=North Korean Small Arms (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)|magazine=Small Arms Review|volume=16|issue=2|date=June 2012|url=https://smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1108|access-date=2 February 2019|archive-date=2 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202212301/https://smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1108|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Latvia}}: 600 7.7mm ZGB-33 ordered in 1940<ref name="militaria.cz"/>
* {{flag|Lithuania}}<ref name="vhu.cz"/> 3,138 '''VZ 26''' machine guns between 1928 and 1937<ref name="militaria.cz"/> (7,92&nbsp;mm kulkosvaidis ''Brno'' 26 m.)
* {{flag|Manchukuo}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Jowett|first=Philip S.|title=Rays of the Rising Sun: Armed Forces of Japan's Asian Allies 1931-45: Volume 1: China and Manchukuo|year=2004|publisher=Helion & Company Limited|page=32}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|Namibia}} [[Namibia]]: used by the [[People's Liberation Army of Namibia]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Their Blood Waters our Freedom|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXQEjBIb8Uo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/fXQEjBIb8Uo |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|date=25 January 2020|website=Youtube.com|access-date=19 May 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* {{flag|Paraguay}}: Captured from Bolivian Army during Chaco War, some still in use for training.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}
* {{flag|Peru|1825}}<ref name="Peru">{{cite book|title=Latin American Wars 1900–1941: "Banana Wars," Border Wars & Revolutions|series=Men-at-Arms 519|publisher=Osprey Publishing|first= Philip |last=Jowett|date= 28 Jun 2018|isbn=9781472826282 |page=39|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8LJeDwAAQBAJ}}</ref>
* {{flag|Romania}}: [[ZB vz. 30]] produced under license{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=320}}
* {{flagicon|Thailand}} [[Thailand|Siam]]: bought some in the early 1930s<ref name="militaria.cz"/>
* {{flagicon|Slovakia|1938}} [[First Slovak Republic|Slovak Republic]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Malmassari |first1=Paul |title=Armoured Trains |date=2016 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |isbn=9781848322653 |page=415 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8pMTDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA415 |access-date=30 March 2019 |language=en |chapter=Slovak Republic}}</ref>
* {{flag|Spain}}<ref name="Encyclopedie">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Fusils-mitrailleurs Lehky Kulomet ZB vz.26 and vz.30|language=fr | encyclopedia =Encyclopédie des armes : Les forces armées du monde|publisher=Atlas|year=1984|page=262|volume=II|number=14. Les mitrailleuses de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale}}</ref>{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=547}}
* {{flag|Sweden}}: Used as the Kulspruta m/39<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gotavapen.se/gota/artiklar/kg/swedish_kg3.htm|title=The Light Machine Guns of Sweden|website=gotavapen.se|first=O.|last= Janson|date=23 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040702/http://www.gotavapen.se/gota/artiklar/kg/swedish_kg3.htm|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flag|Turkey}}{{sfn|Grant|2013|p=65}}{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=570}}
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}: 85 – 7.7mm ZB-33 bought from 1935 to 1938<ref name="militaria.cz"/>
* {{flag|North Vietnam}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Vital Guide to Combat Guns and Infantry Weapons|page=203|author=Chris Bishop |year=1996|publisher=Airlife |isbn=1853105392}}</ref>{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=719}}
* {{flag|Yugoslavia}}:<ref name="vhu.cz"/><ref name="Vukšić2003">{{cite book|series=Warrior 73|title=Tito's partisans 1941–45|last=Vukšić|first=Velimir|date=July 2003|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84176-675-1|page=25}}</ref> 1,500 delivered<ref name="militaria.cz">{{cite web|title=Nejprodávanější československá zbraň|first=Jiří|last=Fencl|url=http://www.militaria.cz/archiv/391/clanky/391-08.html|publisher=Militaria, Elka Press|access-date=12 March 2019|date=1991|language=cs}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Weapons of Czechoslovakia interwar period]]
*[[Kucher Model K1]]
*[[Bren Gun]] - British .303 design
*[[Madsen machine gun]]
*[[Hotchkiss M1909 Benet-Mercie machine gun|M1909 Benet-Mercie]]
* [[FM-24/29|FM-24/29 light machine gun]]
*[[Lahti-Saloranta M/26]]
* [[Lahti-Saloranta M/26]]
*[[FM-24/29]]
* [[Madsen machine gun]]
*[[ZB-30]]
* [[Mendoza RM2]]
* [[Type 96 light machine gun]] - influenced by ZB vz. 26 design
* [[Type 97 heavy tank machine gun]] - license-built loading [[7.7x58mm Arisaka]] ammunition
* [[Type 99 light machine gun]] - follow on to the Type 96

==References==
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{commons|ZB 26}}
* [http://www.fronta.cz/fotogalerie/lk26 The ZB-26 photogallery]
* [http://www.fronta.cz/fotogalerie/lk26 The LK vz. 26 (ZB-26) photogallery]
* [http://world.guns.ru/machine/mg52-e.htm Modern Firearms]
* [http://world.guns.ru/machine/mg52-e.htm Modern Firearms]
* [http://forums.filefront.com/fh2-suggestions/389567-pacific-war-5-chinese-infantry-weapons.html The Pacific War 5: Chinese Infantry Weapons]


{{Weapons of Czechoslovakia}}
{{WWIIChineseInfantryWeapons}}
{{WWIIGermanInfWeapons}}
{{WWIIGermanInfWeapons}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}


[[Category:7.92 mm machine guns]]
[[Category:8 mm machine guns]]
[[Category:7.92×57mm Mauser machine guns]]
[[Category:Light machine guns]]
[[Category:Light machine guns]]
[[Category:World War II German infantry weapons]]
[[Category:World War II machine guns]]
[[Category:Machine guns of Czechoslovakia]]
[[Category:Machine guns of Czechoslovakia]]
[[Category:World War II Chinese infantry weapons]]
[[Category:Machine guns of Manchukuo]]
[[Category:World War II infantry weapons of China]]

[[Category:World War II infantry weapons of Germany]]
[[de:ZB vz.26]]
[[Category:World War II machine guns]]
[[fr:ZB-26]]
[[Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1920s]]
[[ja:ブルーノZB26軽機関銃]]
[[no:ZB vz 26]]
[[pl:Karabin maszynowy ZB vz. 26]]

Latest revision as of 18:28, 14 October 2024

ZB vz. 26
vz. 26 at the Great Patriotic War Museum, Smolensk
TypeLight machine gun
Place of originCzechoslovakia
Service history
In service1926 – Present
Used bySee Users
WarsSecond Sino-Japanese War
Constitutionalist Revolution
Chaco War
Spanish Civil War
Second Italo-Ethiopian War
Dersim rebellion
Sudeten German uprising
World War II
Ecuadorian–Peruvian War[1]
Chinese Civil War
Korean War
Indochina War
Vietnam War
Laotian Civil War
Biafran war
Insurgency in Aceh[2]
South African Border War
Soviet–Afghan War
Yugoslav Wars[3]
Production history
DesignerVáclav Holek
Designed1924
ManufacturerZbrojovka Brno, Zastava Arms[4]
Produced1924–1953
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass9.65 kg (21.27 lb)[5]
Length1,161 mm (45.7 in)[5]
Barrel length672 mm (26.5 in)[5]
Cartridge7.92×57mm Mauser
ActionGas-operated, tilting breechblock
Rate of fire500 rounds/min[5]
Muzzle velocity764 m/s (2,507 ft/s)[5]
Effective firing range1,000 m (1,100 yd)
Feed system20- or 30-round detachable box magazine[5]
SightsFront blade, rear leaf sight

The ZB vz. 26 was a Czechoslovak light machine gun developed in the 1920s, which went on to enter service with several countries. It saw its major use during World War II, and spawned the related ZB vz. 27, vz. 30, and vz. 33. The ZB vz. 26 influenced many other light machine gun designs including the British Bren light machine gun and the Japanese Type 97 heavy tank machine gun. The ZB-26 is famous for its reliability, simple components, quick-change barrel and ease of manufacturing. This light machine gun in the Czechoslovak army was marked as the LK vz. 26 ("LK" means lehký kulomet, light machine gun; "vz." stands for vzor, Model in Czech). ZB vz. 26 is incorrect nomenclature because "ZB-26" is a factory designation (Československá zbrojovka v Brně), while "vzor 26" or "vz. 26" is an army designation.

Development

[edit]

In around 1921 the military of the young Czechoslovakian state embarked on a quest for a light machine gun of their own. Early trials included foreign designs such as Berthier, M1918 Browning automatic rifle, Darne machine gun, Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun, Madsen machine gun, St. Étienne Mle 1907, and several domestic designs. Of these, the most important was the Praha II, a lightweight, belt-fed weapon built at Česka Zbrojovka (CZ) Praha (Czech Arms factory in Prague).

Development of the ZB-26 began in 1923 after the Czechoslovak Brno arms factory was built. Since CZ-Praha was a relatively small factory with limited industrial capabilities, it was decided to transfer the production of the new automatic weapon to the more advanced Zbrojovka Brno, or ZB in short. This transfer resulted in a long series of court trials over royalties, between the owners of the design (CZ-Praha) and the manufacturer (ZB). Designer Václav Holek was charged by the Czechoslovak army with producing a new light machine gun. He was assisted by his brother Emmanuel, as well as two Austrian and Polish engineers, respectively named Marek and Podrabsky.[6] Holek quickly began work on the prototype of the Praha II and within a year the quartet had created an automatic light machine gun that was later known as the ZB.

Before long, the Holek brothers abandoned the belt feed in favor of a top-feeding box magazine and the resulting weapon, known as the Praha I-23, was selected. Despite the past legal troubles, manufacture of the new weapon had commenced at the ZB factory by late 1926, and it became the standard light machine gun of the Czechoslovak Army by 1928.

Design

[edit]

The ZB-26 is a gas-operated, air-cooled, selective-fire machine gun. It has a finned, quick-detachable barrel and fires from an open bolt. Its action is powered by a long-stroke gas piston, located below the barrel. The gas block is mounted at the muzzle end of the barrel and also serves as the front sight base. The action is locked by tipping the rear of the bolt (breechblock) upwards, and into a locking recess in the receiver. The return spring is located in the butt of the weapon, and is connected to the bolt carrier/gas piston via a long rod; additionally, there is a short spring buffer located around the return spring at the juncture of the receiver and butt, which softens the impact of the bolt group at the end of its rearward stroke.

Its charging handle is located at the right side of receiver and does not reciprocate when the gun is fired. The ammunition feed is from a top-mounted box magazine made from sheet steel, holding just 20 rounds in a two-row configuration. The magazine housing has a forward-sliding dust cover. Spent cartridges are ejected downwards. The ejection port is normally closed with its own dust cover which opens automatically once the trigger is pressed. The trigger unit permits both single shots and automatic fire, selectable through a safety/fire mode selector lever situated at the left side of the pistol grip. The gun fires from an open bolt and the spring-loaded firing pin is operated by a projection on the bolt carrier, once the bolt is fully in battery and locked. Because of the overhead magazine, the sight line is offset to the left, and the front sight is mounted on a base which protrudes upward and to the left from the gas block.

The rear sight is attached to the left side of receiver, and has a range adjustment mechanism controlled by a knurled rotating knob. Standard furniture consists of an integral folding bipod, which is attached to the gas cylinder tube, and a wooden butt with a spring-buffered buttplate and a folding shoulder rest plate. Although the ZB-26 was intended for the light machine gun role, it was also offered with a sustained-fire tripod, and provided with a sufficient supply of full magazines and spare barrels it could serve (to some extent) as a medium machine gun. The same tripod was also adaptable for the anti-aircraft role.

Deployment and service

[edit]

The ZB-26 saw service with the Czechoslovak infantry from 1928, as well as being the primary or secondary armament on many later model Škoda armored vehicles. 45,132 were bought by Czechoslovakia during the interwar.[7] It is believed that the ZB factory turned more than 120,000 ZB-26 guns between 1926 and 1939 in a variety of calibers (the most popular being its original 7.92×57mm Mauser). It was exported to twenty-four European, South American and Asian countries, both in its original form and in the slightly improved ZB-30 version. Large batches of ZB light machine guns went to Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia. Lithuania and Yugoslavia were the first users to adopt the gun, before the Czechoslovak Army.[7] Exports continued until 1939, when Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler took over Czechoslovakia. More were produced for export than for the Czechoslovak Army[8] 7,136 ZB-26 were produced in Czechoslovakia after the war, from 1945 to 1953.[7]

Chinese soldiers were the main ZB-26 users during World War II.

The Wehrmacht soon adopted the ZB-26 after the occupation of Czechoslovakia, renaming it the MG 26(t);[9] it was used in the same role as the MG 34, as a light machine gun. In the opening phases of World War II, the ZB-26 in 7.92 mm Mauser caliber was used in large numbers by elements of the German Waffen-SS, who at first did not have full access to standard Wehrmacht supply channels. In its most famous incarnation, the ZB-26 was modified by ZB and British technicians, entering service as the famous Bren gun.[10] Many more countries imported or produced the design under license, including China and Yugoslavia. Chinese Nationalist forces used the ZB-26 chambered for the 7.92×57mm Mauser round in their struggle with Communist Chinese and later Imperial Japanese forces. Likewise, the Chinese Red Army (as with any other captured weapon) turned the Nationalists' ZB-26 machine guns against them and the Japanese. According to Brno, from 1927 to 1939, a total of 30,249 ZB-26 were exported to China.[7] Various Chinese pro-Japanese forces, such as the Collaborationist Chinese Army[11] or the Inner Mongolian Army, used it.[12] During this time due to high demand, Chinese small-arms factories—state-owned as well as those controlled by various warlords—were producing the ZB-26 as the Type 26. During the Korean War, Chinese Communist forces employed the ZB-26/Type 26 against UN forces, and PVA ZB gunners developed a well-deserved reputation for long-range marksmanship.[citation needed] During the First Indochina War with French and later South Vietnamese forces, the ZB-26/Type 26 was found in the hands of both North Vietnamese Army and Viet Minh guerrillas.[13]

Variants

[edit]
Czechoslovakian soldiers with a ZB vz. 26 and a vz. 24.
  • ZB vz. 24: the weapon's predecessor.[7]
  • ZB vz. 27: later variant, proposed to Portugal and United Kingdom.[14]
  • ZB vz. 30 and ZB 30J: later variants.
  • ZGB 30: final modifications to the vz. 30 for British trials.
  • ZGB 33: in its final form was virtually identical to the British Bren light machine gun.
  • ZB 39: commercial variant similar to the Bren, chambered in various different rounds and having different sights, among other minor changes.[15]
  • ZB vz. 52 : post-war derivative of the ZB vz. 26.
  • The Japanese Type 97 heavy tank machine gun was a license built copy of the ZB-26 and intended for use in Japanese tanks. It was not normally issued as an infantry light machine gun. Other than the cocking handle being moved from the right side of the receiver to the left it is essentially a duplicate of the Czech gun in operation.
  • The Spanish Fusil ametrallador Oviedo was a post-war clone of the ZB vz.26/30.

More designations appear depending on the adopting army, though generally the gun retains its 'ZB 26' initials in one form or another.

Users

[edit]
Chinese National Revolutionary Army soldiers firing the ZB vz. 26.
Yugoslav Chetnik fighter with M37.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Jowett, Philip (28 June 2018). Latin American Wars 1900–1941: "Banana Wars," Border Wars & Revolutions. Men-at-Arms 519. Osprey Publishing. p. 39. ISBN 9781472826282.
  2. ^ a b Davies, Matt (27 September 2006) [1970]. Indonesia's War over Aceh: Last Stand on Mecca's Porch (eBook ed.). London: Routledge. p. 32. doi:10.4324/9780203968802. ISBN 9781134193318.
  3. ^ The Defense Of Bosnia. Studio "FLASH" Sarajevo. April 1999. Event occurs at 45:53. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2015.[better source needed]
  4. ^ "1919-1941 | Zastava-arms". Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Fusils-mitrailleurs Lehky Kulomet ZB vz.26 and vz.30". Encyclopédie des armes : Les forces armées du monde (in French). Vol. II. Atlas. 1984. p. 262.
  6. ^ Smith, Joseph E. (1969). Small Arms of the World (11 ed.). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Stackpole Company. p. 125. ISBN 9780811715669.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Lehký kulomet ZB 26" [Light machine gun ZB 26]. vhu.cz (in Czech). Vojenský historický ústav Praha [cs].
  8. ^ Grant, Neil (2013). The Bren Gun. Weapon. Vol. 22. Osprey Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 978-1782000822.[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II by Chris Bishop, page 237.
  10. ^ Skřivan, Aleš (2010). "On the Nature and Role of Arms Production in Interwar Czechoslovakia" (PDF). The Journal of Slavic Military Studies. 23 (4): 630–640. doi:10.1080/13518046.2010.525488. S2CID 154648623. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2017.
  11. ^ Jowett 2004, pp. 46, 71.
  12. ^ Jowett 2004, pp. 51, 56.
  13. ^ Windrow, Martin (20 September 2018). French Foreign Légionnaire vs Viet Minh Insurgent: North Vietnam 1948–52. Combat 36. Osprey Publishing. pp. 24–25. ISBN 9781472828910.
  14. ^ "Čs. lehký kulomet ZB vz. 27" [Czech light machine gun ZB vz. 27]. vhu.cz (in Czech). Vojenský historický ústav Praha [cs].
  15. ^ a b "ZB 39". iwm.org.uk. Imperial War Museum.
  16. ^ Bhatia, Michael Vinai; Sedra, Mark (May 2008). Small Arms Survey (ed.). Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society. Routledge. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-415-45308-0.
  17. ^ "WWII gear in Afghan use: Part I – Firearms". wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  18. ^ a b c Grant 2013, p. 65.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Fencl, Jiří (1991). "Nejprodávanější československá zbraň" (in Czech). Militaria, Elka Press. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  20. ^ "O Museu de Polícia Militar de São Paulo". Armas On-Line (in Brazilian Portuguese). 25 June 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  21. ^ Jowett, Philip (2016). Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-70. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-1472816092.
  22. ^ Jowett, Philip (13 July 2005). The Chinese Army 1937-49: World War II and Civil War. Osprey Publishing. p. 44. ISBN 1-84176-904-5.
  23. ^ "Indigenous Machine Guns of China – Small Arms Defense Journal".
  24. ^ Smith 1969, pp. 295–296.
  25. ^ a b "China's Favorite Machine Gun". chinaww2.com. 27 September 2014.
  26. ^ Gun Digest Book of Cz Firearms by Robb Manning, page 22.
  27. ^ "Zarumilla War 1941: Ecuadorian-Peruvian War of 1941". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  28. ^ a b Smith 1969, p. 320.
  29. ^ Smith 1969, p. 498.
  30. ^ "North Korean Small Arms (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)". Small Arms Review. Vol. 16, no. 2. June 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  31. ^ Jowett, Philip S. (2004). Rays of the Rising Sun: Armed Forces of Japan's Asian Allies 1931-45: Volume 1: China and Manchukuo. Helion & Company Limited. p. 32.
  32. ^ "Their Blood Waters our Freedom". Youtube.com. 25 January 2020. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  33. ^ Malmassari, Paul (2016). "Slovak Republic". Armoured Trains. Seaforth Publishing. p. 415. ISBN 9781848322653. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  34. ^ Smith 1969, p. 547.
  35. ^ Janson, O. (23 October 2017). "The Light Machine Guns of Sweden". gotavapen.se. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
  36. ^ Smith 1969, p. 570.
  37. ^ Chris Bishop (1996). Vital Guide to Combat Guns and Infantry Weapons. Airlife. p. 203. ISBN 1853105392.
  38. ^ Smith 1969, p. 719.
  39. ^ Vukšić, Velimir (July 2003). Tito's partisans 1941–45. Warrior 73. Osprey Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-84176-675-1.
[edit]
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