World War II Database

Bren guns, although having originated from Czechoslovakia, became one of the iconic weapons associated with the British infantrymen. Although they did not live up to their intended role as a general purpose machine gun, during the war they were praised for their great reliability, and their successor designs would remain in British service through the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War and in Indian service until 2012. In The Bren Gun, author Neil Grant provided a thorough study of the Bren guns' history, the design, how these weapons shaped British infantry tactics, their production in Britain and overseas, and many other topics. Although at under 80 pages it was a small book, this title nevertheless was a great book on the weapon, offering just enough depth to satisfy this WW2 enthusiast who was not so technically-minded when it came to firearms. Similar to other titles in Osprey's "Weapon" series, this title offered a good collection of photographs and illustrations to accompany the text. I would wonder whether The Bren Gun was perhaps a bit light-weight to weapons experts, but I would definitely recommend this fine title to those interested in battlefield tactics who might not immediately associate this title with their main interest.