The ZB-30 and ZB-30J were Czechoslovakian light machine guns that saw extensive use during World War II.
| ZB-30 | |
|---|---|
 Yugoslav-made ZB vz. 30 | |
| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin | Czechoslovakia Romania (license) Yugoslavia (license) |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1930–2009[1] |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Chaco War[2] Second Italo-Ethiopian War[3] Spanish Civil War[4] World War II First Indochina War Algerian War Biafran war War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)[1] |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1930 |
| Manufacturer | Zbrojovka Brno, Cugir Arms Factory, Military Technical Institute Kragujevac[5] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 9.10 kg (20.06 lb) |
| Length | 1,180 mm (46.5 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.92×57mm Mauser |
| Action | Gas-operated, tilting breechblock |
| Rate of fire | 550-650 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 750 m/s (2,461 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 1,000 m (1,100 yd) |
| Feed system | 20-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Front blade, rear leaf sight |
History
editThe Zb 30 and Zb 30J were the later versions of the famous Czechoslovak machine gun, the ZB-26. However, the ZB-30 had some design differences, making it similar to the later ZGB-33, which was an early prototype of the Bren gun.[6] Like the ZB-26, the Wehrmacht adopted the ZB-30 after the occupation of Czechoslovakia, renaming it the MG30(t); it was used in the same role as the MG34, as a light machine gun. In the opening phases of World War II, the ZB-30 in 7.92 mm Mauser caliber was used in large numbers by elements of the German Waffen-SS, who did not initially have full access to standard Wehrmacht supply channels.[1]
Comparison of original ZB vz.26 and modifications:
| Machine gun | ZB vz.26 | ZB vz.30 | ZB vz.30J (note) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caliber (mm) | 7.92 | 7.92 | 7.92 |
| Length (mm) | 1165 | 1180 | 1204 |
| Weight (kg) | 8.84 | 9.10 | 9.58 |
| Magazine (rounds) | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Rate (round/min) | 500 | 550-650 | 500-600 |
| Velocity (m/s) | 750 | 750 | 750 |
Note - The ZB 30J was a late design iteration of the ZB 30 for sale to Yugoslavia (originally spelled with a J) that featured an adjustable gas system so that commonly available light and heavy 7.92mm ball ammunition would cycle the mechanism.[7]
Users
edit
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Kingdom of Afghanistan: 2,000 in 7.92mm Mauser caliber shipped in 1938[8]
Algeria: used by the National Liberation Army.[9]
Biafra[10]
Bolivia: 3,350 in 7.65mm Mauser between 1932 and 1937,[8] used in the Chaco War,[2] still in use in the 1960s[11]
Bulgaria: used as aircraft gun on Kaproni Bulgarski KB-11 Fazan[citation needed]
Czechoslovakia[12]
Republic of China: Imported and produced under license.[13]
Ecuador 750 7.92mm Mauser in 1935-1936[8]
Ethiopia: 400-450 in 7.92mm Mauser ZB vz.30 bought in 1934, used by the Kebur Zabagna[3][8]
Nazi Germany
Guatemala: 50 in 7mm Mauser, delivered in 1937[14][8]
Iran:[15] produced under license. Modified to fire the .30 cartridge.[16]
Kingdom of Italy: An unspecified number were captured in Ethiopia and in Yugoslavia. By July 1942, 936 were listed in the Regio Esercito's inventory. Experiments were conducted in converting them to the 8×59mm Rb Breda cartridge. In March 1943, they were issued to territorial units in Lazio, Liguria, and Tuscany.[17]
Japan: used captured Chinese guns.[18]
Latvia: 11 in 7.92mm Mauser received in 1936[8]
Manchukuo[19]
Nicaragua: 5 in 7mm Mauser supplied in 1937[8]
Peru: 1,257 in 7.65mm, delivered from 1932 to 1938[8] Some converted to 7.62 NATO.[20]
Romania: Produced under license.[1][21] 17,131 were imported from Czechoslovakia from 1933[8][22] and 10,000 were license-produced at Cugir,[23] with a production rate of 250 pieces per month as of October 1942.[24]
Spain: 20,000 7.92mm Mauser caliber guns ordered[1] but only a few hundred actually delivered. Copied as the Fusil ametrallador Oviedo.[25]
Turkey: 9,805 7.92mm Mauser caliber supplied in 1935–1939.[8] Produced under license[1]
Uruguay: 80 in 7mm received in 1937[8]
Venezuela: 110 in 7mm Mauser caliber ZB-30J received in 1937[8]
Vietnam: Used by the Việt Minh, supplied by both Nationalist and Communist Chinese[26]
Yugoslavia: The ZB Model 30J was produced under license as, Пушкомитраљез 7.9mm модел 1937".[27][28] 15,500 were bought in 1936.[8]
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References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Grant 2013, p. 65.
- ^ a b Alejandro de Quesada (20 November 2011). The Chaco War 1932-35: South America's greatest modern conflict. Osprey Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-84908-901-2.
- ^ a b "ZB VZ 30". iwm.org.uk. Imperial War Museum.
- ^ de Quesada, Alejandro (20 Jan 2015). The Spanish Civil War 1936–39 (2): Republican Forces. Men-at-Arms 498. Osprey Publishing. p. 38. ISBN 9781782007852.
- ^ "1919-1941 | Zastava-arms". Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
- ^ "ZB 26". Modern Firearms. October 27, 2010.
- ^ "Brno Zb-30J – Marstar Canada". marstar.ca. Retrieved 22 Nov 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "StG-44 in Africa after WWII". wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com. 27 September 2015.
- ^ Jowett, Philip (2016). Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-70. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-1472816092.
- ^ Guevara, Che (1994). El diario del Che en Bolivia: noviembre 7, 1966 a octubre 7, 1967. Havana?: Ciencas Sociales. ISBN 978-959-06-0177-4.
- ^ Grant 2013, p. 10.
- ^ Jowett, Philip S. (1997). Chinese Civil War Armies 1911-49. Men at Arms 306. Osprey Publishing. p. 36. ISBN 1855326655. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
- ^ Perutka, Lukáš (September 2014). Checoslovaquia, Guatemala y México en el Período de la Revolución Guatemalteca: Ibero-Americana Pragensia - Supplementum 32/2013 (in Spanish). Karolinum Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-80-246-2429-7.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Smith 1969, p. 463.
- ^ Riccio, Ralph (2013). Italian small arms of the first & second world wars. Schiffer Publishing. p. 161. ISBN 9780764345838.
- ^ Smith 1969, p. 498.
- ^ Jowett, Philip S. (2010). Rays of the rising sun : armed forces of Japan's Asian allies, 1931-45, Vol. 1: China & Manchukuo. Helion. p. 15. ISBN 9781906033781.
- ^ Ezell, Edward (1988). Small Arms Today. Vol. 2nd. Stackpole Books. p. 304. ISBN 0811722805.
- ^ Smith 1969, p. 535.
- ^ Mark Axworthy, London: Arms and Armour, 1995, Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945, p. 29
- ^ John Walter, Greenhill Books, 2004, Guns of the Third Reich, p. 86
- ^ Mark Axworthy, London: Arms and Armour, 1995, Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945, p. 75
- ^ "Fusil Ametrallador Oviedo (FAO): otro capítulo más de nuestra gloriosa historia armera". arma.es (in Spanish). 24 March 2017.
- ^ Windrow, Martin (20 Sep 2018). French Foreign Légionnaire vs Viet Minh Insurgent: North Vietnam 1948–52. Combat 36. Osprey Publishing. pp. 24–25. ISBN 9781472828910.
- ^ "1919-1941 | Zastava-arms". www.zastava-arms.rs. Archived from the original on 2013-06-12.
- ^ Smith 1969, p. 320.
- McNab, Chris: Twentieth-century Small Arms, Grange Books, 2004; ISBN 1-84013-381-3
- Grant, Neil (2013). The Bren Gun. Weapon. Vol. 22. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1782000822.
- Smith, Joseph E. (1969). Small Arms of the World (11th ed.). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Stackpole Company. ISBN 9780811715669.
