Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
n
light machine guns
A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the ...
that saw extensive use during World War II.
History
The Zb 30 and Zb 30J were the later versions of the famous Czechoslovak machine gun, the
ZB-26
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 influe ...
. However, the ZB-30 had some design differences, making it similar to the later ZGB-33, which was an early prototype of the
Bren
The Bren gun (Brno-Enfield) was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by the United Kingdom in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in Wor ...
gun. Like the ZB-26, the ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
'' adopted the ZB-30 after the occupation of Czechoslovakia, renaming it the MG 30(t); it was used in the same role as the
MG34
The MG 34 (shortened from German: ''Maschinengewehr 34'', or "machine gun 34") is a German recoil-operated air-cooled general-purpose machine gun, first tested in 1929, introduced in 1934, and issued to units in 1936. It introduced an entirely n ...
, 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
The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...
'', who did not initially have full access to standard ''Wehrmacht'' supply channels.
Comparison of original ZB vz.26 and modifications:
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.
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
: Imported and produced under license.
* 750 7.92mm Mauser in 1935-1936
* : 400-450 in 7.92mm Mauser ZB vz.30 bought in 1934, used by the
Kebur Zabagna
The Kebur Zebenya () was the Ethiopian imperial guard. Also known as the First Division, this unit served the dual purposes of providing security for the Emperor of Ethiopia, and being an elite infantry division. It was not, however, part of th ...
*
* : 50 in
7mm Mauser 7 mm or 7mm may refer to:
* 7 mm caliber
This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the caliber
In guns, particularly firearms, but not #As a measurement of length, artillery, where a different definition may apply, ca ...
, delivered in 1937
*: produced under license. Modified to fire the .30 cartridge.
*: An unspecified number were captured in Ethiopia and in Yugoslavia. By July 1942, 936 were listed in the
Regio Esercito
The Royal Italian Army () (RE) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfredo Fanti signed a decree c ...
'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
Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
,
Liguria
Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...
, and
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
.
* : used captured Chinese guns.
* : 11 in 7.92mm Mauser received in 1936
*
* : 5 in
7mm Mauser 7 mm or 7mm may refer to:
* 7 mm caliber
This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the caliber
In guns, particularly firearms, but not #As a measurement of length, artillery, where a different definition may apply, ca ...
supplied in 1937
* : 1,257 in 7.65mm, delivered from 1932 to 1938 Some converted to 7.62 NATO.
*: Produced under license. 17,131 were imported from Czechoslovakia from 1933 and 10,000 were license-produced at
Cugir
Cugir (; German language, German: ''Kudsir, Kudschir'', Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Kudzsir'') is a town in Alba County, Romania. Declared a town in 1968, it administers seven villages: Bocșitura (Hungarian ''Boksiturahavas'', German ''Potsc ...
, with a production rate of 250 pieces per month as of October 1942.
*: 20,000 7.92mm Mauser caliber guns ordered but only a few hundred actually delivered. Copied as the Fusil ametrallador Oviedo.
*: 9,805 7.92mm Mauser caliber supplied in 1935–1939. Produced under license
* : 80 in 7mm received in 1937
* : 110 in
7mm Mauser 7 mm or 7mm may refer to:
* 7 mm caliber
This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the caliber
In guns, particularly firearms, but not #As a measurement of length, artillery, where a different definition may apply, ca ...
caliber ZB-30J received in 1937
*: Used by the
Việt Minh
The Việt Minh (, ) is the common and abbreviated name of the League for Independence of Vietnam ( or , ; ), which was a communist-led national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Vi ...
, supplied by both Nationalist and Communist Chinese
*
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
: The ZB Model 30J was produced under license as, Пушкомитраљез 7.9mm модел 1937". 15,500 were bought in 1936.
References
*McNab, Chris: ''Twentieth-century Small Arms'', Grange Books, 2004;
*
*