The ZB-30 and ZB-30J were

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

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 same ...

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 was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by Britain 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 World War II, it was also used ...

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 ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

'' adopted the ZB-30 after the occupation of Czechoslovakia, renaming it the MG30(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 ne ...

, 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 (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

'', 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 commonly available light and heavy 7.92mm ball ammunition would cycle the mechanism.

Users

*: 2,000 in 7.92mm Mauser caliber shipped in 1938 * : used by the National Liberation Army. * *: 3,350 in 7.65mm Mauser between 1932 and 1937, used in the

Chaco War The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko ÑorairõKaproni Bulgarski KB-11 Fazan The Kaproni Bulgarski KB-11 Fazan ( en, Pheasant) was a 1940s Bulgarian army liaison and utility monoplane built by Kaproni Bulgarski, a subsidiary of the Italian aviation conglomerate Società Italiana Caproni. Development and design The prot ...

* *

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

: 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 Kebur Zabagna or Zebenya ( am, ክቡር ዘበኛ, kəbur zãbãňňya, lit=honorable guard) 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 ...

* * : 50 in

7mm Mauser 7 mm may refer to: Rail transport modelling * 7 mm scale, 1:43.5 scale with rails apart, representing standard gauge * HOn2 gauge, 1:87.1 scale with rails apart, representing narrow gauge Firearms * 7 mm caliber This is a list of firearm ca ...

, delivered in 1937 *: produced under license. Modified to fire the .30 cartridge. * : used captured Chinese guns. * : 11 in 7.92mm Mauser received in 1936 * * : 5 in

supplied in 1937 * : 1,257 in 7.65mm, delivered from 1932 to 1938 *: Produced under license. 17,131 were imported from Czechoslovakia from 1933 and 10,000 were license-produced at

Cugir Cugir (; German: ''Kudsir, Kudschir'', Hungarian: ''Kudzsir'') is a town in Alba County, Romania. Declared a town in 1968, it administers seven villages: Bocșitura (Hungarian ''Boksiturahavas'', German ''Potschitur''), Bucuru (''Bukuruhavas''/' ...

, 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 The Fusil ametrallador Oviedo is a Spanish copy of the ZB vz. 26 and ZB vz. 30 Czechoslovak light machine guns. History In 1943, Francoist Spain ordered 7.92×57mm Mauser ZB vz. 30 machine guns to the German-occupied Zbrojovka Brno but rece ...

. *: 9,805 7.92mm Mauser caliber supplied in 1935–1939. Produced under license * : 80 in 7mm received in 1937 * : 110 in

caliber ZB-30J received in 1937 *: Used by the

Việt Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Front ...

, supplied by both Nationalist and Communist Chinese * Flag of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

: 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; * *

External links

Photograph at project-x.org.uk

ZB vz. 30J photogallery
{{Weapons of Czechoslovakia Light machine guns World War II machine guns World War II infantry weapons of Germany World War II infantry weapons of China Machine guns of Czechoslovakia 7.92×57mm Mauser machine guns Military equipment introduced in the 1930s