ZB vz. 37
| ZB vz. 37 | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Military designation: |
Těžký kulomet vzor 37 , Wehrmacht: MG 37 (t) |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Zbrojovka Brno (partly also Zbrojovka Vsetín ) |
| Manufacturer country: | Czechoslovakia |
| Production time: | 1937 to 1941 |
| Weapon Category: | Machine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1096 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 19.0 kg |
| Barrel length : | 733 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.92 x 57 mm |
| Ammunition supply : | Ammunition belt |
| Cadence : | 500-700 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Continuous fire |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | right |
| Visor : | open sights |
| Closure : | Tilting block lock |
| Charging principle: | Gas pressure charger |
| Lists on the subject | |
ZB vz. 37 is the name of a heavy machine gun developed by Václav Holek with a caliber of 7.92 × 57 mm . This air-cooled MG was manufactured in the Zbrojovka Brno arms factory in Brno (partly also in Zbrojovka Vsetín ) in the former Czechoslovakia from 1937 and exported to the following countries, among others: Great Britain , Yugoslavia , Romania , Iran , China .
The ZB vz. 37 is a closed gas pressure charger with a briefly reversing barrel. A funnel-shaped flash hider sits at the muzzle. The gas tube sits under the barrel and has a four-way adjustable gas regulator. The tilting block lock works like the ZB vz. 26 ; the locking block tilts up and is locked through a recess in the system box. The rate of fire can be adjusted with a lever on the right side of the housing. The lever operates a spring-loaded return flow limiter which is switched on or off in the return path of the lock. In the upper position, the limiter releases the entire return, which results in a longer loading time and thus lower cadence. In the lower position, the return is limited and the spring of the limiter absorbs part of the recoil.
The cartridge is fed from the right side.
An anti-aircraft reflex sight and a telescopic sight were available for the weapon.
When used by the infantry, the machine gun was set up on a tripod and loaded with permanent belts of 100 cartridges each, which were carried in 200-round boxes. The weapon was also installed in the Czechoslovak border fortifications against enemy infantry as well as in Czechoslovak main battle tanks e.g. B. in Lt vz. 35 and Lt vz. 38 . In Great Britain the weapon was used in armored vehicles under the name Besa .
After the destruction and occupation of Czechoslovakia by the German Reich in 1939, the ZB vz. 37 taken over in large numbers by the Wehrmacht . During the war the ZB was vz. 37 mainly used in the Czech battle tanks captured by the Germans as well as by the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS and also by the Romanian army .
literature
- Lubomir Popelinský: Československé Automatické Zbraně a Jejich Tvůrci . Naše vojsko - NV - nakladatelství a knižní obchod, Praha 1999, ISBN 80-206-0567-3 , p. 30ff.
- Günter Wollert, Reiner Lidschun: Infantry weapons yesterday . (1918-1945). In: Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from around the world . 3. Edition. tape 2 . Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-89488-036-8 , weapons, p. 510-514 .
Web links
- Maxim Popenker: ZB 53 / Vz.37. In: Modern Firearms. world.guns.ru, accessed on November 18, 2016 .