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ZB-53
| ZB-53, Vz.37 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Medium machine gun |
| Place of origin | Czechoslovakia |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1937–1960s (Czechoslovakia) |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Spanish Civil War World War II Second Sino-Japanese War 1948 Palestine war Cyprus Emergency Portuguese Colonial War Vietnam War Bangladesh Liberation War[1] Bay of Pigs Invasion Nigerian Civil War Turkish invasion of Cyprus South African Border War Soviet–Afghan War United States invasion of Panama |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Václav Holek |
| Designed | 1935 |
| Manufacturer | Zbrojovka Brno |
| Produced | 1936–early 1950s |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 21 kg (46 lb) empty |
| Length | 1.105 m (43.5 in) |
| Barrel length | 0.736 m (29.0 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.92×57mm Mauser 7.62×45mm |
| Calibre | 7.9 mm |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Rate of fire | 500–800 round/min |
| Feed system | 225-round metal link belt |
The ZB-53 was a Czechoslovak machine gun. A versatile weapon, it was used both as a squad support weapon, as a mounted machine gun for tanks and other armoured vehicles, and on fixed positions inside Czechoslovak border fortifications. Adopted before World War II by the armies of Czechoslovakia (as Těžký kulomet vz. 37, heavy machine gun model 37) and Romania, it was also license-built in the United Kingdom as the Besa machine gun. Following the German invasion of Czechoslovakia, large quantities of the weapon were captured by the Wehrmacht and used during the war under the designation of MG 37(t).
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