FM 24/29 light machine gun

FM 24/29 light machine gun

FM 24/29

LMG 24/29 Type Placeoforigin Light machine gun

France

Service history
Inservice Usedby Wars 1925-1950s 1930s to 2000-2006 (National Gendarmerie) See Users World War II First Indochina War Algerian War Suez Crisis Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War

Production history
Designed Manufacturer Variants 1924 Manufacture d'armes de Chtellerault M1924/29D M1931

Specifications
Weight Length Barrellength Cartridge Caliber Barrels Action Rateoffire 19.7lb 1080mm 600mm 7.554mm French 7.5mm 1 Gas 450rpm

Muzzlevelocity 830 m/s (2,722.4 ft/s) Feedsystem Sights 25 round detachable box magazine Iron

The Fusil mitrailleur modle 1924 M29 was the standard light machine gun of the French Army from 1925 until the 1950s and was in use until 2000-2006 with the National Gendarmerie. It fires the French 7.5mmx54 round which

FM 24/29 light machine gun is equivalent in ballistics and striking power to the later 7.6251mm NATO (.308 Winchester) round. A robust and reliable weapon, the FM 1924 M29 soldiered on, practically without interruption, for several decades .

Development
After the end of World War I, the French army sought to replace the problematic Fusil-mitrailleur mle 1915 CSRG light machine rifle (better known as the Chauchat). French commanders considered standardizing on the American M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), but eventually required the development of a locally built weapon. MAS (an abbreviation of Manufacture d'Armes de St. Etienne - one of several government-owned arms factories in France) proposed a direct derivative of the BAR, but the Manufacture d'Armes de Chtellerault (MAC) won the bid with its weapon, which was partly based on the BAR action. It had been formulated and designed by a Lt Col Reibel assisted by Controller Chosse. The FM Mle 1924 entered production in late July 1925 and saw first operational use in Morocco in May 1926. It was immediately well received and even favorably compared in performance with the much heavier Hotchkiss machine gun. However problems created by the new 7.5mm ammunition did appear. In particular, 8mm Mauser ammunition which was used in captured Mauser rifles carried by auxiliaries in Morocco during the Rif War, could be chambered and fired with disastrous results. This situation led to the development of a slightly shorter 7.5x54mm round, which was retained in 1929 as the standard ammunition for all future rifles and light machine guns in French service. The modified fusil-mitrailleur modle 1924 modifi 1929 (FM Mle 1924 M29) was mass-manufactured (187,412), beginning in 1930. In addition to these newly manufactured guns some 45,530 older FM Mle 1924's, already in service after phasing out the Chauchat, were rebarreled in order to accept the newer 7.5X54mm ammunition. Both the original fusil-mitrailleur Mle 1924 (automatic rifle, model of 1924) as well as the modified Mle 1924 M29 have the same overall features: a folding bipod, an in-line stock, a pistol grip, a top-mounted 25-round detachable magazine and a bolt hold-open after the magazine's last round had been fired. There are two separate triggers: the one in front for semi-automatic fire only and the rear one for firing full automatic. Protection of all the openings against mud and dust was excellent. The cyclic rate was 450 rounds per minute. In general,this new weapon was accurate and highly reliable but the barrel was fixed to a degree, as in the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and thus could not be quickly changed in the field as for the British Bren gun. The French Army instruction manual ( July 1925 ) recommends not to go beyond 400 rounds of uninterrupted firing at which point the gun must be given a pause of ten to fifteen minutes to cool off. Instead, the French instruction manual requests the following firing routine for the FM 1924 : fire 4 to 5 detachable magazines ( 100 to 125 rounds ) then take a short pause, then keep repeating the same fire and pause routine .

FM 24/29 light machine gun

Operational use
The FM 24/29 was the standard squad-level automatic weapon of the French infantry and cavalry at the start of World War II. After the French surrender in World War II, the Germans captured large quantities of this weapon, which they used operationally until the end of the war. From 1943 on, as the French army was re-equipped and re-organized in North Africa with Allied support, the FM 24/29 was kept in service, as French troops considered it superior to the Browning Automatic Rifle. The FM 24/29 was the workhorse in the French foreign legion airborne of the 1 REP firing a FM 24/29 during a Viet Minh First Indochina War and served in the armed ambush (1952). forces until after the end of the war in Algeria. It was replaced by the AA-52 general-purpose machine gun in the 1960s, but it was still in use with National Gendarmerie regional brigades until 2000-2006.

Variants
Model 1924/1929D machine gun
The Model 1924/1929D machine gun was a variant of the MAC 24/29, adapted to firing from interior firing ports in the bunkers of the Maginot Line.[1]

M1931
A modified version of the gun, the M1931, with a heavier barrel and drum feed was produced for installation in tanks and fortified emplacements. The rate of fire of this version was raised to 600 rounds per minute. Production ran from 1931 to 1940.[2]
Model 1924/1929D mounted in a firing port of the Maginot Line.

Users
France: First adopted by French Army in 1924.[3] Also saw service with the National Gendarmerie.[4] Poland: Only the M1931 version on Hotchkiss H-39 and Renault R-35 tanks, acquired in 1939.[5]

FM 24/29 light machine gun

References
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] http:/ / armesfrancaises. free. fr/ FM%20Mle%2024-29%20(D). html http:/ / world. guns. ru/ machine/ mg96-e. htm http:/ / world. guns. ru/ machine/ fr/ mac-m1924-e. html armesfrancaises.free.fr/FM Mle 24-29.html http:/ / www. derela. republika. pl/ weap. htm

Bibilography
Ferrard, Stphane. France 1940 l'armement terrestre, ETAI, 1998, ISBN 978-2-7268-8380-8 Philippe Truttman, La Muraille de France ou la Ligne Maginot, Grard Klopp diteur, 1985. Claude Lombard, La Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Chatellerault, 1987, Editor : Brissaud,162 Grande Rue,Chatellerault. A technical history of all the military firearms developped and manufactured at Chatellerault . This volume includes a detailed technical chapter dealing with the FM Mle 1924 and Mle 1924-M29. ISBN 2-902170-55-6 ( in French ). "Instruction Provisoire de Juillet 1925 sur le Fusil-Mitrailleur 1924",Charles-Lavauzelle & Cie, Paris, 1928.

External links
FM mle 24/29 (http://armesfrancaises.free.fr/FM Mle 24-29.html)

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

FM 24/29 light machine gun Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=552990611 Contributors: 07ed01, 1302, 5infBrig, A Werewolf, Aldis90, Anaxial, Balloonguy, Black Falcon, Boris Barowski, Chris the speller, Cremepuff222, EX STAB, Gjs238, GraemeLeggett, Grafen, Graham87, Heron, Hmains, Irish Duck, Jetwave Dave, John Sheridan 1234, Klemen Kocjancic, Koalorka, Luna Santin, MCTales, Manxruler, Maphisto86, Megapixie, Nemo5576, Nicolaslebel, Noommos, Nukes4Tots, Ominae, Ose\fio, OursFFI, Paris By Night, Pol098, PpPachy, Quickload, Raoulduke47, Skrunyak, Starkman69, Sus scrofa, Sylvain Mielot, The3rdPope, TheWatcherREME, Trekphiler, Volker89, WorldWarTwoEditor, Zscout370, 141 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

File:LMG 24 29 2.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:LMG_24_29_2.JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: Original uploader was Quickload at en.wikipedia File:Flag of France.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_France.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Anomie File:French indochina 1953 12 1.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:French_indochina_1953_12_1.png License: Public Domain Contributors: Warner Path News Image:Fm maginot.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Fm_maginot.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Contributors: Association des Amis de la Ligne Maginot d'Alsace File:Flag of Poland.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_Poland.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Anomie, Mifter

License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported //creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/