In the late 1920s, the German military — working largely in secret due to the restrictions placed on the country as part of the Treaty of Versailles — began development of a weapon that was to prove more revolutionary than evolutionary. It was the Maschinengewehr 34, or “machine gun 34,” a 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 new concept in automatic firepower — the Einheitsmaschinengewehr (Universal machine gun).
However, there was still an opinion within the militaries of the world, and notably Europe, that a tripod-mounted medium machine gun still had a place. Such weapons had certainly proved to be highly successful during the First World War.
Thus the Czechoslovakian firm Zbrojovka Brno was charged with developing a replacement for the Austrian Schwarzlose water-cooled tripod-mounted machine gun. Though the Czech-based company was already producing the ZB vz. 26, a light machine that proved to be highly influential on firearms design in the interwar-era and was licensed by the UK as the Bren gun, it went on to develop a weapon that was arguably an attempt to improve the tripod-mounted weapons like the Schwarzlose and Maxim designs with key refinements.
The ZB-53 was designed as a private venture by firearms engineers Václav Holek and Miroslav Rolčík. Holek, along with his brother Emmanuel had taken lead on the ZB vz. 26.
Was the ZB-53 the Wrong Weapon?
As envisioned, the ZB-53 — which was adopted by the Czechoslovak military as vz. 37 (Model 1937) — was an air-cooled, belt-fed, medium machine gun.
As noted, it was designed to replace the aging Schwarlose that had been adopted prior to the First World War. It is hard not to see the influence from the water-cooled weapon, yet it was also developed to be a versatile squad support weapon that could be mounted in tanks or other armored vehicles, and notably employed in fixed border fortifications. For use in the latter configuration, the machine gun was mounted on a very heavy and sturdy tripod. In that regard it was a throw-back to another era.
Unique for the era, it was also produced in three variants including an infantry machine gun; a heavy bunker machine gun with heavier barrel, marked “O”); and for armored vehicles, marked “ÚV.”
The action of the ZB-53 was a gas-operated system with a long-stroke gas piston located below the barrel, while the gas block was fitted with a four-position gas regulator. It was chambered for the 7.92×57 mm (8mm) Mauser cartridge and had a rate of fire up to 800 rounds per minute, while the rate of fire could be lowered to 500 rounds. Though it was an air-cooled machine gun, it was designed to withstand five minutes of constant fire, after which time the barrel had to be changed due to wear.
Even without the tripod, the ZB-53 weighed nearly 50 pounds empty. The tripod nearly doubled the weight, yet, it was a marked improvement over the Schwarlose tripod — and was able to more readily fold up for transport. The tripods were adjustable for height, which allowed the gunner to adopt a prone or sitting position, while the operator could provide high-angle AA fire.
It would seem to be an odd design for the 1930s, especially as weapons such as the aforementioned MG-34 and ZB-26 were entering service. Yet, in the 1930s, Czechoslovakia was at nation that feared both the Soviet Union to its east and an increasingly resurgent Germany to its northwest. The deployment of a medium machine gun that had a high-rate of fire to protect the frontier likely seemed like a solid design.
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It was also employed as the standard machine gun of the Czechoslovakian LT-35 and LT-38 tanks, as the TK vz. 37 or “Heavy Machine Gun Mark 1937.”
Although modern in its operation, it was a throwback to another era, featuring folding grips that typically placed the operator’s hand parallel with ground or turned further down at approximately 45 degrees, while they could be folded vertically for compact storage. The heavy barrel also employed numerous fins to help with heat dispersion. Despite some of its advancements — including the variable rate of fire — the ZB-53 was prone to jamming.
The weapon was also noted for employing a “unique” method to charge or cock it. Instead of a handle, the guns were cocked by grasping the grips and pulling back until the bolt caught on the sear. The grips then pushed back, which reengaged the trigger mechanism and it was ready for firing.
Foreign Operators and the Besa Machine Gun
The Czechoslovak Army was far from the only military to see the potential of the ZB-53, and it was exported to Romania and Yugoslavia, while nations such as Argentina, Afghanistan, Iran and China also acquired significant numbers of the weapon.
In fact, it was likely first employed in combat in service with the Chinese Nationalist forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
The British, who as noted had adopted an improved version of the ZB vz. 26 as the Bren gun, also liked what they saw in the ZB-53 — notably the TK vz. 37 version. It was produced by the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA), which signed an agreement with Československá zbrojovka to manufacture the gun in the UK. The War Office ordered the weapon in 1938 and production began in 1939, after modifications. It became known as the Besa in UK service, and was used extensively during the Second World War as a mounted machine gun for tanks and other armored vehicles as a replacement for the heavier, water-cooled Vickers machine gun.
What was especially noteworthy is that while the British War Office had insisted on the ZB vz. 26 being redesigned to accommodate the .303 British rimmed cartridge of the Lee Enfield rifle, the Besa was accepted in 7.92x57mm Mauser. As the Besas was only used by armored regiments of the British Army, the supply of special ammunition proved not to be an insuperable problem, and it never caused any significant problems during the war. Moreover, as the Besa utilized the same ammunition as the German forces, the British could (at least in theory) use stocks of captured enemy ammunition, albeit without the ability to use their ammunition belts as packaged.
It also employed a similar charging method, but instead of the side grips, the Besa featured a pistol grip that was also pulled back to cock the weapon.
In German Service
Though the ZB-53 was arguably among the weapons developed to counter a German invasion, Czechoslovakia fell under Nazi occupation as part of the Munich agreement in 1938.
During the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Germany during the Second World War, production continued on the ZB-53, as well as its support equipment, which included a specially-designed belt filing machine. The ZB-53 was produced as the MG37(t) and initially supplied to Waffen SS units. It was also employed in defensive positions as well as the Flak-MG 39(t) as a light anti-aircraft gun in small numbers.
Post-War Use
The ZB-53 continued to remain in service with the Czechoslovak military during the early stages of the Cold War, but the weapon also saw use in numerous wars in Africa and the Middle East — most notably in the first Israeli-Arab War in 1947-1948. The Israeli forces used both the ZB-53 and the British-made Besa, while it found its way to the Portuguese Colonial War and then during the Bangladesh Liberation War, and later during the Nigerian Civil War. The ZB-53 was reportedly in service with the Cuban forces during the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
The Besa was further employed with the British military during the Korean War, and then in the Suez Crisis in 1957.
The ZB-53 hasn’t achieved the fame of other World War II machine guns, yet it has appeared in a number of films. It was first seen on the big screen in the 1944 Soviet-made propaganda film Ivan Nikulin: Ivan Nikulin: Russian Sailor (Ivan Nikulin — Russian Sailor), while its “Western debut” was in 1966 film Cast a Giant Shadow based on the true story of David “Mickey” Marcus (Kirk Douglas), a Colonel in the United States Army and World War II veteran, who agrees to act as an advisor for the Haganah during the 1948 War of Independence. It is likely that the ZB-53s were actually Israeli military surplus from the actual conflict.
The ZB-53 has seen been seen in 2000’s Hart’s War, 2013’s Stalingrad and 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum. Interesting, the machine gun appeared in the 1971 film Duck, You Sucker!, an anachronism likely standing in for the MG08.
The Czechoslovak medium machine gun wasn’t especially innovative, yet, it was a robust weapon that served reasonably well for several decades.
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