7.92 Bren marking

[dastier]

It is an absolute FACT dastier, this did happen and not only that, the Chinese were using Canadian .303" Brens, rifles and Sten guns against us in Korea and again, the VC were using them against us/Australians in South Vietnam. At out Brigade HQ we had a small collection of captured stuff.

When I hear that it kinda sheds a new light on why the U.S. State Department is so fuggy on stopping the export of milsurp equipment to other countries.

We bitch about it when we can't get our favored optics or add ons but maybe their not being anal at all.

[mrclark]

Heres a Tula stamped SKS receiver

I,m guessing it was captured as well.

[John R.]

Canada made and supplied Long Branch MkII Stens(Chinese characters roll stamped on TOP of the Mag Housing with Sten MkII Long Branch 1944 on the bottom)MkII Brens in 7.92x57mm from Inglis and Long Branch(7.92x57mm ONLY) and of course the ubiquitous tangent sight Inglis High Power 9mm pistols we all know and love too.The Nationalist Chinese Government Contracted for these small arms.Apparently we ALSO shipped them No4MkI* rifles in .303" Calibre as well(Etter Sr was the source of this info years ago).
When the Nationalist Chinese baled out and boogied to Taiwan in 1949 they left MOST of what they had behind in China.When the RED Chinese standardized on Russian supplied arms and then started producing their own copies thereof the Canadian made materiel became "second line" and was sent to "Factory Militias" and to client states like Vietnam.
Like the Russians, the Chinese are NOT prone to throwing ANY useable small arms in the scrap.The J.A.Pan Corp captured LOTS of Brit and Australian small arms like .303 Brens in Hong Kong and Malaya and the Chinese relieved them of EVERYTHING they had before they repatriated any Jap POW's to Japan..303 Brens would no doubt have been repaired and warehoused for future use and supplied to the Viet Cong who ALSO has tons of German MG 34's,MP 40's and Mauser K98's at the outset not to mention beaucoup US made small arms supplied to the French and lost post Dienbienphu along with French made stuff like MAS49's and MAT 49 SMG's etc.
In essence if it went BANG they would use it as long as they could keep them operational and supply ammo.
I have seen NICE Lugers that came from Vietnam all of which had Russian Rebuild markings.Detritus from Hitler's debacle at Stalingrad on the Volga.
You find REALLY ODD stuff in some of the damnedest places.I once captured a MINT French MAT 49 SMG that was "STERILE".It had slowly migrated southwards in i'Afrika from Biafra(Nigeria) and had originally been supplied by the French to the Biafran separatists.NOT wanting anyone to know that the French Gov't were supporting the rebels no doubt on account of Elf/Acquitaine's Oil Interests in Biafra the French in their 'great wisdom' decided to supply MAT 49's(admittedly a decent SMG in my books at least) that were TOTALLY DEVOID of a Serial Number BUT were roll stamped
MANUFACTURE NATIONALE d' Armes TULLE.Mle 49. No.(blank).
Talk about STUPID !Who else could scale SMG's off the PRODUCTION LINE sans Serial Numbers BUT a Gov't Agency ??They might as well have roll stamped SUPPLIED BY ONCLE CHARLIE de GAULLE on each MAT 49 and be done with it.

Amazing but TRUE !
Cheers,

JR

[stencollector]

Canada made and supplied Long Branch MkII Stens(Chinese characters roll stamped on TOP of the Mag Housing with Sten MkII Long Branch 1944 on the bottom)
JR

I have also had them with 43 dates (a bunch of Chinese contract were made somewhere in the 8L to 10L serial ranges). As well, once the Chinese contract started in late 44 (somewhere near 11L3500) the Chinese script was on all the mag housings up until completion of the LB sten production in 45. I have even had a few housings that were likely un-numbered and were used in some kind of experimental versions post war (with XR serial numbers, but still Chinese script, and 45 dated). Of the bulk cut-ups that I have seen locally, which came from Cdn service, approx 30% are the Chinese marked and many were in as new condition, indicating they never left the supply stores.

I'll check my Inglis Bren for the star markings later today, but if it is a Chinese arsenal marking, mine likely won't have it as I don't believe mine ever left the country.