Besal
The Besal, properly named "Gun, Light, Machine, Faulkner,.303-inch", was a light machine gun of British origin. The weapon was intended as an alternative to the Bren gun as it was lighter, simpler, cheaper and easier to manufacture and therefore was not dependent on the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield which was within range of German bombers. The design was by Harry Faulkner of the Birmingham Small Arms Company, which also manufactured the larger Besa machine gun which like the Bren was a product of the pre-war Czech arms manufacturer.
Besal
- Name
- Besal
- Field
- light machine gun
- Region
- United Kingdom
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Documentary connections
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q4353668 · wikipedia · Besal
In this article
Overview
Overview
That weapon's name was a nickname for Birmingham Small Arms (BSA, who were awarded the contract to manufacture a prototype) and the Besal was to be a lighter version; a Besa-light. This was however not an official designation.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Besal • Origin — United Kingdom • Type — Light machine gun • Is Ranged — yes • Is Uk — yes • Used By — standby design • Wars — World War II • Designer — H. Faulkner • Design Date — 1940 • Cartridge —.303 British • Action — Gas-operated • Rate — 600 rpm • Feed — 30-round Bren-compatible magazines • Sights — Iron sights
Places
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Places
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- United Kingdom
Named but not plotted · 1
Besal is associated with United Kingdom.
Country
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Besal, revision 1340714251 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Fitzsimons, Bernard. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare. Columbia House. 338. 1971.
- 2.Modern Small Arms” by Major Frederick Myatt, Salamander Books, 1978
- 3.Grant, Neil. The Bren Gun. Bloomsbury Publishing. 20. 2013-07-20. 978-1-78200-083-9.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Militaria
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