Difference between revisions of "Vickers K machine gun"

Revision as of 05:44, 23 December 2022

Vickers GO No. 1 Mk I - .303 British

Vickers GO No. 2 Mk I - .303 British

The Vickers Class K, or simply Vickers K, is a British aircraft machine gun; it was designated Vickers GO No. 1 Mk I in British military service, with "GO" standing for "Gas-Operated". Originally developed from the Vickers-Berthier machine gun, its high rate of fire was necessary as aircraft gunners had shorter windows of opportunity to shoot at other aircraft. Eventually phased out of service by the RAF in favor of the Browning M1919, the guns found new life mounted to the raiding vehicles of the Long Range Desert Group and Special Air Service in North Africa, who liked its higher rate of fire and larger magazine capacity compared to the Bren. Surplus guns were also adopted by the Royal Navy to replace Lewis Guns on light craft.

Later in the war the gun was developed into an infantry portable variant, the Vickers GO No. 2 Mk I. The No.2 replaced the rear spade-style pistol grip with a stock, added a more traditional pistol grip below the gun, a small wood handguard or Bren carry handle (both existed) in front of that, as well as a bipod and new sights. This variant was primarily intended for second-line units like those protecting RAF airfields, though they also found their way into frontline combat service with various recon and commando units later in the war.

Specifications

(1935–1945)

Type: Machine Gun

Caliber: .303 British

Weight: 29.5 lbs (13.4 kg)

Length: 40 in (101.6 cm)

Barrel length: 20.8 in (52.9 cm)

Feed system: 60/100-round pan magazine

Fire modes: Full-Auto

Cyclic rate of fire: 950-1200 rounds per minute

Film

Title	Character	Note	Date
633 Squadron	RAF airmen	twin AA mount	1964
Billion Dollar Brain		twin mounted on tankers	1967
Play Dirty	British soldiers	twin mounted on Jeep	1969
Sahara (1995)	British LRDG soldiers	twin mount on Jeep	1995
Dunkirk		twin mount on British Motor Torpedo Boats	2017

Television

Title	Actor	Character	Note/episode	Date
SAS Rogue Heroes			Mounted to SAS Jeeps, ep 5-6	2022

Video Game

Game Title	Appears as	Note	Release Date
Forgotten Hope 2		Dual-mounted on Willys MB Jeep	2005
Call of Duty 3		Dual-mounted on Willys MB Jeep	2006
Men of War			2009
Company of Heroes 2		Vickers GO No. 2	2013
Post Scriptum		Single mount in passenger seat of UK Willys Jeep	2018
Battlefield V	VGO	Vickers GO No. 2	2018
Enlisted			2021

Anime

Title	Character	Note	Date
Strike Witches 2		Vickers GO No. 1 mounted on Willys MB jeep	2010

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:Vickersk.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Vickers K Machine Gun - .303 British]]
+[[File:Vickersk.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Vickers GO No. 1 Mk I - .303 British]]
+[[File:VickersKlandvariant.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Vickers GO No. 2 Mk I - .303 British]]
+The '''Vickers Class K''', or simply Vickers K, is a British aircraft machine gun; it was designated '''Vickers GO No. 1 Mk I''' in British military service, with "GO" standing for "Gas-Operated". Originally developed from the [[Vickers-Berthier]] machine gun, its high rate of fire was necessary as aircraft gunners had shorter windows of opportunity to shoot at other aircraft. Eventually phased out of service by the RAF in favor of the [[Browning M1919]], the guns found new life mounted to the raiding vehicles of the Long Range Desert Group and Special Air Service in North Africa, who liked its higher rate of fire and larger magazine capacity compared to the [[Bren]]. Surplus guns were also adopted by the Royal Navy to replace [[Lewis Gun]]s on light craft.
+Later in the war the gun was developed into an infantry portable variant, the '''Vickers GO No. 2 Mk I'''. The No.2 replaced the rear spade-style pistol grip with a stock, added a more traditional pistol grip below the gun, a small wood handguard or Bren carry handle (both existed) in front of that, as well as a bipod and new sights. This variant was primarily intended for second-line units like those protecting RAF airfields, though they also found their way into frontline combat service with various recon and commando units later in the war.
-The Vickers K, or Vickers Gas Operated (VGO) was a British machine gun originally developed for use on aircraft. Originally developed from the [[Vickers-Berthier]] machine gun, its high rate of fire was necessary as aircraft gunners had shorter windows of opportunity to shoot at other aircraft. Eventually phased out of service by the RAF in favor of the [[Browning M1919]], the guns found new life with Recon and Commando units who liked its higher rate of fire and larger magazine capacity compared to the [[Bren]]. Surplus guns were also adopted by the Royal Navy to replace [[Lewis Gun]]s on light craft.
 ==Specifications==
 (1935–1945)
@@ Line 16: / Line 19: @@
 * '''Barrel length:''' {{convert|mm|529}}
-* '''Feed System:''' 60/100 round pan magazine
+* '''Feed system:''' 60/100-round pan magazine
-* '''Fire Modes:''' Full-Auto
+* '''Fire modes:''' Full-Auto
+* '''Cyclic rate of fire:''' 950-1200 rounds per minute
 -----
@@ Line 71: / Line 76: @@
 | ''[[Men_of_War_(Video_Game)|Men of War]]'' ||  ||  || 2009
 |-
-| ''[[Company of Heroes 2]]'' ||  ||  || 2013
+| ''[[Company of Heroes 2]]'' ||  || Vickers GO No. 2 || 2013
 |-
 | ''[[Post Scriptum]]'' || || Single mount in passenger seat of UK Willys Jeep || 2018
 |-
-| ''[[Battlefield V]]'' || || || 2018
+| ''[[Battlefield V]]'' || VGO || Vickers GO No. 2 || 2018
 |-
 | ''[[Enlisted]]'' || || || 2021
@@ Line 85: / Line 90: @@
 |-bgcolor=#D0E7FF
 !align=center bgcolor=#D0E7FF width="250"|'''Title'''
-!align=center bgcolor=#D0E7FF width="200"|'''Character'''
+!align=center bgcolor=#D0E7FF width="250"|'''Character'''
-!align=center bgcolor=#D0E7FF width="250"|'''Note'''
+!align=center bgcolor=#D0E7FF width="300"|'''Note'''
-!align=center bgcolor=#D0E7FF width="80"|'''Date'''
+!align=center bgcolor=#D0E7FF width="100"|'''Date'''
 |-
-| ''[[Strike Witches 2]]'' || || Mounted on Willys MB || 2010
+| ''[[Strike Witches 2]]'' || || Vickers GO No. 1 mounted on Willys MB jeep || 2010
 |-
 |}