World War II Database

Country of Origin	Czechoslovakia
Type	Machine Gun
Caliber	15.000 mm
Capacity	40 rounds
Length	2.050 m
Barrel Length	1.400 m
Weight	55.000 kg
Rate of Fire	420 rounds/min
Muzzle Velocity	860 m/s

Contributor: Alan Chanter

ww2dbaseZB-60 heavy machine guns were designed by Zbrojovka Brno in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s. They were simply an enlargement of the ZB-53 vz. 1937 design, using 15-millimeter rounds rather than 7.92-millimeter rounds. They were almost exclusively used as vehicle-mounted weapons. Many examples were captured by the Germans during WW2, and were pressed into service under the designation of 15 mm FlaMG 39(t) as light machine guns.

The United Kingdom license-built its own variant of the ZB-53 and ZB-60 machine guns, both named BESA Machine Guns after their manufacturer, the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA). The British variant of the 15-millimeter machine gun was solely for use as the primary armament in armoured cars. They fired at the rate of 450 rounds per minute and was an extremely effective weapon – but only 3,200 were ever made; it does not seem to have been popular largely due to its size and weight. It was considered to be obsolete not long after the end of the war.

Source:
Ian V. Hogg, The illustrated Encyclopedia of Firearms (New Burlington Books. 1978)
Wikipedia ww2dbase

Last Major Revision: Feb 2023

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