|
The BAR was more popular in the Pacific than in the European theater.
It could be used as an anti-tank weapon against some of the lighter Japanese tanks.
In Europe it was unfairly compared to the Axis light machine guns such as the German MG42.
As mentioned above the same action used in the BAR is used in modern light machine guns.
The Bren weighed about 10 more pounds than the BAR. It lasted in service several years longer than the BAR. It was used in the Falklands war.
For the role of light machine gun the Bren was a better weapon. Not as good as the MG42 but still better than the BAR.
The BAR was superior in rapid tactical movement, shoot and move.
With the introduction of select fire MBR such as the M14 and M16, the BAR became redundant.
My own opinion is that the Bren is a better choice than the BAR for a squad level automatic weapon.
The lack of a light machine gun in the US inventory wasn't noticed as much because of the presence of the M1 Garand and the M1919 medium machine gun. Without one or the other the US soldiers in Europe would have been seriously under gunned compared to the Germans.
|