Vickers G.O.

Jeepek · 07-05-2008, 01:34 AM

Does anyone have a source of information concerning production and/or use figures for Vickers G.O. 303 MG mounted os SAS Jeep?
Thx

Tony Williams · 07-06-2008, 02:40 AM

There would be no specific production figures for SAS use. The VGO was made only as an aircraft gun and the SAS "borrowed" them from the RAF when they ceased to be used for their original purpose.

I doubt that you will find much information about the numbers used by the SAS either. Such installations were entirely ad hoc and unofficial, so no formal records were likely to have been kept.

CharlesBronson · 07-06-2008, 10:23 AM

That would be the same as the "K" model...right ?

Tony Williams · 07-07-2008, 01:01 AM

That's right. The Vickers terminology was "Class K" (they called all of their guns of that period "Class x") but it was more generally known as the VGO (or just GO) for Vickers Gas Operated, because all of the other service Vickers MGs were recoil-operated.

Incidentally, the VGO was developed from the Vickers-Berthier, an LMG closely comparable with the Bren (which it almost beat in the British Army trials - it was used by the Indian Army). Berthier was a Frenchman who designed the first version of his gun before WW1, but Vickers bought the rights after the war because they wanted to get in on the LMG market.

CharlesBronson · 07-07-2008, 09:59 AM

Right, thanks Tony.