At the beginning of the Second World War Britain ordered 200 Vickers medium machine guns, chambered in .303, to be sent to Egypt. The guns were ordered directly from the Vickers-Armstrong company and were to be used by the Egyptian army. The Vickers MG Collection & Research Association recently shared an interesting video examining one of these Egyptian Vickers.
Check out the video below:
Guns were sent to both Egypt (which had the serial number prefix ‘ET’) and to Iraq (with the prefix ‘IK’) as both of those middle eastern countries would be key to British interests in the war in the future. The gun is stamped ‘ET118’ putting it in the middle of the run of Egyptian guns. The gun is a standard Mk1 Vickers with the fluted barrel casing. The Egyptian contract being one of the few Second World War-produced runs of Vickers guns to have fluted rather than smooth casings.
Fig. 1.1. The serial number on the barrel casing (Source: Vickers MG Collection & Research Association)
Fig. 1.2. The feed tray with some of the earlier sand coloured paint (Source: Vickers MG Collection & Research Association)
Fig. 1.3. A look at the receiver of the Egyptian Vickers (Source: Vickers MG Collection & Research Association)
The gun has been painted black at some point but remnants of some sand-coloured paint is still visible. The history of the ET guns use is largely unknown, some have been seen re-chambered in 7.92×57mm, possibly converted after being captured by the Israelis during the Six Day War. We do, however, have some contemporary photographs of the guns.
Fig.1.4. An Egyptian soldier manning one of the Vickers with a clearly sand coloured jacket, during Egyptian Army exercises, December 1954 ate unknown (Source: Bibliotheca Alexandrina)
Fig.1.5. This photo show Israeli troops examining captured Egyptian Vickers, believed to have been taken in north-eastern Sinai during Operation Horev, 15 December, 1948 (Source: Israeli Government Press Office)
The guns are certainly an area of Egyptian small arms history that deserves some future investigation.
You can find more about Vickers Guns at the Vickers MG Collection & Research Association website here.
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Photo 1.4 is from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s Nasser collection photo galleries, depicting Egyptian Army exercises on 12 December 1954.
Photo 1.5 is from the Israeli Government Press Office, taken somewhere in northeastern Sinai during Israel’s Operation Horev, 15 December 1948.