The Lahti-Saloranta M/26: Finland's Machine Gun Miscalculation

 

     A view from a Finnish machine gun position somewhere in a forest in Finland. To the right of the photograph are two M32 varsikäsikranaatti (stick grenades) and to the left is a Lahti-Saloranta M/26 light machine gun. The M/26 was first developed in 1925 and after being successfully tested before the Finnish Army, production commenced at the Valtion Kivääritehdas (State Rifle Factory) in 1927 with the weapon entering service soon after. Chambered for the Finnish 7.62×53mm round, the M/26 used a 20-round magazine or could be fitted with a 75-round drum for anti-aircraft use. The M/26 fired from an open bolt, was short-recoil operated, and had a cyclic rate of fire of up to 550 rounds per minute though the weapon could also fire single shots. 

     In action, the M/26 was found wanting by many soldiers who used it. As was typical for many machine guns, changing barrels was a means to lower the rate of wear by allowing it to cool after a certain number of rounds were fired. With the M/26, the bolt came out with the barrel which meant it took longer to change the barrel (about 30 seconds) and this was not always a desired thing when under fire. Also, the M/26 was made up of 188 parts which meant cleaning the weapon was not an easy task. It was also found that dirt and extreme temperatures tended to foul the M/26 but this was attributed to improper cleaning of the packing grease applied at the factory. Finally, the M/26 was picky about the ammunition it used, requiring more powerful firing caps in order to operate reliably. This earned the M/26 the nickname “Kootut Virheet” which meant “Assorted Mistakes”. The M/26 remained in production until 1942 but in the field, troops much preferred captured Russian Degtyaryov DP-27 light machine guns over the M/26. Nevertheless, the M/26, in the right hands, proved reliable and robust and so it saw action throughout World War Two and a small number remained in service until 1985 as training weapons. 

     The M/26 was served by two men, a gunner and assistant. Typical equipment used included special canvas ammunition pouches for the magazines, a spare barrel with carrier, and a canvas pouch containing tools, gun oil, and spare parts to service the weapon. It was intended to offer the M/26 for export sale but large scale sales never came. China was the only customer, ordering 30,000 M/26 weapons chambered in 7.92×57mm Mauser in 1937 but only 1,200 of them ever arrived in China before Japanese diplomatic pressure on the Finns stopped further shipments.