Sjöberg Bildbyrå AB
Shooting practice 1931 - Premium poster with matte paper
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Poster with a picture of an officer with a machine gun.
During 1931, machine guns were central features of military forces around the world, including in Sweden, where they were used for both training and combat.
At a shooting exercise at the Rosersberg military area in Stockholm, a soldier in uniform practices handling advanced weapons for his time, such as the American Browning M1917 (in Sweden called M14-29) and the Austrian Schwarzlose M/14. These weapons represent the technological development of the time in fully automatic, self-loading firearms, designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges.
The Browning M1917, developed by John Browning during World War I, was a water-cooled, fully automatic machine gun that was widely used by American and Allied forces. In Sweden it was called the M14-29 and was an important part of the defense arsenal during the 1920s and 1930s. The weapon was robust, reliable, and capable of delivering continuous fire thanks to its water-cooling system, which prevented overheating during prolonged use. It fired rifle cartridges, usually 7.62 mm, and was effective for suppressing enemy positions or defending fixed positions.
The Schwarzlose M/14, the machine gun seen standing just behind, was another common weapon in the Swedish arsenal at this time. This machine gun, originally designed in Austria-Hungary, was air-cooled and simpler in construction than the Browning. It was less dependent on complex cooling systems, making it easier to transport and maintain, but it could not sustain as long a fire without the risk of overheating. The Schwarzlose was used in Sweden for similar purposes as the Browning, including defensive lines and training exercises. At Rosersberg it would likely have served as a complement to the M14-29, possibly to compare performance or train soldiers in different weapon systems.
By the 1930s, machine guns like these were the backbone of infantry firepower. They were primarily used to provide fire support, suppress enemy movement, and reinforce defensive lines. At the Rosersberg Military Area, a major training facility near Stockholm, firing exercises with the M14-29 and M/14 would have focused on developing soldiers’ skills in weapon handling, fire control, and tactical use. The exercises often simulated combat scenarios where the machine gun’s ability to deliver sustained fire was crucial.
Machine guns such as the Browning M14-29 and the Schwarzlose M/14 were critical components of the Swedish military's arsenal in 1931. At the Rosersberg military area, they were used during shooting exercises to train soldiers in the handling of fully automatic weapons, tactical fire control, and maintenance. These weapons, with their various technical characteristics, reflected the military doctrines of the time and Sweden's aspiration to maintain a modern defense during an uncertain geopolitical era.
(In Sweden during the 1930s, machine gun was the official term for heavier weapons such as the M14-29 and M/14, while kulspruta was sometimes used more informally or to describe similar weapons. Later, during the 20th century, kulspruta became the dominant term in the Swedish military, especially for modern variants such as the Ksp 58 or Ksp 90. In today's Swedish, kulspruta is the most common term in both military and civilian language, while kulspruta may sound more archaic or specifically linked to older weapon models.)
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