Madsens in the Favelas: The LMG Still Going Strong With Rio's Military Police
Forgotten Weapons
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The Madsen LMG was first introduced in 1902, and it is still in use with police forces in Brazil today. The Madsen was not very popular with major European armies, but it sold extensively in South America, with Brazil acquiring batches in 1932, 1935, and 1949. These were converted to 7.62mm NATO in the 1950s, and the military kept them in inventory until 1996. At that point they were given to the police, in particular the Rio de Janeiro state police. There, they were put to use providing cover and supporting fire for officers with M16 and FAL rifles. The sound of a Madsen firing bursts apparently has a substantial moral impact on the drug gangs that have made the Rio favelas a virtual war zone.
Video clips from Brazil came from these two videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WG7GDnqC7E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JPjZrt1U4w
To see much more on-the-spot footage from Brazilian police forces, check out FactualRJ:
https://www.youtube.com/@FactualRJ
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