"Foreign Legion armoured Jeeps Indochina" Topic

Anyone know/educated guess on the weapon mounted over the bonnet of this jeep?

Other pictures of the unit show 30cal and Bren guns mounted at various points on the jeeps, but this does not seem to be either of those. Only similar one I can come up with is the 1914 Hotchkiss.

Not a Hotchkiss 1914 – the foresight looks too far forward on the barrel, and the Hotchkiss has a bulge on the gas piston that's absent here. I'm wondering if it might be a MAC 1931?

[Edit: From Googling I have found mentions of the MAC 1931 being used in Indochina, and even on jeeps, so would upgrade that from "wondering if" to "yes, I'm pretty sure it is"…. ;-) ] You often see it with no sights on the barrel, since it was a vehicle machine gun, so often made for use as a co-ax, so not needing its own sights, but the version for external use looks about right to me:

I think its an LMG , a mitrailleuse d'infantrie MAC 31 , which saw wide usage in Indo China

Thanks Dom (and Dwight)I will accept that upgrade opinion. MAC31 it is, time for a small scratchbuild I think.

Definitely a MAC31 which was widely used in Indochina, including as an infantry MG when paired which a Hotchkiss tripod. An excellent weapon for what it was designed for, i.e. a fixed emplacement MG in Maginot line works, but a nightmare for normal use because the 150-round drum magazine needed a very heavy piece of machinery to reload which could only be done back at base. The LMG at the rear was a FM 24-29.

BTW, these particular jeeps were used between april and November 1953 in Laos, mostly for convoy escorts, by 9th squadron, 1er REC. The squadron was made up of 12 armoured jeeps, 1 4x4 Dodge radio vehicle and 1 4x4 Dodge recovery vehicle.

The jeeps were found to be rather too heavy for the water logged roads and they were often lightened by removing the Reibel and replacing it with the FM 24-29.