Vickers Gas-Operated No 1 Mk I  1/6

The GO No. 1 was originally a Royal Air Force observers gun as it had a high rate of fire which made it suitable for shooting at high speed planes and getting as many bullets on target in the short space of time in which a plane would have been visible and in range. There were two sizes of drum magazines which fed the gun, a 60-round version (the No. 1, Mk. 1) and a later 100-round version (the No. 2, Mk. 1), which is commonly described as a 96- or 97-round version as this was the number of rounds advised to be put into it in order not to weaken the spring and possibly cause stoppages. In approximately 1943, the Browning Machine Gun replaced the Vickers as the primary weapon in aircraft so they were effectively made redundant.

However, an ambitious young officer in the form of David Stirling formed the Special Air Service and he found that the GO No. 1 gun was an ideal weapon for the types of missions which they would be undertaking. The high rate of fire made it so the SAS troopers would be able to get as many bullets into the target without having to stay on the ground longer than necessary. The SAS mounted the guns on their jeeps usually in pairs with two at the front and two at the back and then a single piece was sometimes mounted on the drivers side wing so the driver could get provide additional support as necessary.