Dieudonné Joseph Saive
Dieudonné Joseph Saive (1888 - 1970) was a Belgian small arms gunsmith who designed several well-known firearms for Belgian armsmaker Fabrique Nationale. He is also known for modifying several of John Browning's firearms designs, including the 1931 Baby Browning and Browning Hi-Power pistol. He was born in Wandre, Belgium near Liege - only a few kilometers from the village of Saive.
Saive is pictured above holding one of his modern gas-operated self-loading rifle designs that was ultimately developed into the widely successful FN FAL selective-fire battle rifle that went into cold war production in 1953 to became celebrated as "the right arm of the free world". (WIKI)
In 1928 Saive traveled to Yugoslavia to set up the state arsenal in Kragujevac.
In 1929, Saive returned to Belgium where he oversaw the manufacture of the commercial version of the Browning Automatic Rifle. By 1930, Saive was promoted to become FN's chief weapons designer (Chef de Service). Saive improved the operating mechanism of the .30 cal. M1919 Browning M2 AN aircraft machine gun in 1932, increasing its rate of fire to 1,200 rpm. In 1938, he made additional improvements to the M2 further increasing its rate of fire to 1,500 rpm. During the same period, Saive continued to improve the Grand Rendement, and by 1934 the French term Grande Puissance ("Hi-Power") was first applied to the evolved design which became the French GP-35 self-loading pistol or FN Browning Hi-Power. The Hi-Power was the first 9×19mm handgun to utilize a true staggered-column magazine. The large magazine enabled the weapon to carry a total of fourteen cartridges without an excessively oversized or protruding handgrip.
France declined to adopt the Hi-Power for its armed forces, instead using the Modèle 1935 pistol. Despite this rejection, the Hi-Power was a sales success with more than 56,000 produced by May 1940, mostly for the Belgian military. It was used extensively in World War II by many nations including the British Commonwealth and Chinese forces. More than 65,000 Hi-Power pistols were also used by German forces, renamed Pistole 640(b), after the Nazis captured FN's manufacturing plant in Liège on May 12, 1940. Saive fled the German invasion, eventually arriving in London in mid-1941. He was soon at work at the Enfield Design Department at the Drill Hall in Cheshunt, England, recreating production drawings for the Hi-Power and further developing his design for a gas-operated rifle called the EXP-1, later the FN Model 1949. By June 1943, the British modified Saive's technical drawings to produce the Mk. I U.K. model of the Hi-Power. In April 1943, China requested 180,000 Hi-Powers with hollow wooden shoulder stocks that also served as holsters through a Mutual Aid Plan with Canada. The Chinese were familiar with the C96 Mauser Broomhandle that came with a stock/holster and wanted the same thing for the Hi-Powers they requested. The Canadian contract was with the Inglis firm who hired Dieudonné Saive and Rene Laloux, both Belgian engineers, to work on production. After the war, the Browning Hi-Power was adopted as the standard military service sidearm of many Western countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia. Slightly modernized versions remain in production today, three-quarters of a century later. (More at Wiki visually)
Saive's Gas-Operated Rifle Designs
Saive is most famous for his series of gas-operated self-loading rifle designs, which used a tipping bolt to lock the action. His FN-49 rifle went into production, and was later developed into the widely successful FN FAL selective-fire battle rifle. (WIKI)
12/10/2019: John Browning’s Final Performance: The Browning Hi Power
________________________
Dieudonné Saive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieudonn%C3%A9_Saive
Dieudonné Saive - Wiki Visual
https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Dieudonn%C3%A9_Saive
Dieudonné Saive - This Day in History: Father of the FAL Dies
https://www.ammoland.com/2019/10/this-day-in-history-father-of-the-fal-dies/#ixzz63g1FvtYq
Dieudonné Saive - Man and the Gun: Dieudonne Saive
https://blog.westernpowders.com/2017/04/man-and-the-gun-dieudonne-saive/
Dieudonné Saive - Gunsmith
https://alchetron.com/Dieudonn%C3%A9-Saive
Dieudonné Saive - Milestone: The 100,000th Inglis Automatic Pistol
http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/milestone-the-100000th-inglis-automatic-pistol/
Belgian Guns
http://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/a%20a%20site%20belge%20gb.htm
Dieudonné Saive or related? - Arnold Gérard Dieudonné
BOUQUETTE Arnold, Gérard, Dieudonné, gunsmith, born in Liège in 1877, husband of BIHIET Marie Julia Gabrielle, born in Neufchâteau in 1881, living in Liège, Impasse Nihart, 15
http://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/portraits/a%20a%20portraits%20fr%20gb.htm