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The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier and sometimes simply the Bren Carrier from the light machine gun armament, is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies. The first carriers – the Bren Carrier and the Scout Carrier with specific roles – entered service before the war, but a single improved design that could replace these, the Universal, was introduced in 1940. The vehicle was used widely by British Commonwealth forces during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as
machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles ...
platforms.


Design and development

The origins of the Universal Carrier family can be traced back generally to the Carden Loyd tankettes family, which was developed in the 1920s, and specifically the Mk VI tankette. In 1934, Vickers-Armstrongs produced, as a commercial venture, a light tracked vehicle that could be used either to carry a machine gun or to tow a light
field gun A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances ( field artill ...
. The VA.D50 had an armored box at the front for driver and a gunner and bench seating at the back for the gun crew. The War Office considered it as a possible replacement for their Vickers "Light Dragon" artillery tractors and took 69 as the "Light Dragon Mark III". One was built as the "Carrier, Machine-Gun Experimental (Armoured)", carrying a machine gun and its crew. The decision was made to drop the machine gun and its team and the next design had a crew of three – driver and gunner in the front, third crew-member on the left in the rear and the right rear open for storage. Fourteen of this design were built in mild steel as "Carrier, Machine-Gun No 1 Mark 1" and entered service in 1936. Six were converted into pilot models for the Machine gun Carrier No.2, Cavalry Carrier and Scout Carrier designs – the remainder were used for training. The carrier put the driver and commander at the front sitting side by side; the driver to the right. The Ford V8 sidevalve engine with four speed gearbox was placed in the centre of the vehicle with the final drive (a commercial Ford axle) at the rear. The suspension and running gear were based on that used on the Vickers light tank series using Horstmann springs. Directional control was through a vertical steering wheel which pivoted about a horizontal axis. Small turns moved the crosstube that carried the front road wheel bogies laterally, warping the track so the vehicle drifted to that side. Further movement of the wheel braked the appropriate track to give a tighter turn. The hull in front of the commander's position jutted forward to give room for the Bren light machine gun (or other armaments) to fire through a simple slit. To either side of the engine was an area in which passengers could ride or stores could be carried. Initially, there were several types of Carrier that varied slightly in design according to their purpose: "Medium Machine Gun Carrier" (the
Vickers machine gun The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more men to move and o ...
), "Bren Gun Carrier", "Scout Carrier" and "Cavalry Carrier". The production of a single model came to be preferred and the Universal design appeared in 1940; this was the most widely produced of the carriers. It differed from the previous models in that the rear section of the body had a rectangular shape, with more space for the crew.


Production

Production of carriers began in 1934 and ended in 1960. Before the Universal design was introduced, the vehicles were produced by Aveling and Porter, Bedford Vehicles, Ford of Britain, Morris Motors Limited, the Sentinel Waggon Works, and the Thornycroft company. With the introduction of the Universal, production in the UK was undertaken by
Aveling-Barford Aveling-Barford was a large engineering company making road rollers, motorgraders, front loaders, site dumpers, dump trucks and articulated dump trucks in Grantham, England. In its time, it was an internationally known company. History Ru ...
, Ford, Sentinel, Thornycroft, and Wolseley Motors. By 1945 production amounted to approximately 57,000 of all models, including some 2,400 early ones. The Universal Carriers, in different variants, were also produced in allied countries. Ford Motor Company of Canada manufactured about 29,000 vehicles known as the Ford C01UC Universal Carrier. Smaller numbers of them were also produced in Australia (about 5,000), where hulls were made in several places in Victoria and by
South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the statutory corporation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Aust ...
workshops in Adelaide, South Australia. About 1,300 were also produced in New Zealand. Universal Carriers were manufactured in the United States of America for allied use with GAE and GAEA V-8 Ford engines. About 20,000 were produced.


Operational history

The Universal Carrier was ubiquitous in all the theatres during the Second World War with British and Commonwealth armies, from the war in the East to the occupation of Iceland. Although the theory and policy was that the carrier was a "fire power transport" and the crew would dismount to fight, practice differed. It could carry machine guns, anti-tank rifles, mortars, infantrymen, supplies, artillery and observation equipment.


United Kingdom

The seven mechanized divisional cavalry regiments in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France during 1939–1940 were equipped with Scout Carriers – 44 carriers and 28
light tanks A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller in size with thinner armor and a less powerful main gun, tailored for better tactical mobility and ease of ...
in each regiment. There were 10 Bren Carriers in each infantry battalion in the same period. The Reconnaissance Corps regiments – which replaced the cavalry regiments in supporting Infantry divisions after 1940 – were each equipped with 63 carriers, along with 28
Humber Scout Car The Humber Scout Car was a British light scout car used in the Second World War. It entered service in 1942 and continued in production until 1945. Designed for reconnaissance, and liaison between armoured units, it provided protection only ...
s. Universal Carriers were issued to the support companies in infantry rifle
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...
s for carrying support weapons (initially 10, 21 by 1941, and up to 33 per battalion by 1943). A British armoured division of 1940–41 had 109 carriers; each motor battalion had 44. A British Carrier platoon originally had ten Universal Carriers with three carrier sections of three Universal Carriers each plus another Universal Carrier in the platoon HQ (along with a 15-cwt GS truck). Each Universal Carrier had a
non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
(NCO), a rifleman and a driver-mechanic. One Universal Carrier in each section was commanded by a sergeant, the other two by corporals. All the Universal Carriers were armed with a Bren gun and one carrier in each carrier section also had a Boys anti-tank rifle. By 1941, the carrier platoon had increased in strength to contain four carrier sections; one carrier in each carrier section also carried a
2-inch mortar The Ordnance SBML two-inch mortar, or more commonly, just "two-inch mortar", was a British mortar issued to the British Army and the Commonwealth armies, that saw use during the Second World War and later. It was more portable than larger mort ...
. By 1943, each Universal Carrier had a crew of four, an NCO, driver-mechanic and two riflemen. The Boys anti-tank rifle was also replaced by the PIAT anti-tank weapon. The Universal Carrier's weapons could be fired from in- or outside the carrier. A carrier platoon had a higher number of light support weapons than a rifle company. To allow the Universal to function as an artillery tractor in emergencies, a towing attachment that could allow it to haul the Ordnance QF 6 pounder anti-tank gun was added from 1943. Normally the Loyd Carrier – which was also used as a general utility carrier – acted as the tractor for the 6-pdr. In Motorised Infantry Battalions in BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) in the early 1950s the Universal was issued one per platoon carrying the Platoon Commander, driver, signaller and the 2-inch Mortar group Nos 1 & 2.


Australia

Universal and the earlier Bren carriers were used by Australian Army units in the Western Desert campaign. Australian Universal Carriers were deployed to the Western Desert, Egypt during August 1942 serving as command vehicles for the 9th Divisional Cavalry Regiment.


Germany

Captured Universal Carriers were used in a number of roles by German forces. A total of around sixty Bren No.2 Carriers and Belgian Army Vickers Utility Tractors were converted into demolition vehicles. Carrying a large explosive charge, these would be driven up to enemy positions under remote control and detonated, destroying both themselves and the target. Twenty-nine of both kinds were deployed in 1942 during the Siege of Sevastopol. They achieved some success in destroying Soviet trenches and bunkers, but a significant number were destroyed by artillery. Others were disabled by land mines before reaching their target or were lost because of mechanical breakdowns. A difficulty for the Germans using these foreign-built vehicles was the lack of spare parts.


Variants

The widespread production of the Carrier allowed for several variants to be developed, manufactured and/or used by different countries.


Argentine

An attempted conversion to self-propelled artillery consisting of a single T16 carrier fitted with a six- Model 1968 recoilless gun mount was developed in the late 1960s or early 1970s.


British

;Carrier, Machine-Gun No. 2 :1937 ;Carrier, Bren No.2, Mark I and Mark II :Seating for three crew.Armour plate on front and left hand side only. ;Carrier, Scout Mk 1 :Carried a No. 11 Wireless set.Instruction book, 1939, p24 Armour plate on front and right hand side only. ; Carrier, Cavalry Mk 1 :Used for carrying personnel of Light tank regiments in Mobile Divisions. A total of 50 were built by Nuffield, discontinued with the reorganization of the Mobile Divisions into Armoured divisions. Seating was provided for six passengers on benches. ; Carrier, Armoured Observation Post : For carrying
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
observers under protection. The machine gun position was fitted with an armoured shutter instead of gun slit. Ninety-five built in two marks. ; Carrier, Armoured, 2-pounder (40 mm) : A Carrier, Machine Gun converted to mount a 2-pdr gun with fixed armoured shield protecting the crew ; Carrier, Armoured 6-pounder (57 mm) : ;Universal Mk. I :initial model ;Universal Mk. II :updated stowage and layout, battery moved behind the divisional plate, towing hitch added. Welded waterproofed hull. Crew of four. 2-inch mortar or 4-inch smoke mortar beside gunner. Spare wheel on front hull. weighed 1/2 ton more than Mark I. ;Universal Mk. III :welded hull as Mark II, modified air inlet and engine cover ; Wasp (FT, Transportable, No. 2) : A flamethrower-equipped variant, using the "Flame-thrower, Transportable, No 2". The Mark I had a fixed flamethrower on the front of the vehicle fed from two fuel tanks with a combined capacity of . 1000 produced. The Mk II had the projector in the co-driver's position. The Mk IIC (C for Canadian) had a single fuel tank on the rear of the vehicle outside the armour protection, allowing a third crew member to be carried.


Australian

* Carrier, Machine Gun, Local Pattern, No. 1: Also known as "LP1 Carrier (Aust)". Australian production similar to Bren carrier but welded and some minor differences. * Universal Carrier MG, Local Pattern No. 2: Also known as "LP2 Carrier (Aust)". Australian-built variant of the Universal Carrier. Also produced in New Zealand. Used 1938–1939 Ford commercial axles; the 2A had 1940 Ford truck axles. * 2-pounder Anti-tank Gun Carrier (Aust) or Carrier, 2-pdr Tank Attack: A heavily modified and lengthened LP2 carrier with a fully traversable QF 2 pounder (40 mm) anti-tank gun mounted on a platform at the rear and the engine moved to the front left of the vehicle. Stowage was provided for 112 rounds of 2pdr ammunition. 200 were produced and used for training. * 3 inch Mortar Carrier (Aust): A design based on the 2 Pounder Carrier with a 3-inch (76 mm) mortar mounted in place of the 2 pounder. Designed to enable the mortar to have 360 degree traverse and to be fired either from the vehicle, or dismounted. 400 were produced and were ultimately sent as military aid to the Nationalist Chinese Army.


Canadian

;"Carrier, Universal No.3" :* Mk.I* (certain differences, otherwise similar to British model) :* Mk.II* (certain differences, otherwise similar to British model) :* Mk.II* ;Carrier, 2-pdr Equipped : Canadian modification of Mark I* and II* to mount 2-pdr gun. 213 used for training. ;Wasp Mk II* : Canadian version of the Wasp flamethrower variant. ;Windsor Carrier : Canadian development with a longer chassis extended and an additional wheel in the aft bogie.


American

American production of the Universal followed the same design as the British Marks I to III *Carrier, Universal No.2 Mark I - Ford GAEA engine *Carrier, Universal No.2A Mark I - Ford GAE engine *Carrier, Universal No.2 Mark II - Ford GAE engine *Carrier, Universal No.2A Mark II - Ford GAEA engine *Carrier, Universal No.2 Mark III - Ford GAE engine *Carrier, Universal No.2A Mark III - Ford GAEA engine ;T-16 :The Carrier, Universal, T16, Mark I., initially "Cargo Carrier T16" was the result of US experimentation in 1942 to improve on the Universal for British use and for US in the Pacific war. It was a significantly improved vehicle based upon those built by Ford of Canada, manufactured under
Lend Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...
by Ford in the United States from March 1943 to 1945. At it was longer than the Universal with an extra road wheel on the rear bogie; making for a pair of full Horstmann dual-wheel suspension units per side, the engine was a Mercury-division 239 version (GAU370) of the Ford V8 delivering the same power. Instead of the steering wheel controlling the combination brake/warp mechanism, the T-16 used track-brake steering operated by levers (two for each side). The British were supplied with over 3,200 in 1944-1945 but it was considered mechanically unreliable and had less carrying capacity than the Universal. During the war, it was chiefly used by Canadian forces as an artillery tractor. After the war, was used by Argentine, Swiss (300) and Dutch forces.


German

* 2 cm Flak 38 ''auf Fahrgestell Bren''(e): Single barrel German 2 cm Flak 38 cannon mounted over the engine compartment of a captured Bren carrier. * 3.7 cm Pak ''auf Fahrgestell Bren''(e): Captured carrier of 1940, reused by the Germans and fitted with a 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun. *''
Panzerjäger ''Panzerjäger'' (German "armour-hunters" or "tank-hunters", abbreviated to ''Pz.Jg.'' in German) was a branch of service of the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. It was an anti-tank arm-of-service that operated self-propelled a ...
Bren'' 731(e): Bren carriers captured by the Germans and fitted with a transport rack for three Panzerschreck anti-tank rocket launchers; the weapons were not fired from the Bren gun carrier, only transported.


Italian

In 1942, at the request of the
Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...
(''Regio Esercito''),
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...
produced a prototype carrier copied from a captured Universal Carrier; it was known as the Fiat 2800 or CVP-4. It is uncertain whether production vehicles were manufactured. Bren carriers captured by the Italians in the field were often fitted with
Breda M37 The Mitragliatrice Breda calibro 8 modello 37 (commonly known as the Breda mod. 37 or simply Breda 37) was an Italian Medium machine gun produced by Breda and adopted in 1937 by the Royal Italian Army. It was the standard heavy machine gun for t ...
machine guns.


Praying Mantis

The Praying Mantis came from an attempt to produce a low-silhouette vehicle that could still fire over obstacles. A one-man design based on Carden Loyd suspension was not adopted, but the inventor was encouraged to design a two-man version. This version was built in 1943, based on the Universal Carrier. The hull was replaced with an enclosed metal-box structure with enough room for a driver and a gunner lying prone. This box, pivoting from the rear, could be elevated. At the top end was a machine-gun turret (with two Bren guns). The intention was to drive the Mantis up to a wall or hedgerow, elevate the gun, and fire over the obstacle from a position of safety. It was rejected after trials in 1944. An example of the Mantis is preserved in The Tank Museum.


Operators

Many variants of the British Universal Carrier have been fielded and used by the armed forces of the following countries, amongst many others:


Pre-war/Second World War period

* * (used by in-exile Belgian forces in the Middle Eastern regions during the war, after the country was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany in 1940) * * : 1500 UCs supplied by Australia during the war, with a sizeable number of these (about 400) being 3-inch mortar-carrier versions. The pro-Japanese Collaborationist Chinese Army also received carriers captured in Singapore by the Japanese. * Mk.Is used by Czechoslovak battalion 11 in the Middle East, Mk.Is, Mk.IIs, Mk.IIIs, Mortars used by Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade in UK and Western Europe, 15 UCs Mk.II received from the USSR - served in I Corps of the Czechoslovak Army-in-exile on the Eastern Front) * : used by Free French Forces * (by the German Wehrmacht, which operated a small number of carriers captured mainly from the UK) * : captured vehicles, many of them seized after the capture of Singapore. * (fielded by Free Greek troops following the country's fall to Nazi German occupation in the Middle East, like the exiled Belgian military forces) * Azad Hind: The Indian National Army received carriers captured by
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
after the fall of Singapore. * : 26 Mk. I carriers received in 1940 and 200 Mk. II carriers from 1943 to 1945. Still in service in the 1960s. * : a few captured UCs used by the ''Regio Esercito'' unit of the Italian Army and one locally produced copy (the ) *
Dutch government-in-exile The Dutch government-in-exile ( nl, Nederlandse regering in ballingschap), also known as the London Cabinet ( nl, Londens kabinet), was the government in exile of the Netherlands, supervised by Queen Wilhelmina, that fled to London after the G ...
: used by the
Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade During the Second World War, the Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade, later known as the Princess Irene Brigade ( nl, Prinses Irene Brigade) was a Dutch military unit initially formed from approximately 1,500 troops, including a small gr ...
. * : operated by the in-exile
Polish Armed Forces in the West The Polish Armed Forces in the West () refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies during World War II. Polish forces were also raised within Soviet territories; th ...
* : the Portuguese Army received more than 178 universal carriers from 1942. * (the main operator in WWII) * (57 UCs en route for Canadian troop units in Hong Kong were in the Philippines when the Japanese invaded both Hong Kong and the Philippines, with 40 UCs taken over and operated by the US 1st Provisional Tank Group) * (received 200 before the end of 1941 and 2,560 Universal Carriers and similar Loyd Carriers starting from then until the end of WWII in 1945) * (118 UCs operated in 1944, possibly supplied (covertly) by the UK) *
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод� ...
*


Post-war period

* * (250, including T-16s, supplied by the UK between 1946 and 1950) * (very likely obtained from a French trader, with some converted and modified locally with extra armour) * (former British stocks, which were retired from frontline service in the 1960s) * * (some were armed with a M40 recoilless rifle) * (possibly provided by departing British forces from the Middle East) * (small numbers used by the French expeditionary corps, the CEFEO, fighting in IndochinaB L M E O – IMG 11-0 à 11-111
(in French)
) * (small numbers of ex-Japanese stocks were captured and used by the People's Security Army during the Battle of Surabaya) * (received many from withdrawing British troops in Palestine, aside from buying them from the scrapyards of various European countries after WWII and capturing them from Egypt between their conflicts) * (former British stocks, which were retired from frontline service in 1961) * (the Bundeswehr received 100 ex-British UCs in 1956) * : a number operated following WWII (possibly ex-British UCs), especially in the independence war in their former colony of Indonesia (the Dutch East Indies) between 1945 and 1949, as part of the Indonesian National Revolution. A small number were lost and subsequently taken over by the new Indonesian Republic's military. * (used and fielded predominantly US-built T16 versions of the Universal Carrier up until possibly the early 1960s)


Gallery

Image:WASP Flamethrower CDN WWII DB.jpg, A Wasp
flamethrower tank A flame tank is a type of tank equipped with a flamethrower, most commonly used to supplement combined arms attacks against fortifications, confined spaces, or other obstacles. The type only reached significant use in the Second World War, ...
on display in the Canadian War Museum Image:2 pdr Aust ATG carrier(AWM 134672).jpg, An Australian 2-pounder anti-tank gun UC variant Image:A Bren Gun Carrier brings in a batch of German prisoners.jpg, A British Army Universal Carrier leads some German prisoners-of-war into a Belgian town. Image:Australians driving Bren Carriers towards Bardia, Libya, January 1941 (24667819900).jpg, Australians driving Bren Carriers to Bardia, Libya, January 1941


See also

*
C2P C2P was a Polish light artillery tractor. Designed in the 1930s, it was the basic tractor of Polish anti-aircraft artillery during the 1939 Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland. There are only two surviving vehicles, both in private hands in Poland. ...
*
Kettenkrad The (german: Sonderkraftfahrzeug 2) is a half-track motorcycle with a single front wheel, better known as the (), shortened to (pl. ). It was used by the military of Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Design The started its life as ...
– German ''motorcycle-based'' half-track *
Komsomolets armored tractor T-20 armored tractor Komsomolets , an armored continuous track tractor, the T-20 was a prime mover vehicle used by the Soviet Union during the Winter War and World War II. Description The T-20 was designed in 1936 at the Ordzhonikidze Moscow ...
* Lorraine 37L * Loyd Carrier *
M29 Weasel The M29 Weasel is a World War II tracked vehicle designed for operation in snow. Built by Studebaker, Weasels were also used in sandy, muddy, and desert terrains, including towing loads over terrain wheeled vehicles could not negotiate as in t ...
* Raupenschlepper Ost *
TKS The TK (TK-3) and TKS were Polish tankettes developed during the 1930s and used in the Second World War. Design and development The TK (also known as the TK-3) tankette was a Polish design produced from 1931 based on the chassis of the British C ...


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * *


External links


Universal Carrier production and technical data





Britain's Carriers
at wwiivehicles.com

* ttp://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/WH2-22Ba-fig-WH2-22BaP011b.html Bren Gun carrier with German Machine Gun in Gazala, Middle East, 1941 (photo)
Assembling Bren Gun carriers in New Zealand (photo)

Restored Bren Gun carrier being driven by a collector in Australia (video)

Images of ex-Argentinean T16 carriers for sale
''(retrieved 2014-04-05)'' {{Authority control Tracked armoured personnel carriers World War II armoured fighting vehicles of the United Kingdom World War II armoured fighting vehicles of Australia World War II armoured fighting vehicles of Canada Artillery tractors World War II military equipment of Greece Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944