Universal Carrier

Infobox Weapon
is_vehicle=yes
is_UK=yes
type=Armoured personnel carrier
origin=United Kingdom
name=Universal Carrier


caption=
length=12 ft (3.65 m)
width=6 ft 4 inch (2.11 m)
height=5 ft 2 inch (1.57 m)
weight=3.75 t
suspension=Horstmann
speed=30 mph (48 km/h)
vehicle_range=150 miles (250 km)
primary_armament=commonly 0.303 Bren light machine gun or 0.55 in Boys anti-tank rifle.
armour=7-10 mm
engine=Ford V-8 petrol
engine_power=85 hp at 3,500 rpm
pw_ratio=
crew=2
users=United Kingdom and Commonwealth , France United States

The Universal Carrier, usually known as a Bren Gun Carrier (even when it was not carrying a Bren), was a small, tracked British-designed military vehicle, used widely by Allied forces during the Second World War. Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as machine gun platforms. With some 113,000 built in Great Britain and abroad, it was the most numerous armoured fighting vehicle in history.

Development

The Universal Carrier was a successor to the Carden-Loyd Mk.IV tankette developed during the late 1920s. It originated from a light tractor "VA D50", designed by John Carden and Vivian Loyd of Vickers in 1935. The VA D50 appeared to be a successful design and development was ordered by the British Army. The first production was by Vickers in 1936. There were several different types of Carrier that varied slightly in design according to their function, designated: "Medium Machine Gun Carrier", "Bren Gun Carrier", "Scout Carrier" and "Cavalry Carrier". It was obvious that production of a single model would be preferred and the Universal appeared in 1940. The Universal would be the most widely produced of the Carriers. It differed from the previous models in having a rectangular body shape in rear section, with more space for crew.

As with the earlier Carriers, the Universal had the driver and commander at the front sitting side-by-side, the driver to the right with a vertical steering wheel. The hull in front of the commander's position jutted forward to give room for the Bren gun (or other armament) to fire through a simple slit. The engine was in the centre of the vehicle and the final drive at the rear. To either side of the engine were two areas in which passengers could ride or stores be carried.

Universal Carriers were commonly used as platforms for infantry support weapons such as the Vickers machine gun, the Bren, Boys anti-tank rifle or to carry weapons such as the 3-inch mortar along with its crew. The Universal was also used to tow anti-tank guns such as the QF 2 pounder. When the QF 6 pounder anti-tank gun came into use the Universal was also used for that role but the subsequent QF 17 pounder was too much for such a small vehicle.

Universal Carriers were lightly armoured on their fronts and sides, sufficient to protect to some degree from small arms, shrapnel and explosive blasts. They were open at the top, leaving the occupants completely unprotected from shoulder height upwards.

The Canadian-designed and built Windsor Carrier was a related vehicle. It had a similar body and mechanicals but was some 30 inches longer and had an extra road wheel. Five thousand were built and sent to Europe.

Production

In the UK, several companies contributed to the manufacture of the Universal among them Ford UK. By 1945 production amounted to approximately 57,000 of all variants, including some 2,400 early ones.

Ford of Canada made some 29,000 Universal Carriers. They were also manufactured in Australia (some 5,000), New Zealand (some 1,300) and by Ford in the USA (some 20,000, not counting the T16).

Variants

*Mk. I:The original model.
*Mk. II:Equipped with a towing hitch.
*Wasp:A flamethrower-equipped Flame tank variant. See also Churchill Crocodile.
*LP1 Carrier (Aust):Australian built version of the British Bren Gun Carrier.
*LP2 Carrier (Aust):Australian built variant of the Universal Carrier. Also produced in New Zealand.
*2 Pounder Anti-tank Gun Carrier (Aust):The "Carrier, Anti-tank, 2-pdr, (Aust)" or "Carrier, Tank Attack, 2-pdr (Aust)" was a heavily modified and lengthened LP2 carrier with a fully traversable QF 2 pounder 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.Michael K. Cecil - Australian Military Equipment Profiles, vol 2, "Local Pattern Carriers 1939 to 1945", 1992 Australian Military Equipment Profiles, ISBN 0-646-12600-8.]
*3 inch Mortar Carrier (Aust):The "Carrier, 3-inch Mortar (Aust)" was a design based on the 2 Pounder Carrier with a 3-inch 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.
*T-16:The "Carrier, Universal, T16, Mark I." was a significantly improved vehicle based upon those built by Ford of Canada, manufactured under Lend Lease by Ford in the United States from March 1943 to 1945. It was chiefly used by Canadian forces during the war as a gun tractor. After the war, it was used by Swiss and Netherlands forces. It was longer than the Universal with an extra road wheel on the rear bogie, the engine was a Ford Mercury delivering the same power. Instead of the steering wheel controlling the combination brake/warp mechanism, the T-16 had track brake steering operated by levers (2 for each side).
*Fahrgestell Bren (e):A captured carrier of 1940, reused by the Germans with a 3.7 cm PaK gun.
*Panzerjäger Bren 731(e):Bren carriers captured by the Germans and fitted with a triple Panzerschreck mount, probably the first armoured vehicle to be fitted with anti-tank rockets. [WW II German Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons: [http://www.geocities.com/Augusta/8172/panzerfaust3.htm Page 3: Panzerschreck] ]
*Praying Mantis:An experimental vehicle - the hull was replaced with an enclosed metal box structure with enough room for a driver and a gunner laying prone. On top was a hydraulically operated machine gun turret on the end of an "arm" that could be raised vertically. Invented for fighting in hedgerows, the idea was to drive the Mantis up to a wall, elevate the gun, and fire over it into the fields from safety.
*CATI 90:A Belgian SPG development, in use from 1954 to 1962. The vehicle was called "Canon antitank d'infanterie automoteur 90mm" and served in infantry units with a paired ammunition carrier. [http://www.network54.com/Forum/330333/message/1180658613/CATI+90mm] The Overvalwagen Forum, dedicated to research on lesser known military equipment of smaller or non-belligerent nations (accessed 26th May 2008)]

References

External links

* [http://www.wwiiequipment.com/carriers.aspx Universal Carrier production and technical data]
* [http://www.mapleleafup.org/vehicles/carriers/uc.html mapleleafup.org "The Ford Universal Carrier"]
* [http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-armour/allied/bren_carrier.htm diggerhistory.info "Bren Carrier"]
* [http://www.wwiivehicles.com/unitedkingdom/carriers.asp Britain's Carriers] at wwiivehicles.com