bren photos on Flickr

Universal or Bren Gun Carrier The British Commonwealth forces in World War II fielded the Universal Carrier, produced and used in England, Canada, and Australia as the Universal or Bren Gun Carrier, as well as in the U.S. as the T-16. The unit was used to tow artillery and in various other support and transportation roles as gun carriage and general purpose light armor

_MG_3973 by Serge

3

Parc naturel régional de la Brenne

bren_120d by bonesnecklaces

2

📌 1940's Universal Carrier (Bren Gun Carrier) Old Buckenham Airshow. by Stuart Banham

2

The Vickers-Armstrongs Universal Carrier was one of the best loved of all light armoured vehicles used by the British Army, it was developed from a requirement in 1921 for an Armoured Tracked Ammunition Carrier to avoid using horses to carry ammunition across bullet swept battlefields. The first Universal Carriers were armed with a single Bren gun so they quickly became known as the ''Bren Gun Carrier'' regardless of their purpose. Some were fitted with a ''Boys Anti-Tank Rifle''.

The first of the 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 Carrier'' was introduced in 1940. The vehicle was used widely by British Commonwealth Forces during World War Two, they were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or used as machine gun platforms. Approximately 113,000 units were built by 1960 in the United Kingdom and abroad, it is probably the most produced Armoured Fighting Vehicle in history.

The hull is made from a simple steel box with the engine mounted mid centre. The Driver and Commander / Gunner sit in the front near the radiator fan, the noise from which would make conversion impossible so headphones were used. Men or equipment were carried in the rear either side of the engine with other weapons such as Mortars. The front set of wheels are mounted on a shaft which can be moved side to side to give gentle turns while sharp turns are done by brakes on each track. Driving controls are conventional so minimal specialist training was needed. By the latter part of World War Two most Universal Carrier's would carry more weight than they were designed for so it was not unusual to see a spare wheel strapped to the front glacis plate.

British variants -

▪︎Carrier - Machine Gun No.21937.

▪︎Carrier - Bren No.2 Mk.I and Mk.II seating for three crew, armour plate on front and left hand side only.

▪︎Carrier - Scout Mk.I - carried a No.11 wireless set, armour plate on front and right hand side only.

▪︎Carrier - Cavalry Mk.I 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 Observers under protection, the machine gun position was fitted with an armoured shutter instead of a gun slit, 95 built in two Mk's.

▪︎Carrier - Armoured, 2-pounder A Carrier, machine gun converted to mount a 2-pdr gun with fixed armoured shield protecting the crew.

▪︎Carrier - Armoured 6-pounder -

▪︎ 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 in Mortar or 4 in smoke mortar beside Gunner. Spare wheel on front hull. weighed ½ ton more than Mk.I.

▪︎Universal Mk.III welded hull as Mk.II modified air inlet and engine cover.

▪︎Wasp - (FT, Transportable, No.2) A Flamethrower-equipped variant, using the ''Flame-Thrower, Transportable, No.2''. The Mk.I had a fixed Flamethrower on the front of the vehicle fed from two fuel tanks with a combined capacity of 100 imperial gallons, 1,000 produced. The Mk.II had the projector in the Co-Driver's position. The Mk.IIC (C for Canadian) had a single 75 imperial gallon fuel tank on the rear of the vehicle outside the armour protection, allowing a third crew member to be carried. Many Wasp variants were fitted out at No.71 Factory in Stoke-on-Trent, at the premises that after the war became Rists Wire and Cables. No.71 Factory also repaired 20mm Hispano cannons during World War Two.

General characteristics -

▪︎Type: Armoured Personnel Carrier / Weapons Carrier

▪︎Place of Origin: United Kingdom

▪︎Conflicts: World War Two / Indonesian National Revolution / Indochina War / 1948 Arab–Israeli War / Costa Rican Civil War / Korean War / Suez Crisis / Biafran War

▪︎Produced: 1934 to 1960

▪︎Number Built: 113,000

▪︎Mass: 3 ton 16cwt laden / 3 ton 5cwt unladen (Mk.I Universal Carrier)

▪︎Length: 12ft / Width: 6ft 9in / Height: 5ft 2in

▪︎Crew: 3

▪︎Armour: 0.27in to 0.39in

▪︎Main Armament: Bren Light Machine Gun / Boys Anti-Tank Rifle

▪︎Secondary Armament: one Vickers Machine Gun / M2 Browning Machine Gun / 2in or 3in ▪︎Mortar or Projector Infantry or Anti-Tank carried

▪︎Powerplant: Ford V8 3.9-litre petrol, 85hp at 3,500rpm

▪︎Transmission: 4 forward / 1 reverse

▪︎Suspension: Horstmann

▪︎Fuel Capacity: 20 Imperial gallons