Service History
The original role envisaged for the Universal Carrier was for a
fast, lightly armed vehicle to carry infantry across ground denied
by small-arms fire and specifically, the Bren light machine gun and
its team, hence the name Bren Gun Carrier. (NB: A broad parallel
can be drawn between that concept and the tactics of the APC (Ml
l3Al) Troop which carried an In fan try Company. Each infantry
section, comprising ten men [one section to a vehicle] possessed a
light machine gun crew of three men and a GPMG M60, cal. 7.62
mm).
There was only one version of this vehicle named the "Bren Gun
Carrier" but whatever the task, the entire family of vehicles was
known by its users as Bren Carriers. In fact, numerous copies of
the original Bren Carrier were produced and these were commonly
known as the Universal Carrier
The hull of these vehicles comprised a simple steel box with a
motor compartment situated in the centre. In front, sat a driver
and alongside him, a gunner. A radiator was mounted in a bulkhead
between them, and the noise generated by the fan effectively
drowned out any conversation between these crew members (NB:
vehicles of this type were not fitted with any form of internal
communications).
Behind the two crew, were two rectangular compartments, one each
side of the engine, these were used to carry a variety of stores
and/or personnel.
Loads varied, and it was common to find the Carrier employed in a
number of roles e.g. carrying ammunition, infantry support weapons
such as medium mortars (81 mm), medium machine guns (usually the
.303 Vickers machine gun). They were also used for towing anti-tank
guns and trailers.
Because it was fully tracked, it proved to be a reasonably good,
cross country vehicle and it was both agile and very fast, for its
time. It was controlled by a small steering wheel and steering
brakes.
Carriers were used extensively in every campaign during World War
II. Such was their versatility, that many of those captured by the
German Forces in France during the Blitzkrieg' of 1940 were quickly
put to use in patrolling and policing captured territory.
