Bren Gun Carrier

Universal Carrier
Universal Carrier as mortar carrier with Bren mounted at front
Type	Armoured personnel carrier/weapon carrier
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Production history
No. built	113,000
Specifications (Universal Carrier, Mk 1)
Weight	3 ton 16 cwt (3.75 t) laden 3 ton 5 cwt (3.19 t) unladen
Length	12 ft (3.65 m)
Width	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Height	5 ft 2 inch (1.57 m)
Crew	3
Armour	7–10 mm
Main armament	Bren light machine gun or Boys anti-tank rifle
Secondary armament	Vickers machine gun; M2 Browning machine gun; 2-inch mortar; 3-inch mortar; Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank carried
Engine	Ford V8 petrol 85 hp at 3,500 rpm
Suspension	Horstmann
Fuel capacity	20 Imperial gallons
Operational range	150 miles (250 km)
Speed	30 mph (48 km/h)

The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun 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. Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as machine gun platforms. With some 113,000 built by 1960 in the United Kingdom and abroad, it is the most produced armoured fighting vehicle in history.

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. The VA.D50 had an armoured 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 "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 stowage. A small number of this design as "Carrier, Machine-Gun No 1 Mark 1" were built and entered service in 1936. Some were converted into pilot models for the Machine gun Carrier, Cavalry Carrier and Scout Carrier – the others 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 Flathead V8 engine that powered it was placed in the centre of the vehicle with the final drive 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. Small turns moved the front road wheel assembly warping the track so the vehicle drifted to that side. Further movement of the wheel braked the appropriate track to give a turn.