Universal carrier

Created by Vickers-Armstrong in 1934-1936 on an initiative basis ^[1] and was intended to be the carrier of various weapons, primarily machine guns , one of which gave the machine its common name.

The first two vehicles for the British army were purchased in 1935, the serial production of Universal Carrier lasted from 1936 to 1945 , while in 1937-1938, as a result of military operations, changes were made to the design of the armored car ^[1] .

In September 1938, the Universal Carrier combat vehicles that were armed with the Bren machine gun were presented to the public and journalists at brigade exercises of the British Army. During the exercises, the machines demonstrated high maneuverability and the ability to successfully overcome wattle and dense thickets of shrubs ^[2] .

Universal Carrier was the main armored personnel carrier of Great Britain and the Commonwealth in World War II and was used in a variety of roles - an armored personnel carrier of an infantry unit, an arms carrier, an ammunition carrier, an artillery tractor , an intelligence vehicle and others. A significant number of cars were also delivered during the war to the European allies of Great Britain ^[3] . After the war, Universal Carrier remained in the arsenal of Great Britain until the 1950s and was used in the Korean War , and was also supplied to a number of other countries, in some of which it was withdrawn from service only in the 1960s .

In total, about 90,000 armored personnel carriers of this type were produced, which made it one of the most popular models of armored vehicles in history.

In the UK, produced by several companies, including Ford UK. By 1945, production amounted to approximately 57,000 of all options. In addition, Universal Carrier was manufactured in Canada (29,000 units), Australia (about 5,000), New Zealand (about 1300) and the United States (about 20,000, not counting T16 ).

Despite the big drawback - insufficient firepower Universal Carrier armored personnel carriers were used for reconnaissance and combat security tasks.

• Bren Carrier ( Eng. "Carrier" Bren " ) - the main option, as weapons installed 7.71-mm machine gun Bren ^[3]
• Wasp - a self-propelled flamethrower ^[3]
• 3 inch Mortar Carrier (Aust) - self-propelled 76.2 mm mortar (manufactured in Australia)
• 2-pounder Anti-tank Gun Carrier (Aust) - Universal Carrier, armed with the British 40-mm gun QF 2 pounder (manufactured in Australia)
• T16 - a modified version (with four rollers and a Ford Mercury engine), which was produced in the USA by Ford
• Munitionschlepper Bren (e) - trophy Universal Carrier, since 1940 used by the Wehrmacht as an ammunition conveyor (without making any design changes) ^[4]
• Munitionschlepper Bren mit MG.08 (e) - trophy Bren Carrier, on which instead of the brand machine gun was installed 7.92 mm MG 08 machine gun . Used by the Wehrmacht since 1941 ^[4]
• 3.7 cm PAK 35/36 auf Sfl. Bren (e) - 37 mm anti-tank gun mod. 1935/36 on the Universal Carrier chassis ^[5] , some manufactured in 1941 ^[4]
• Schneeschafel auf Sfl. Bren (e) is a trophy Universal Carrier equipped with a bulldozer knife. A number of converted and transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1941, were intended to clear the airfields of snow ^[4]
• Feld Ladungstraeger Bren (e) - a remotely controlled vehicle for transporting explosive charge with the ability to remotely detonate the charge. Designed in 1942 ^[4]
• "Praying Mantis" - an experimental prototype of 1943-1944, in which the machine gunner was in the cabin with a lift (which was supposed to provide the possibility of firing over obstacles), was not mass-produced. One prototype is in the museum of armored vehicles in Bovington, another in the National War Museum in Susteberg ^[6]

In December 1943, the GABTU of the Red Army ordered to replace the armament with the remaining Universal Carrier troops, according to which the English 7.71 mm Bren machine guns and the Boys 13.9 mm anti-tank rifles were replaced by Soviet 7.62 mm machine guns DT and 14.5 mm anti - tank guns ^[7] .

•   Great Britain - was in service with the British Army, supplied to dominions and colonies ^[1]
•   Third Reich - a significant number of captured vehicles were used during the Second World War in various modifications ^[4]
•   USSR - the question of the possibility of sending a batch of Bren Carrier tankettes to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program was submitted for consideration on September 29, 1941 ^[8] , on October 1, 1941, the decision to supply a batch of three-ton machine gun wedges from the UK to the USSR (with machine guns) It was approved ^[9]
•   Republic of China - supplied under the Lend-Lease program

In the multiplayer game World of Tanks Universal Carrier 2-pounder Anti-tank Gun Carrier (UC 2-pdr) is located in the British PT-SPG branch at level 2.

• ASU-57 ("Object 572") - Light airborne self-propelled gun. Airborne parachute or landing method. Designed in 1948.

• D. Fletcher. Universal Carrier 1936–48. The 'Bren Gun Carrier' Story. - London: Osprey Publishing, 2005 .-- 48 p. - (New Vanguard No. 110). - ISBN 1-84176-813-8 .