One of the most prolific vehicles used by British and Commonwealth forces during the Second World War, was the Universal Carrier. The development of the Universal Carrier dates back to the early Interwar period, where after reviewing lessons learned from The Great War, Britain wanted a vehicle which could act as a mobile machine gun nest.
Developed from Carden-Loyd Mk. VI Tankettes, the Universal Carrier Mk. 1 entered service with the British Army in 1934. The base model of Universal Carrier was equipped with a single .303 Bren Light Machine Gun in a mount on the front of the vehicle, giving it the nickname “Bren Gun Carrier.” If needed,vehicles could be easily modified to carry more firepower. A .303 Vickers or .50 M2 heavy machine gun could be fitted to a pintle mount on the back of the vehicle. The Bren could be replaced with a .55 Boys Anti-tank Rifle for engaging light armored vehicles, which was replaced later on in the war by the PIAT launcher. Specialized variants with 2 or 3 inch Mortars and even flame projectors were produced.
The Universal Carrier quickly found itself in many different roles, but it was primarily found in the hands of reconnaissance troops and carrying infantry platoons. Each Carrier Platoon was given 13 Universal Carriers, one for the platoon H.Q. and the remaining being allocated to the four infantry sections.
One of the most prolific vehicles used by British and Commonwealth forces during the Second World War, was the Universal Carrier.
The Universal Carrier seen at the Museum of American Armor is an American produced T16. This vehicle, manufactured by Ford, features an enlarged body and chassis, as it was intended to be a cargo carrier. Most T16s were used by Canadian forces as artillery tractors during the war.