Universal Carrier (BREN Gun Carrier)

Multirole Tracked Personnel / Weapons Carrier

United Kingdom | 1940

"The Bren Gun Carrier was indeed a universal design - easy to operate and produce - that over 100,000 units were produced."

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one land system design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Universal Carrier (BREN Gun Carrier) Multirole Tracked Personnel / Weapons Carrier.

1 x Ford 8-cylinder water-cooled inline gasoline engine developing 85 horsepower at 3,500rpm.
Installed Power

32 mph
51 kph
Road Speed

159 miles
256 km
Range

Structure
The physical qualities of the Universal Carrier (BREN Gun Carrier) Multirole Tracked Personnel / Weapons Carrier.

3
(MANNED)
Crew

12.3 ft
3.75 meters
O/A Length

6.9 ft
2.1 meters
O/A Width

5.2 ft
1.6 meters
O/A Height

9,520 lb
4,318 kg | 4.8 tons
Weight

Armament & Ammunition
Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Universal Carrier (BREN Gun Carrier) Multirole Tracked Personnel / Weapons Carrier.

1 x 7.7mm BREN machine gun OR 1 x 12.7mm Boys Anti-Tank Rifle. Also any personal weapons carried by the crew. Armament configurations also included Vickers/Browning M2 machine guns, infantry mortars (2-inch, 3-inch), or PIAT launcher.

AMMUNITION:
Dependent on armament loadout.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Universal Carrier (BREN Gun Carrier) family line.

Carden-Loyd Universal Carrier - Long-form designation

BREN Gun Carrier - Alternative Series Name

Mortar Carrier - Outfitted with 51mm or 76mm mortar; Anti-Tank weapons tow vehicle.

AOP Carrier ("Armored Observation Post") - Royal Artillery usage.

"Wasp" - Flamethrower Variant of 1944; designed by R.P. Fraser.

T16 - U.S. Army Designation

3.7-cm PaK auf Fahrgestell (BREN) - Captured British carriers in service with the German Army; fitted with a 37mm anti-tank weapon system.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/17/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Bren Gun Carrier was truly a universal system at its core. Charged with moving troops through the harshest of conditions, the smallish armored vehicle found itself fighting on a myriad of fronts. Though not a perfect vehicle by any stretch (the system was fielded without any top cover), the Bren Gun Carrier was loved by all her crews and was produced to the tune of some 84,120 units in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. The system also saw service in the Red Army and the German Army (the latter via capture).

Though universally referred to as the Bren Gun Carrier, the vehicle was actually designated as the Carden-Loyd Universal Carrier (hence other the used designation of Bren Universal Gun Carrier). As the Bren light machine gun was the standard squad support machine gun in service to the British Army, it was no wonder that the Bren Gun Carrier was fitted with one such weapon for self-defense. In essence, the Bren carrier was nothing more than an armed tractor, capable of hauling 4 to 5 personnel (or more in crucial wartime situations), supplies or wounded. Armor was relatively light throughout and, as mentioned earlier, no top cover was afforded the crew. In some cases, this covering was improvised by the crew to protect them from the elements. Steering was accomplished through use of a wheel as oppose to the levers found in tanks. This, naturally, made training of driving personnel a tad easier.

The vehicle would definitely go on to prove its worth time and again. The Ford 8-cylinder water-cooled gasoline engine provided enough hauling power on the worst of roads and in the worst of conditions. Add to this the well-designed suspension system and it becomes no wonder how this little vehicle made it into so many hands.

The Bren Gun Carrier was served with a single 7.7mm Bren light machine gun on a pintle mounting. The light machine gun could be swapped out in favor of the Boy's .50 caliber anti-tank rifle for defense and one variant in particular - the "Wasp" - was fitted with a flamethrower. Captured Bren carriers in German Army service were refitted and put back into service mounting the 37mm PaK anti-tank gun.

Bren carriers could be found on most fronts accomplishing just about any type of job including medevac, infantry support (mounting various caliber mortars), artillery tow vehicle, mobile command post and demolitions.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Universal Carrier (BREN Gun Carrier). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.

Total Production: 113,000 Units
Contractor(s): Aveling-Barford, Ford, Sentinel, Thornycroft, Wolseley - UK