Brief History:
Universal Carrier MkI In the 1930's Vickers designed and produced a series of weapon carriers, these included the MMG Carrier, Scout Carrier, Bren Carrier and Cavalry Carrier. These had two compartments, one at the front with driver and gunner, and a second small compartment for a third crewman at one side of the engine. In 1939 it was decided to build only one vehicle, the Universal Carrier, which could be adapted to different roles as required. The Universal Carrier MkI appeared in 1940, it differed from earlier Carriers by having three compartments, the front was unchanged, but now two compartments were provided, one each side of the engine. These had raised rectangular sides which increased load capacity. It could carry up to 6 men and had more space for weapons or cargo. The basic Universal Carrier was often called "Bren Carrier" as it was armed with a .303 Bren light machine gun. Other variants included MMG (Vickers .303 MG) Artillery Tractor (6 Pounder A/T gun), Wireless (No9 or No19 radio set), Observation Post (OP), Wasp Flamethrower and Slave (extra batteries and starting equipment). They were used by almost all branches of the British and Commonwealth armies, with 113,000 being produced. Powered by a Ford V-8 85 bhp engine, the Universal Carrier had a speed of over 50 km/h and a range of 200 km. Armour was from 7-10mm and the combat weight was 4 tonnes