UNIVERSAL CARRIERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 October 1941, Page 5

UNIVERSAL CARRIERS

IMPROVEMENT ON THE BREN. CANADIAN PRODUCTION. Ottawa. Fast, low-slung Universal Carriers, with a speed of 50 miles an hour over rough terrain and protected against small arms fire by armour-plate, f° im part of Canada's contribution to the modern way of waging war in mechanised vehicles. Improvements _ and adaptations made in the Dominion have turned what formerly were scouting and light machine-gun carriers into formidable armoured fighting vehicles. Production of Universal Carriers in Canada now is sufficient to find all Canadian requirements and the British Government is taking large quantities of these powerful tracked vehicles; that cgn “turn on a dime,” roar up steep hills, or leap over small ditches with ease. The Universal, an improvement on the Bren Carrier, is used to move light machine-gun crews to a position from which the gun can be fired on the ground. The machine-gun is fired from the carrier itself in an emergency. Infantry battalions have a “carrier platoon” in their establishments to transport light machine-gun crews across difficult country. The Universal Carrier normally carries a crew of four men and their light machine-gun, but can also. be used as a personnel carrier, when double this number of men can be transported. Extras in the Universal Carriers include anti-aircraft mountings.