Carrier weapon handling

A Britiish military training film made at the School of Infantry, produced for the Directorate of Army Kinematography, approved November 1942. This film demonstrates method of handling a weapon carrier; withdrawing under fire; grenade throwing from carrier; firing Bren Gun from carrier; firing Boys Anti-tank Rifle from carrier. Reel 2: firing 2" mortar from carrier.

[@Treblaine]

They made over 113'000 of these Universal Carriers, making it the most produced armoured vehicle of all time, surpassing even the production of the T-54/T-55.

[@bipolarbear9917]

My Dad was a sergeant in charge of his platoon of 11 guys, 2x Universal Carriers and 2x 3 inch Mortars during the D-Day landings on Juno Beach (Nan White). He fought all through Europe into Berlin including on the ill-fated Operation Market Garden. He discharged from the army in the 1950s at the rank of Company Quarter Master Sergeant (CQMS). Rest in peace Dad.

[@bipolarbear9917]

@@leyland610 No, he was British. His regiment was attached to the 3rd Canadian Division for the D-Day landings. I'm almost certain he was with the Royal Berkshire Regiment, 5th Battalion. I still have his army memorabilia including: his cap badge, his stripes, lanyard, various army patches, brass, campaign medals and bar, and a whole assortment of black and white photos of his army life. I really treasure these things. They were extraordinary times.

[@bipolarbear9917]

@@leyland610 That's great! Thanks.

[@danreed7889]

I bet he had stories

[@NimGrose]

My father who was a sergeant with the London Rifle Brigade was badly wounded whilst on a Carrier taking part in the second Battle of El Alamein on the 2nd of November 1942. His driver was killed. He also drove Carriers. The wall of a building in a village in East Sussex still bears the scars from where he collided with it prior to his regiment leaving for North Africa. He was reminded of this incident the rest of his life as he met my mother whilst stationed in the village and he lived there until he died in 2002.

[@knightowl3577]

My uncle was a carrier driver, he never mentioned the stirring music they did their training to.

[@stuartjarman4930]

I think the music was to try and keep exhausted trainees awake during the film!

[@denisrobertmay875]

"Lillebulero". It used to be the theme for BBC World Service radio. During the war it was played in all transmissions domestic and foreign in intervals. The repeated "dit, dit, dah" tune symbolised morse "V for Victory"

[@chrisbell5920]

Fascinating piece of film. To get to see the inside of one of these Universal Carriers is unusual, normally its just an outside view in a still photo.

[@354sd]

This is very interesting You wouldn't think that little vehicle was so good

[@christopherwebber3804]

"Some people are afraid of the recoil" - too right they were!!!

[@nor0845]

My grandfather said there were two things everyone wanted (apart from going home😉): a Commando knife and a Bren carrier. He got the Commando knife but someone nicked it two days later! Then he finally got a Bren carrier but that only lasted a couple of weeks before an Officer commandeered it as his ‘staff car’ 🙂. Everyone wanted one!

[@rogersmart1393]

"now is the time for maintenance" Yeah, I'll just give it a quick oil and filter change, corporal, while you go and poke that entire German battalion in the wood over there. With your Bren. You want me to valet the interior while I'm on? 'Ere, mate, don't forget your flag...

[@WildBillCox13]

Very informative and thanks for posting, AWM!

[@WildBillCox13]

On Soviet Red Army use of the Universal Carrier Six men in a Bren are sleeping again, but only one is warm. The radioman hides, the TC chides, and the burp gunners share the storm, The loaders have welts from the ammo belts and the MG man's cold as heck, Only the driver smiles as they shiver(!), he sleeps on the engine deck! -WBC

[@astridvallati4762]

Obviously filmed on Salisbury Plain ( near Stonehenge) a very large, open military training area. Tactics typical of 1939-1940 France engagements...until they came up to Pkfw III or IV, or Infantry Sections with MG 34... North Africa was Shoot and Scoot; Tactics adapted to Desert Conditions... SWP: Mobile MG platform...Boys replaced by Vickers gun or Browning M1919A4.

[@biggiouschinnus7489]

Surprisingly, there's actually evidence that Germans frequently mistook Bren carriers for light tanks. Sounds daft until you remember that, in the Heer, a vehicle like the Bren carrier would be restricted to the Panzer divisions. So German infantry units would come under attack from a Bren platoon, assume it was the advance guard of a larger tank force, and withdraw.

[@criffermaclennan]

By the numbers....

[@FairladyS130]

Low angle firing is cool.

[@SD78]

Drive-by grenading. Presumably never actually used in combat.

[@brennantate1901]

Actually that and drive by shooting were used. The issue is to do as much travel in close to dead ground as possible. Used against isolate small groups of infantry. Hence the importance of staying down. And moving quickly

[@SD78]

@@brennantate1901 the idea of driveby grenading ever being used is highly unlikely.

[@JohnyG29]

It certainly was used quite often in a pinch.

[@jameswarner8038]

8:44 ah i wondered how this was going to work

[@sparshfilms8417]

And the Bren Gun Carrier became the deadliest,most feared tracked vehicle, used extensively during world war 2. hahahahahahahahaha.........Very nicely shot.Beautifully made video.

[@glynwelshkarelian3489]

Lots of interesting details, like the fact the 2 inch mortar obviously had a trigger, so it could be fired when horizontal. The four man team must have been common enough to have a film made, but I don't remember it being mentioned in anything I've read or watched. The film was made in 42 for the infantry. Did this kind of unit remain common for the rest of the war? And how would it have fitted into larger infantry units?

[@WildBillCox13]

The 2" was Lanyard fired in this video. I think the Italian 45mm Brixia had a regular trigger*. Universal carriers were enough to add "Armoured" to your formation type. It wasn't much armor, and there was no protection from above, but it was better than advancing across the open shanks mare. The US made a slightly larger version, with two complete suspension units to each side, rather than one and half. This was called the T16. An interesting historical tidbit: the Battling Bastards of Bataan had Carriers, too. Theirs were armed with .30cal Brownings. * From the 45mm Brixia's Wiki "A lever allowed for operating the breech and firing the weapon, while ammunition was fed in by the loader. Well trained teams could reach up to 18 rounds per minute, although operational rate of fire was less intense to avoid damage to the firing tube. The Brixia mortar differed from comparable World War II weapons in that it was trigger fired-"

[@WildBillCox13]

From the wiki: "The seven mechanized divisional cavalry regiments in the British Expedtionary Force (BEF) in France during 1939-1940 were equipped with Scout Carriers - 44 carriers and 28 light tanks in each regiment. There were 10 Bren Carriers in each infantry battalion in the same period.[12] The Reconnaissance Corps regiments - which replaced the cavalry regiments in supporting Infantry divisions after 1940 - were each equipped with 63 carriers, along with 28 Humber Scout Cars. Universal Carriers were issued to the support companies in infantry rifle battalions for carrying support weapons (initially 10,[13] 21 by 1941,[14] and up to 33 per battalion by 1943[15]). A British armoured division of 1940-41 had 109 carriers; each motor battalion had 44.[16] A British Carrier platoon originally had ten Universal Carriers with three carrier sections of three Universal Carriers each plus another Universal Carrier in the platoon HQ (along with a 15-cwt GS truck). Each Universal Carrier had a non-commissioned officer (NCO), a rifleman and a driver-mechanic. One Universal Carrier in each section was commanded by a sergeant, the other two by corporals."

[@brennantate1901]

The carrier platoons were standard throughout the war. 1 per infantry Bth and 1 per motor company. 2 sections of 3 carriers plus 1 or 2 HQ for each Recce Regiment (at least one per Inf Div) The things were so useful that units tried hard to scrounge up all they could. In the Desert and later in the war crews grew. The early war had Motorcycle sections in these units. These were "lost" but the personnel were added to carrier crews. Thus 5 or even 6 men per "combat" carrier. These scrounged all the weapons the could, 50 cal / 12. 7mm MG's. multiple extra MG's. "non-combat" carriers were oiftewn stripped of weapons b ut there most common form of lost was breakdown from gross overloading

[@mcstaal]

You known it's a light "tank", when you have to throw the granate yourself.

[@xusmico187]

looks liks a kit that should be brought back to service grenades? dont know if i would want to be in the ride when someone was playing with grenades.

[@stuartjarman4930]

Yeah - if you're close enough to throw things at the enemy it's too bloody close!

[@KTo288]

Rather than a drive by shooting, a drive by bombing. Imagine some butterfingers dropping a primed grenade into the innards of a carrier, get out as quickly as possible or try and dig it out.

[@ptonpc]

@@KTo288 You'll only mess up once.

[@user-xs1yx9tc9m]

Does the driver and 'gunner' seats have a 'high and low' position ?

[@awatt]

Yes

[@shumyinghon]

the vehicle looks really crammed, the driver especially

[@MasterChief-sl9ro]

Why does the music sound like the 3 Stooges..

[@aliray1165]

Most useful tool of the war? These carriers must have been lethal from all sides!

[@panthermartin7784]

Lol jhc mean while , what, Jerry had himself a lil nap?

[@kuleshov313]

Приехали два английских Джона в 1940 году, закидали всех гранатами (без ответки) постреляли и домой!

[@jelkel25]

This must have been fantastic to tool around in till someone ruined it by shooting at you.

[@bigglesflysagain1749]

One poor oddity was that the magazine mounted high and could be seen by enemy when gunner was down in the grass ! I fired this weapon and a good kick but a rush in shooting it !

[@rosslynstone]

well if the mag was underneath the gun would be higher exposing more

[@hoilst]

Yes, but isn't it true that if the magazine wasn't mounted high you couldn't get as low down in the grass yourself?

[@peterk2455]

@@hoilst Any concealment is lost as soon as it's fired

[@ptonpc]

It wasn't found to be that much of a problem. It's not that big an object that it can be easily seen if you are using concealment. As others have said, it lets you get lower down to the ground and also helps with magazine changes and feeding.

[@alpinetarn4603]

Idk but perhaps they thought people were pretty dim if that needed more than one viewing. Or amni just a genius?

[@peterk2455]

Never underestimate the ability of a soldier to find a new way to screw it up

[@valles_marineris8955]

@@peterk2455 haha

[@ptonpc]

It's one to thing to watch a film in a comfortable setting and say "Yep I understand all of it". It's entirely another thing to remember how to do things when under stress, cold, wet, under fire. No this film would not be their entire training. It is intended to be used as part of a more complete package.