Bren Gun Carrier

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Back in the 70's, Airfix Magazine did an extensive series on the whole Carrier Caper, from the early "concept" through the "Carden-Lloyd" variants and through to the end, including Oz and Kiwi variants.

Sadly, I lost virtually my entire collection of those mags in a very nasty storm here in Brisbane back in the mid eighties.

Any forummers familiar with these articles?

---------- Post added at 06:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:57 PM ----------

Found some more details on the magazine articles here:

Aeroflight 1960s Contents Listing

Vol.10 No.11, July 1969 contained the first installation of the saga.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Book (probably not the Airfix series) here:

Universal Carrier 1936-48: The 'bren Gun Carrier' Story : David Fletcher, Tony Bryan : 9781841768137

[Peter Laidler]

My pal, another REME reservist Officer worked as the resident Engineer at the distilleries right up in the North of Jockland. Up until the early 70's the Electricity boards and game keepers used to use Bren Gun carriers as the means of transporting equipment up the mountains. The remains of some are still (?) there, painted in da-glo colours. The favourite ones to be used were the flame thrower versions due to their greater load space so he tells me

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Pushing the envelope a bit further:

I just scored an interesting publication, well, two, actually.

They are little "guide books' published by "Bellona Publications", a division of Model and Allied Publications in the UK, circa 1968-ish.

"A Summary of the Self-Propelled Weapons of the German Army, 1939-45.

Part 2 is: "Weapons on Foreign Built Fully Tracked Chassis".

Along with the Czech, French, Russian etc. stuff, is a small entry on "recycled" British vehicles: Matilda tanks and Bren / Universal Carriers. The allies lost about 60 THOUSAND vehicles of all types up to and including the evacuation of Dunkirk. Many of these and a LOT of (2500) artillery pieces, were destroyed by the retreating army. However, it is not surprising that enough of them found "new employment" to be given official German designations.

A Carrier with a snow-plough for the Luftwaffe is not something you see every day. The "new" designation was apparently: Schneeschaufel auf Schlepper 'Bren' (e).

Small pic in the booklet; may not scan too well, but I'll give it a whirl.

[Peter Laidler]

I spoke to a Grenadier Guardsman who was captured at Dunkirk regarding Brens/Bren book (he didn't have much good to say about them.....) and he mentioned to me that for several weeks after he was captured and after the last of the BEF had been taken back, he was 'attached' to a small troop/platoon of Germans, acting as their unofficial 'helper, although he said he was their 'skivvy' or 'HiWi'. They had a salvaged British light truck that he and another captured skivvy had got back into working condition for them and used as their platoon transport. He seemed to get on rather well with them and they promised that if he kept his head down and didn't make waves they'd take him with them when they invaded Britain a few weeks later!!!!! Or if not, then they'd take him back to Germany and POW camp. He just got on with it on the basis that a 3rd class ride is better than a first class walk!

He stayed with them until he was rumbled. And then forced to join a small batch of captured blokes where he was forced to march through France, Holland and on a barge at Roermond and up into Kriegeland as he called it. He was much better fed than most of them and some just dropped dead on the roadside in the summer heat. He contacted the English speaking German NCO in the 50's and in 1980 something he returned to Dunkirk (in a VW camper no less.....) and retraced his journey into Poland and captivity and met up with the German NCO again. Amazingly, the NCO still had his parents Maidenhead address that he was given and was going to see them after they'd invaded to tell them that George was well - or as well as a POW could be! Alas, events dear boy........, the invasioin didn't transpire!

He wrote a small book about it and his post war return journey after he retired

[harry mac]

My dad did a lot of work on carriers when he was stationed out in Hong Kong during the Korean unpleasantness. The carriers wouldn't run for very long in the hot climate without cutting out. My dad hit on the idea of moving the coil to a position near the air intake so that the air flow cooled it. The mod was adopted and the carriers ran much better. I think, if I rummaged around in his loft I could find some pams or notebooks on the T16 variant.