Was the Universal Carrier ("Bren gun carrier") actually good or one of those weird interwar things when no-one had quite figured out what was a good idea and what was retarded which stuck around for some reason? 113,000 of them were made.
>>62518408They were good artillery tractors and could tow troops and gear around while also having some protection from ambushes.
>>62518408you can't go wrong with a bulletproof box on tracksyou can do better, yes, but you can't fuck up with it
>>62518408It was basically the British version of the jeep. A cheap vehicle that could ferry troops and cargo around quickly.
Against infantry without AT guns or lots of dakka it did really well.
>>62518408Better than half tracks which were the other solution for lightly armored mobility. By modern standards it has a lot of flaws, the troops have to jump over the top to dismount, which isn't great. The armor is fine for what it was meant to face, which was at most small arms. The open top kept it low, light and gave good visibility while obviously not providing any top cover from airbursts. Other than that it was mechanically simple and reliable and that's a virtue that can't be overstated.
>>62518408Walk 15 miles in full kit then tell us afterwards whether you or not you'd like to ride in the shitty metal box.
Wow! This thread is instantly popular! Assorted generic comment sourced from wikipedia!
>>62518459seethe and sniff farts
>>62518425Like a MT-LB?
>>62518462>seethe and sniff fartsYes.That sums up this thread perfectly.
>>62518464Yes basically a tracked APC like the BTR-50, MT-LB, M113, or FV430
>>62518459War tourist noguns politics sperg detected
>>62518476>sperg detectedSurely you mean tard?
>>62518440"Theirs Is the Glory" is a good British movie from 1946 about Market Garden that had veterans of the battle reenacting it. There's a part at 20:35 where you can see a Bren carrier hauling ass:https://youtu.be/fiFeYxlPYy4
>>62518482Sperg fits the autistic fit better
>>62518484That actually looks good. Never heard of that movie before. I'll have to give it a watch.
>>62518408I'm sure it would have excelled at killing Australians in the interest period just as it did during ww2
>>62518493>fits the autistic fitThat's not "the t'ism". You're just dumb.Sorry.
>>62518509You being so fussy about the insult I gives really is making you own the sperg name.
>>62518518>the insult I givesDude. Seriously.I'm getting embarrassed for you.At least claim you're drunk or something.
>>62518524>Fussing over typosYou truly are a sperg.
>>62518530The limits of my language means the limits of my world.
>>62518507It's interesting to watch their assaults like at 21:30 and 35:00. That's probably how they did it, also the particular yell.
>>62518543Thanks Kamala.
>>62518563>the particular yell."Ahoy Mohamed!"
>>62518408It was a jeep equivalent that had a little armor and wouldn't get bogged down as badly in light mud
>>62518563>"let's send lightly-equipped airborne troops up against Panther tanks.">"Jolly good idea!"
>>62519590They weren't expecting any enemy tanks in the area. They didn't have any choice once they discovered the error. Either sit and wait to die or try to do something to do something. Paratroops are trained to fight unsupported and surrounded. That's what they did. Ideally, it will delay and disrupt the enemy long enough for the rest of the Army to reinforce them but it was...a bridge too far.
>>62518408it would have been better if it was an MG34 carrier. Mounted MG with a 20 round box mag is terrible
>>62519590beats sending troops into the Siegfried Line meatgrinder instead
>>62519590War is filled with unknowns. Every attack has its risks.
>>62518455>Better than half tracks which were the other solution for lightly armored mobility.they did different thingsthe half-track is an armored truck for squadsthe UC is an armored jeep for half-sized unitsboth of them served in their roles well>while obviously not providing any top cover from airbursts.only the americans had proximity fuzes to reliably airburst over ground targets and were only given out in very late 1944, just in time for the ardennes offensiveto get an airburst with timed shells, you need to estimate the exact moment the shell will be above the targetwith impact shells, you need to know exactly how far it will be along the ground affter bouncingeither way, it was hard enough getting it to burst over stationary targets never mind something on the move
>>62520063Airbursts were invented by Shrapnel in 1870, hence the name. The bongs had figured out time fuses way back in WW1 and used them effectively. They were less effective against trenches though because the nature of the angle of descent meant that the shrapnel is sprayed at relatively flat angle.The American shell you're thinking of is a proximity fuse, which used radar to detect how close it was to the ground before bursting. It was developed from anit-aircaft shells. They were very superior to time fuses because, as you said, you don't have to calculate the timings.But time fuses were a thing for ages before 1944.
>>62518408I find them and the Loyd carriers really cute and interesting, especially with all the weird shit people cooked up with them postwar since they were dime a dozen and could carry a good amount of stuff. As for if they were a good idea, I think they're fine for their intended role as a lightly armored utility vehicle, almost in the same vein as the kettenkrad but more protected
>>62518408It was their jeep. Carried troops and some extras.You'd still die a horrible shrapnel infused death if you got caught in one.
>>62518484parts of it were filmed during the operation
>>62518448better off road and armor than a jeep
>>62522264>. They were less effective against trenches though because the nature of the angle of descent meant that the shrapnel is sprayed at relatively flat angle.another reason why you arent airbursting a bren carrier, a majority of the frag is travelling in the direction the armor is protecting>The American shell you're thinking of is a proximity fuse, which used radar to detect how close it was to the ground before burstingsee: the only reliable way to get them to detonate at a specific time and place>But time fuses were a thing for ages before 1944.read the post: detailing the specific ways you could get an airbursting shell before 1944neither would be able to reliably hit a small moving target like a UCa roof would have been nice, but its hardly a deal breaker when 90% of fragments would be detonating on the sides and straddling the vehicle in the direction the armor was protecting
>>62522469>You'd still die a horrible shrapnel infused death if you got caught in one.the armor could protect against rifle rounds and most fragments
>>62518484>WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
>>62518408If you think of it as a tracked and lightly armoured jeep rather than a poorly designed APC its great.
>>62518448This. The US used both halftracks and Bren Gun Carriers in the Philippines and found that while the halftrack could carry more guns and people, the carrier was unmatched in its ability to crawl through the deep jungle where other vehicles couldn't. IIRC this was also a big factor during Goodwood and the assault on Caen, helping the bongs retain their manouverability after it rained and turned the battlefield into sludge
They could be used as APCs. In the counter-attack at Arras in 1940 they enabled the infantry to keep up with the tanks and formed a very nice combined-arms operation.
>>62522460WTF which madman put a 90mm gun on one?
>>62526733The Belgians, naturally.
>>62525910For those wondering how the Bren Carriers found themselves in the Philippines, it was a diverted shipment for the Canadians in Hong Kong and was instead sent there after a fuck up.
>>62528557The inevitable outcome when left with a pile of WWII surplus and several gallons of tripel
What's to stop us having a similar utility vehicle today? Something that can transport supplies, bring back casualties, go anywhere, is cheap, simple and reliable? I know we have helicopters but they are mega expensive.
>>62531873>What's to stop us having a similar utility vehicle today?the M113>Something that can transport supplies, bring back casualties, go anywhere, is cheap, simple and reliable?the M113 was adapted to pretty much every role under the sun
Beats walkin
>>62520063>to get an airburst with timed shells, you need to estimate the exact moment the shell will be above the targetThat isnt that hard. If you know where a shell is going to hit, you know where and when it be 25ft over the target and can set a fuse. Modern mortars have tables for that and I'm sure that's exactly how it's been done since at least WW1.
>>62522460>mommy can we get a jagtpanzer?>no we have tank hunters at home
>>62532319Radar equipped shells have been a thing for a very, very long time.
>>62518408I have my doubts that it could carry a universe
>>62528618The snafu was the Japanese invading everywhere all at once. If they'd had the decency to wait until mid-1942, then those carriers would have been put to use on the streets on Hong Kong. Instead, the Japs ruined Christmas.
