Apcs - Great Britain: books - history and construction

Universal Carrier 1936-48 - The 'Bren Gun Carrier' Story

The Universal Carrier was a fast, lightly armed vehicle developed by the British Army to carry infantry across ground defended by small-arms fire, specifically the Bren light machine gun, hence the name ‘Bren Gun Carrier'. This name would stick with the Universal Carrier and all of its future variants.

This book details the Carrier, which was employed in a number of roles including carrying ammunition and towing anti-aircraft guns and trailers. All Allies used the Universal Carrier extensively during practically every World War II campaign. By the war's end, the Universal Carrier had proved itself to be an invaluable and successful cross-country vehicle that was both agile and fast for its time.
This book details the conception, development and deployment of the Universal Carrier and its variants.

Contents: Introduction - Design and development of the Carrier - Operation - Active service - In combat - Foreign variants and service - Post-war service - Bibliography - Colour plate commentary - Index.

Bren Gun Carrier - Britain's Universal War Machine

One of the most versatile fighting vehicles in the British army and many other forces for a quarter of a century, the Universal Carrier - more popularly known by its original title of Bren Gun Carrier - was developed as a fast and agile infantry-support vehicle.

In this volume in Pen & Sword's LandCraft series, Robert Jackson traces its design and manufacturing history and describes its operational role throughout its long career.
The Bren Carrier served in every theatre of the Second World War, from northwest Europe, North Africa and the Soviet Union to the Far East. Then, with the war over, it was operated by many belligerents in a string of other conflicts around the world, including Israel's struggle for independence and the war in Korea.

A selection of archive photographs showing the Bren Carrier in action gives a graphic impression of how adaptable it was and records the variety of equipment it could carry. The book is an excellent source for the modeller, providing details of available kits together with specially commissioned colour profiles which illustrate how the Bren Carriers used by different units and armies appeared.

FV430 Series - Rare photographs from Wartime Archives

During the Second World War the British infantry found itself lacking suitable transport to cope with the fast moving German Blitzkrieg tactics. Various stop-gap measures were introduced with mixed success but, with the pots-war nuclear biological and chemical threat, it was imperative that a robust solution was found.
The FV300 and FV400 Cambridge carriers paved the way for the introduction of the AFV430 series in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War.

Initially a basic armoured personnel carrier, the series grew to cover a multitude of roles; command, recovery, mortar, Swingfire and remote mine clearing to name but a selection. Over 50 years later variants are still in service.
This classic Images of War book not only describes in words and images the AFV430 series but traces the development of infantry carriers for the British Army.

Warrior Mechanised Combat Vehicle 1987-94

The Warrior has been an important component of the British Army since the first production example was handed over in May 1987. It has seen action in many parts of the globe and the British Army alone uses eight different specialised versions of the vehicle, while Desert and Arctic Warriors are also produced for countries with extreme climates.
In this authoritative text Christopher Foss examines the development and operational life of the Warrior, the British army's most modern armoured personnel carrier, and its many variants, focussing on its role in 'Desert Storm' and other campaigns.

Contents: Design and Development - Inside the Warrior - Operational History - British Army Variants - Export Variants - Prototype Variants - Desert Storm Modifications - Future Developments.