Ref.: IBGM-72023
Universal Carrier I Mk.I
The Universal Carrier is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrong. Produced between 1934 and 1960, the vehicle was used widely by British Commonwealth Forces, Polish armed forces in the West and Red Army (by lend-lease deliveries) during the World War Two. Universal carriers were usualy used for personel and equipment transport, mostly, support weapons (mortars and flamethrowers) or as machinegun plateforms. With some 113000 built in the United Kingdom, it was the most produced allied armoured fighting vehicle in history. The Universal Carrier was produced in Great Britain by Aveling-Barford, Ford, Sentinel, Thornycroft and Wolseley Motors. By 1945, production amounted to approximately 57000 of all models, including some 2400 early ones. The Ford Motor Company of Canada manufactured about 29000 of the Universal Carriers. Smaller numbers of them were also produced in Australia (about 5000), New Zealand (about 1300) and United States and India.