TYPE: Anti tank riflle carrier/tank destroyer
**AMOUNT IN NORWEGIAN SERVICE:**14+ uncertain
TIME IN SERVICE OF THE NORWEGIAN ARMY: 1941 - late 1950’s
ARMAMENT
1x 14mm Boys anti-tank rifle
-Barrel length: 910 mm
-Cartridge: .55 Boys (Kynoch & RG)
-Calibre: 14 mm
-Action: Bolt-action rifle
-Rate of fire: Ca. 10 round/min
-Feed system 5-round detachable box magazine
-Muzzle velocity: 884 m/s (2,900 ft/s)
-Armor Penetration
-23.2mm penetration at 90° 91m
-18.8mm penetration at 90° 460m
TECHNICAL DATA
Weight Loaded: 3.75 ton
Weight unloaded: 3.19 t
Length: 3.65 m
Width: 2.06 m
Height: 1.57 m
Crew: 3
Engine: 3.9-litre Ford V8 petrol
Eigne Power: 85 hp at 3,500 rpm
Suspension: Horstmann
Fuel capacity: 91 L
Operational range: 250 km
Maximum speed: 48 km/h
ARMOR
Armour: 7–10 mm
HISTORY
The Universal Carrier was a natural standardization of the earlier types of Carriere that were already in production before the war. The basic appearance was retained, but it received a standard hull type that was used for all roles. This version went into production in 1940/41 and in service from the same time. In total, over 75,000 units were produced during the war in Great Britain, Canada and the USA (those produced in the USA had slightly different specifications than the others). The type was used for a number of different roles such as e.g. personnel transport, bomb launcher vehicle, mg carrier, observation post, tow vehicle for anti-tank guns and ambulance. The wagon type was used by all British and Canadian forces from 1941 onwards. After the war, they were used by a number of countries, especially in Europe.
Norwegian usage:
In 1941, at the Norwegian Brigade in Scotland, a reconnaissance unit was established with 14 Carriers, commonly called “Carriertroppen”. In 1944, this troop joined the newly formed Norwegian Independent Recce Squadron. After the war, the vehicle type was used by the Norwegian Tysklandsbrigaden “German Brigade” in the anti-tank units, at home in Norway they were used until the late 1950s, when they were gradually phased out of service
What was the German Brigade?
From 13.01.1947 - 30.04.53
(when the last crews arrived in Norway, official command closure was 16.04) was a Norwegian brigade stationed in Germany. during these years the brigade was located in several places and it also varied somewhat in setup, but the total strength including the Tysklandskommandoen (German command) never exceeded 4,400 men. The background for such a brigade was an agreement that had been concluded between the Norwegian government in London and the British, where the British originally wanted Norway to provide 12,000 men as part of the occupation force in Germany
Setup
All the soldiers were set up and received their basic education in Norway in several different places, depending on which department they belonged to. It was only a limited part of the conscripts who were sent to Germany and it varied which forming departments sent soldiers from Germany from one contingent to the next. which, for example, was the Reconnaissance Squadron in 471 from Dragoon Regiment No. 1, while the Reconnaissance Squadron in 472 was Dragoon Regiment No. 2.
Material
The vast majority of the material, both for individuals and the departments, was made available by the British and was therefore formally British property in the early days. The agreement between the British and Norwegian authorities was set up so that the equipment was paid off and therefore became Norwegian property over time.
Vehicles were part of this deal and most were British and Canadian types, but there were also some jeeps. some vehicles were also brought from Norway, including the 3 m8 greyhound that came down in 1949, and a number of administrative vehicles of German origin were also allocated from the British.
Operational areas
The brigade mainly operated in 2 different areas during the time it existed. both of these areas were within the British occupation zone since the bridge was ceded to the British. from January 1947 to autumn 1948, the brigade was stationed in the Hartz region of Germany, which is located in Lower Saxony. The Norwegian operational area was along the zone border between the British and Soviet zones. this area was chosen because it reminded a lot of Norway with mountains and valleys and partly a lot of snow in winter. nevertheless, a desire was expressed early on from the Norwegian political side to move the brigade to another area. This was rooted both in a desire to have the brigade closer to Norway so that it could be easier to withdraw it home if the need arose and to move it away from the zone border where it would be in the front line from day one if a war or conflict with the Soviet Union were to occur break out. from the autumn of 1948 the brigade was transferred to Schelswig-Holstein, the main part of the brigade was in place in September, but the last elements did not arrive until November 1948. this area was very different from the Hartz with a flat landscape and therefore bore little resemblance to Norway. the main task of the brigade here became the defense of northern Germany and Denmark in the event of a Soviet attack. The brigade remained in this area until it was withdrawn in 1953
PICTURES
Spoiler
SOURCES
Spoiler
MOTORISERTE MILITÆRKJØRETØY I NORGE - HMKSHOP - Depot Moane
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Norske Militære Kjøretøy-register | Facebook
Boys anti-tank rifle - Wikipedia
Universal Carrier - Wikipedia
- Yes
- No
