Andrew Oakden
Stag Special

Children will call them tanks, but they are not tanks.
These military vehicles are actually light armoured general purpose carriers, with a set of tracks instead of wheels. These tracks allow the vehicle to go almost anywhere — no roads were needed.
The Universal Carrier or Bren Carrier, as it was commonly called, was produced by Ford and used a four-cylinder V-8, 85 BHP engine.
Fully equipped, this vehicle weighed about 9,800 pounds. It’s most prominent feature were the tracks.
In general, tracked vehicles had very low ground pressure and were suitable for soft surfaces such as mud and snow. The wide, low-profile carrier allowed for greater stability compared to a wheeled vehicle.
During the Second World War, it was used by light armoured reconnaissance units to transport troops, ammunition and supplies.
The infantry used it to deliver concentrated firepower to selected locations. It also operated as a gun tractor for many weapons systems, including the 25-pounder.
Common armaments included: .303 Bren, .45 sub MG, two-inch mortar, smoke generator, three rifles and grenades. The carrier had some armour protection, but not much compared to a tank.
The front hull had 10 millimetres of steel plate and the hull sides had seven millimetres. The rear also had seven millimetres and bottom just three millimetres.
Other equipment included: sig pistol, flags, tools, spares, camouflage net, wireless set, MG tripod, POW containers, rations and anti-gas equipment.