.50 cal armed Universal Carriers

[maple_leaf_eh]

I learned that machine gunnery is about suppressive fire, not necessarily point of aim. Putting MGs on a carrier might seem exciting to contribute to the fight, but their effect would have been mostly salutary.

The carrier platoons in an Infantry Battalion were for carrying things and not for fighting. There are accounts of carrier charges in the early days after DDay, but most of them seemed to have fizzled with heavy losses. That said, getting a ride into battle is much less tiring than trudging ahead on foot.

[Dan Martel]

Photo I have of an RCR MMG detachment mounted in a carrier from 1954. Post-war, after the MG battalions were converted back to rifle infantry, Vickers MG's were allocated to the rifle battalions and mounted on the carriers in the carrier platoon. The designation 'carrier platoon' and 'MG platoon' were used interchangeably in documents, I've found.

[Ed Storey]

Here is a photo of a M1917A1 .30 cal MG mounted on a Canadian Universal Carrier.