BEF advice

[Tim Haslam]

I’m considering an early war British force for Bolt Action.
I like the idea of a carrier mounted infantry force.
But I’m woefully uneducated on this part of the war from an organisation point of view?

Were there mounted infantry units using Bren Carriers as transport in the BEF?

Bare in mind, this is Bolt Action so it’s a little bit Hollywood, and it’s a painting and modelling project rather than a ‘win at all costs’ type of army

Thanks in advance.

[vodkafan]

Infantry battalion in 1940 had  only a carrier platoon of 10 carriers.   Divisional Cavalry regiments (think there were 3?)  had a mix of carriers and Vickers light tanks, but that organisation didn't survive the battle for France of course. But that is just what you are looking for I'll bet.

These are the 3 regiments you are looking at, which formed
2nd Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade:

The 2nd (Queen's Bays) Dragoon Guards
9th (The Queen's) Royal Lancers
10th (The Prince of Wales's Own) Royal Hussars

googling for orbats now...

[Tim Haslam]

Cool, thanks.
Funnily enough I was going to add a vickers light tank too!

Just got to work out who was using kilts for the last time at the battle of France

[vodkafan]

Oh alternatively the "pivot group" of the 1st (only) Armoured Division of the BEF 1940 had 2 Motor Infantry battalions, each company in the battalion had a scout platoon of carriers with the rifle platoons in 15cwt  trucks...would that do for Bolt Action? Would you need to have more than a company's worth?

[vodkafan]

Cool, thanks.
Funnily enough I was going to add a vickers light tank too!

Just got to work out who was using kilts for the last time at the battle of France

Ah you posted while I was writing my last post- sounds like the Cavalry Regt is more what you are after.
If you want some mad Scotsmen, I read in "The Flames Of Calais" years ago about the Glasgow dock workers of a unit of the Pioneer Corps who, having run out of ammo for their rifles, rushed at the Germans with cut throat razors. The Germans fled!

[vodkafan]

My google-fu has failed me, this note is all I could find, not a proper ToE:

Divisional Cavalry Regiment: Consisted of headquarters and three squadrons equipped with twenty-eight light tanks and forty-four carriers.4 Each light tank had two Vickers machine guns and each carrier one light machine gun. The strength was about 480 officers and men and for personal weapons they had 240 pistols, 296 rifles, ten light machine guns and ten anti-tank rifles. The cavalry regiments shown in the list as G.H.Q. troops and those shown in the two light armoured reconnaissance brigades were organised on this basis.

[Digits]

I may be wrong but I thought the Germans used captured Bren Carriers in Normandy as a tank hunter, armed with panzerfausts.  Were these not captured from the BEF?

Actually that bay have been  Italy so possibly captured North Africa.  However, they did use captured universals against the Russians as demolition vehicles but not sure if these were captured from the Brits or directly from the Russians.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

The Bren, Scout and Universal carriers are different, which is worth bearing in mind.

I suspect carriers are ubiquitous to British and Commonwealth forces - so wherever there was a reverse, the Germans would find them.

[Tim Haslam]

Superb information, as usual!
Many thanks.

Yeah, BA is only platoon sized, so a few squads of infantry, some light support (HMG, BoYs, and a mortar)
Add the Bren carriers and a Vickers with HMG in the turret.

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

Just got to work out who was using kilts for the last time at the battle of France

Have a read of this for what little inspiration is available on the use of the kilt in WW2:-

https://toofatlardies.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=12037

The most relevant stuff is on pages 2 and 3.

[voltan]

I may be wrong but I thought the Germans used captured Bren Carriers in Normandy as a tank hunter, armed with panzerfausts.  Were these not captured from the BEF?

They did and when they're mentioned it usually says they were captured from the BEF.

[Digits]

I thought so.  That’s why I used it as inspiration for a 40k conversion once.



Anyway back on track (see what I did there)

http://ftr.wot-news.com/2013/10/27/universal-carrier-in-german-service/

[Truscott Trotter]

Carrier plt OOB here
http://www.bayonetstrength.uk/BritishArmy/BritInfBn/2.%20WE%20Inf%20Bn%20Apr1940.pdf

Kilts
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f105/kilts-dunkirk-32146/
and
http://www.davidrowlands.co.uk/gallery/gal_detail.asp?varPaintCode=054

[Tim Haslam]

Superb
Thanks TT

[3 fingers]

I thought so.  That’s why I used it as inspiration for a 40k conversion once.



Anyway back on track (see what I did there)

http://ftr.wot-news.com/2013/10/27/universal-carrier-in-german-service/

Ooh that’s rather spiffy 👍