Universal Carrier with Mortar

Add the Universal Carrier with Mortar to your WWII tabletop force, historical miniature collection, or diorama. This made-to-order model is available in a choice of scales; select your preferred scale from the dropdown.

The Universal Carrier—when configured as a dedicated Mortar Carrier (officially designated as the Universal Carrier No. 2, Mk I Mortar Carrier)*—was a highly effective mobile fire-support platform used by British and Commonwealth forces during World War II. Rather than just transporting the weapon, this variant was specially modified to allow infantry support platoons to carry a heavy mortar, its baseplate, a massive stockpile of ammunition, and the crew directly into tactical firing positions.

Design and Bodywork

• Chassis & Manufacturer: Built on the standard, open-topped riveted steel armor hull manufactured by Ford, Wolseley, Morris, and Ford of Canada.
• The Mortar Configuration: The defining trait of this version was the structural remodeling of the rear compartments. To accommodate the heavy weapon and its explosive payload, the standard rear infantry bench seats were removed. In their place, heavy-duty steel brackets, reinforced floor mountings, and specialized storage lockers were factory-welded to securely clamp the weapon and its massive baseplate down during rugged transit.
• Ammunition Stowage: The rear bins were partitioned into custom, quick-access cellular racks lined with protective material to securely hold heavy mortar bomb transport cases without them rattling or shifting off-road.
• Deployment Layout: While early experiments attempted to fire the mortar directly from inside the vehicle, standard doctrine required the crew to rapidly unclamp the weapon, assemble it on the ground behind the carrier's armored shield, and fire it as a conventional ground-mounted weapon.

Technical Specifications

• Engine: Powered by the standard mid-mounted 239-cubic-inch (3.9-liter) Ford side-valve V8 petrol engine generating 85 to 95 horsepower.
• Transmission: 4-speed manual gearbox. The engine cover sat centrally, acting as a physical divider between the left and right rear mortar crew bins.
• Drive Configuration: Tracked run utilizing the Horstmann suspension system. It retained the unique "track warping" steering wheel system for gradual turns and mechanical steering brakes for sharp, tactical pivots.
• Top Speed: Maintained its highly agile top speed of 30 mph (48 km/h) on hard surfaces, ensuring fire-support platoons could quickly sprint into position to aid advancing infantry.
• Weight & Dimensions: Total combat weight hovered around 4.2 tons when fully loaded with a maximum combat load of mortar bombs. Length ~12 ft (3.66 m), Width ~6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), Height ~5 ft 2 in (1.57 m).

Capacity & Utility

• Primary Armament: Carried a complete Ordnance ML 3-inch mortar (including the barrel, bipod, baseplate, and sight units).
• Ammunition Payload: Engineered with a specialized internal capacity to carry up to 66 rounds of 3-inch mortar bombs (High Explosive and Smoke variants) packed directly inside the customized rear lockers.
• Secondary Defense: Retained the forward passenger compartment gun slit, which was typically fitted with a .303 caliber Bren light machine gun for close-range defensive fire while the vehicle was in transit.
• Crew: 4 personnel (Driver and Mortar Platoon Commander/Bren Gunner in the front; Mortar Gunner and Loader in the rear compartments).

Wartime Legacy

• Production: Integrated seamlessly into the global production run of over 113,000 Universal Carriers. Thousands of chassis were specifically rolled off assembly lines under the "Mortar Carrier" specification to fully equip the Support Companies of Commonwealth infantry battalions.
• Notable Service: Played a vital tactical role in Northwestern Europe, Italy, and the North African desert. A single British infantry battalion's Support Company field-deployed an entire Mortar Platoon split into three sections, each running two of these mortar carriers. Their ability to cross muddy, cratered battlefields where wheeled trucks would easily bog down meant that infantry commanders always had immediate, devastating indirect fire support right when they needed it most.

Designer: M Bergman
Manufacturer: S&C Foundry
Associated Army: British
Era: WWII
Product features: Printed with high-quality ABS-like gray resin.

This is a 3D-printed product and may have minor imperfections. Some assembly and removal of print supports may be required.