Did the BEF use the Carden Loyd Carrier?

Discussion in '1940' started by James K, Jan 4, 2020.

  1. James K

    James K Active Member

    I've seen references to every other type of carrier including the Dragon II but not the Carden Loyd. If it was who was it issued to?
     
  2. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    I've seen a couple of passing references to them being at the Dyle but no verifiable sources. It's possible that if any were there that they belonged to the Belgian Army. They seem to have had a reputation pre war for unreliability so that there could have been reluctance to take them abroad.
     
  3. Orwell1984

    Orwell1984 Senior Member

  4. Vintage Wargaming

    Vintage Wargaming Well-Known Member

    I can't work out how to identify which is post 332 with the Loyd Carrier, but of course the Carden Loyd referred to by the original poster (which I assume is the Mk VI)L is a completely different vehicle to the Loyd Carrier of 1940, which came into its own later in the war as a tow for the 2 pdr and then 6 pdr AT guns,once the Dragon had been abandoned and portees had received a mixed reception.The Mk VI Carden Loyd was introduced in 1929 so would have been pretty long in the tooth by 1940
     
  5. Orwell1984

    Orwell1984 Senior Member

  6. James K

    James K Active Member

    Sorry There seems to be some confusion. I'm not referring to the tankette although I would be interested to find out how they were used. I'm referring to the Loyd Carrier which was similar to the Universal carrier
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2020
  7. Vintage Wargaming

    Vintage Wargaming Well-Known Member

    Yes but the OP was referring to the Carden Loyd carrier (which was always a machine gun carrier and not a tankette, although it was used as a proxy light tank eg in the Experimental Armoured Force)
     
  8. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  9. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    It would be quite useful if James had stated just what sort of 'Carden Loyd' he was interested in.
     
  10. James K

    James K Active Member

  11. James K

    James K Active Member

    I did in the subject header of the original question "Carden Loyd Carrier" not Carden Loyd Tankett.
     
  12. James K

    James K Active Member

    Why are my replies to Rich Payne being deleted and by whom?
     
  13. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Nothing been deleted by Mods/Admin.
    Reply to Rich showing ok.
     
  14. Vintage Wargaming

    Vintage Wargaming Well-Known Member

    The Carden Loyd
    Yes I am, thanks a lot.
     
  15. Vintage Wargaming

    Vintage Wargaming Well-Known Member

    The Carden Loyd Mk VI had an international importance out of all proportion to the relatively small number of them manufactured and sold, both to the British Army and overseas.

    It was an MG Carrier not a tankette as it was designed to carry an MG and crew which would dismount to fight, rather than fighting the vehicle itself. Of course some of the vehicles it inspired - for example the Italian CV series - were used as tankettes as their cheapness meant you could have more of them and they were perfectly adequate for colonial adventures against opposition with no tanks of their own. I don’t know enough about their use in the Spanish Civil War but I suspect they may have been found out there.
     
  16. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    The same beast the Carden Loyd Carrier was used as a tankette
     
  17. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    OK .
    As we are discussing the Loyd carrier that appears in the photo a couple of us have linked to does anyone know who used them ?

    I'm surprised they were used in 1940 as I have only seen pics of them in NW Europe 44-45.
     
  18. James K

    James K Active Member

    Since its clear what vehicle I'm referring to isn't this a little pedantic? I was asking about the carrier which could be used for many purposes not the two man machine gun vehicle, if it were not clear before perhaps it should be now.
     
  19. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    As the Loyd was designed to make use of as much of the Fordson 15cwt 4x2 truck automotive components as possible and production set up could not have started before 1940 it would seem very unlikely that any number would have reached France.

    With regard to the Carden Loyd carrier it would appear that this more complicated vehicle was sold under whatever description the customer wanted for example Carrier personnel - Britain, Tankette - Belgium and Netherlands, Scout Car - Denmark so some some confusion seems inevitable. However they were all the same vehicle
     
  20. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    I've looked through the IWM Kidbrooke listings and can't see anything designated as a Carden Loyd Carrier which looks remotely as if it would have been in service with the BEF.

    Search our collection | Imperial War Museums
     
    Tricky Dicky likes this.

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