Len Moore fought with the 2nd Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps 2/KRRC across the deserts of North Africa during WW1 from 1941 to 1943. It was a Mechanised Infantry Regiment.

Len Moore 2nd Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps

At the start of the Second World War, the British Army viewed the use of its various units separately and did not include a permanent infantry presence in its armoured brigades. However, as the Desert War progressed, more and more often infantry were attached on a regular basis. It was not until 1942 that each armoured brigade had its own dedicated infantry support. The Germans had seen the need for fast mobile infantry that could keep up with and support the advancing tanks back in 1939. They called their units Panzergrenadiers. It just took the British Army a bit longer to get things organised.

The British Motorised Infantry battalions differed greatly from the regular infantry units. They were issued with different vehicles, equipment and weapons. Troops and supplies were transported in Humber 8cwt and Bedford 15cwt trucks. For frontline use fully tracked armoured Bren Gun Carriers were used. The battalion had anti-tank companies equipped with the .55 inch Boys anti-tank rifle, 2pdr anti-tank guns and later 6pdr anti-tank guns. Bren Gun and Tommy Gun machine guns were issued to supplement the standard .303 infantry rifles. Later the M3 and M5 American half-tracks were provided to the battalion.

The Universal Bren Gun Carrier MkII was used by 2/KRRC in the North African Desert

The Bren Gun Carrier

The Universal Bren Gun Carrier MkII had armoured sides that would stop most small arms fire and protect the crew from high explosive artillery shell splinters. It was like a mobile pill box. It was used to get a machine gun to the front whilst offering some protection for the operator. The  .55 inch Boys (Boyes) anti-tank rifle was used sticking out the front of the Carrier. It was only effective against soft skinned vehicles and some of the thinly armoured Italian tanks.

It could not penetrate the thicker armour of the Panzer III and IV German tanks. Some Bren Gun carriers were equipped with radios and used as forward observation recognisance vehicles. Others were used as mobile mortar platforms: the crews would go forward and bombard enemy positions with 2 inch mortar shells whilst taking incoming fire. The Bren Gun Carrier's armour was not strong enough to protect the crew from a direct hit from an enemy tank or anti-tank gun.

It weighed 4 1/4 tons. It normally had a crew of 3 but could carry 4. The need to carry reserves of all supplies meant that the crew was often reduced to 3. The floor needed sandbags to lessen the deadly effect of mines. It only had 7-10mm of armour. It was powered by a ford V-8, 85hp engine and had a maximum road speed of 30mph. It had a range of 160 miles.

The .55 inch Boys anti-tank rifle was deployed out of the front of a Universal Bren Gun Carrier MkII