When the Germans captured universal carriers in normandy did they re-equip the machine gun with an MG 42 or did they keep a bren gun there instead?
They kept the bren gun till they used all of the ammo then substitted their own MG’s…
Tankluver, they also captured some from Dunkirk. On some of these they added several of their version of the Bazooka if you are looking for ideas.
Yes I saw that on www.beute.narod.ru it has all the German vehicles that they captured. I have an idea for a diorama with a captured universal carrier that is manned by German Fallschirmjager and Luftwaffe elements, One man will be pointing in a direction to a stug crew loaded down with infantry.
Tankluver
In the “Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two”, they have a picture of the ‘Gepanzerter Maschinengewehr Trager Bren 731(e)’ or Bren carrier with a Maxim MG08 machine gun on a pedestal mount (which was on the front plate that the bren gun went thru) being used by the Luftwaffe for airfield defence. They also mounted the 3.7 cm Pak and the 2 cm Flak38 using a mount that was located over the front of the Engine cover .
Tankluver: you ask the question as if you assume that every single Carrier was captured by a single unit and used in similar conditions. The fact is many were captured at different spots and times and whatever unit took charge – it was up to them to do with them what they wished. Think more about your question – I think you’ll arrive at the answer before even posting it.
Rather than asking if German operated Carriers in Normandy had a MG42, why don’t you ask if there are any known pictures of them in German hands, still mounting the Bren LMG?