Brandt mle 35 (Mortier Brandt de 60mm modele 35)

History

Like other major military powers of the interwar period, France adopted several infantry-class grenade launchers. One of them was developed in 1935 and introduced in 1937 as the Brandt Modele 1935, a 60mm system with a predominantly traditional design (by today's standards). The weapon influenced several mortar designs of the time, including the famous American 60mm M2.

Both were used in World War II (1939-1945).

The design of the French gun is attributed to Edward Brandt, whose name graces several classic French mortar designs.

The French Modele 1935 fires a 1.3kg light projectile from a sleek launch tube. The launch hull is supported by an adjustable bipod and reinforced by a solid base plate. Integrated optics allow the operator to precisely adjust the instrument as needed. A typical worker consists of five people, each of whom plays a role in the smooth functioning of the system.

A heavier 2.2 kg projectile was also developed.

The mortar works as usual - the loader drops a live round into the launch tube on the muzzle. The projectile falls to the bottom of the tube and hits its primer with the firing pin.

The propellant of the projectile is ignited and the projectile is ejected from the barrel and follows its trajectory - subject to environmental factors such as the height adjustment lever on the bipod and wind. A standard high-explosive (HE) shell is used to maximize damage against soft targets, such as submerged enemy infantry.

A trained crew can fire at a rate of 20 to 25 rounds per minute (depending on the shell used) at a range of 1,700 meters. The complete weapon system weighs 19.7kg and can be disassembled into the most important parts of the journey.

Each French infantry regiment received about 9 Mle 1935 systems, so about 200 projectiles.

Romania was an export customer of Brandt Mle 1935 before WWII, so they were in stock when the first shot was fired (Romania pledged to join the Axis cause) - some were also produced locally under license. The Germans took full account of the French design to store captured examples. These were renamed 6 cm Granatwerfer 225(f) - the small "f" indicates their French origin.

The Chinese also chose the Mle 1935 and developed it as their own localized indirect fire solution (in the "Type 31").

The Mle 1935 mortar was in service until the 1960s.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes