Brandt mle 37 (Mortier Brandt de 50mm modele 37)

History

The Brandt mle 37 (model 1937) light mortar was one of several mortar systems introduced in France before World War II (1939-1945). The 81mm mle 27 was introduced in 1927 and the 50mm mle 37 was introduced in 1937 but not released until 1939.

The type was introduced as the successor to the French platoon-class infantry rifle grenade, providing more powerful and accurate indirect fire against entrenched enemy forces. The result was a weapon light and reliable enough to make a statement during World War I - although the collapse of French defenses in the German invasion of 1940 ensured that the mortars also entered the hands of French Vichy forces by the Germans . In the latter case, the mortar is named Granatenwerfer 203(f) - the small "f" stands for its French origin.

The mle 37 has a caliber of 50 mm and a tube length of 415 mm. Set the weight to 3.65 kg. Although the elevation angle is fixed at 45 degrees, the onboard controls allow 8 degrees of movement to either side.

The possible rate of fire is up to 25 rounds per minute, while the standard shell is High Explosive (HE). The range is 695 meters, and the speed of the projectiles is reported to be 70 meters per second.

In addition to the traditional launch tube, a base plate was introduced as well as a foldable bipod assembly.

Another light mortar in service became the mle 1935. This is a 60mm system also adopted by the US military (as the M1). In 1940, nearly 5,000 of the collection were available.

Specification

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Dimensions

Performance

Changes