Brandt Mle 27/31
| Brandt mle 27 | |
|---|---|
|
Brandt Mle 27/31 on display at the Romanian Navy Museum. | |
| Type | Mortar |
| Place of origin |
 France |
| Service history | |
| Used by |
 Republic of China |
| Wars | Second World War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Edgar Brandt |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 56 kg (123 lb) |
| Barrel length |
1.26 m (4 ft 2 in) L/15.6 1.11 m (3 ft 8 in) L/13.7 |
| Crew | 3 |
|
| |
| Caliber | 81 mm (3.2 in) |
| Rate of fire | 18 rounds per minute |
| Effective firing range |
1,000 to 1,900 m (1,093 to 2,078 yd) |
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The Brandt mle 27/31 mortar was a regulation weapon of the French army during the Second World War. Designed by Edgar Brandt, it was a refinement of the Stokes mortar. The Brandt mortar was highly influential, being licensed built or copied by numerous countries.[1]
Description
The Brandt mle 27/31 was a simple and effective weapon, consisting of a smoothbore metal tube fixed to a base plate (to absorb recoil), with a lightweight bipod mount. The mle 27/31 could be disassembled into 3 loads and a normal crew was 3 men. When a mortar bomb was dropped into the tube, an impact sensitive primer in the base of the bomb would make contact with a firing pin at the base of the tube, and detonate, firing the bomb towards the target.
Mortar bombs fired by the weapon weighed either 3.25 kilograms or 6.9 kilograms.
This weapon along with the Stokes Mortar provided the pattern for most World War II era light mortars. France, Russia, Italy, China and the United States all had weapons built from this design many times with similar weights, dimensions and performance. The ammunition fired by each was often compatible as well. Romania license-built the Mle 27/31 mortar prior to and during the Second World War.
Known derivatives include the US M1 mortar (license-built)[2] and the Japanese Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar.[3]
It was produced also in Yugoslavia under license with small modifications known as MWM 31/38 Kragvjewac.
References
- ↑ Chris Bishop (2002). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Sterling Publishing Company. p. 202. ISBN 978-1-58663-762-0.
- ↑ Ian V. Hogg (2001). The American Arsenal: The World War II Official Standard Ordnance Catalog of Small Arms, Tanks, Armored Cars, Artillery, Antiaircraft Guns, Ammunition, Grenades, Mines, Etc. Greenhill Books. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-85367-470-9.
- ↑ John Norris (2002). Infantry Mortars of World War II. Osprey Publishing. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-84176-414-6.
- Dictionnaire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, 1982 ed.
- Ferrard, Stéphane. "Les mortier Brandt de 60 et 81 mm dans l'Armée française en 1940"