Brandt Mle 27/31: Difference between revisions

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox weapon
{{Infobox weapon
|name=Brandt mle 27
| name = Brandt mle 27
| image= Brandt Mle 27(31).JPG
| image = Brandt Mle 27(31).JPG
| image_size = 300
| image_size = 300
|caption=Brandt Mle 27/31 on display at the Romanian Navy Museum.
| caption = Brandt Mle 27/31 on display at the Romanian Navy Museum
|origin=France
| origin = France
|type=[[Mortar (weapon)|Mortar]]
| type = [[Mortar (weapon)|Mortar]]
<!-- Type selection -->
<!-- Type selection -->| is_ranged = yes
⚫
| is_explosive =
|is_ranged=yes
⚫
| is_artillery = yes
⚫
|is_explosive=
⚫
<!-- Service history -->| service =
⚫
|is_artillery=yes
| used_by = See [[Brandt_Mle_27/31#Users|Users]]
⚫
<!-- Service history -->
⚫
| wars = [[Second World War]]<br />[[First Indochina War]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Personal firepower|first=Edward Clinton|last= Ezell|publisher=Bantam Books|year=1988|series=The Illustrated history of the Vietnam War 15|oclc=1036801376|url=https://archive.org/details/personalfirepowe00ezel|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/personalfirepowe00ezel/page/41 41]|isbn=9780553345490}}</ref><br />[[Algerian War]]<ref name ="Algeria">{{cite magazine|language=fr|magazine=Gazette des Armes |issue=220 |date=March 1992|title=L'armement français en A.F.N.|pages=12–16|url=http://fr.1001mags.com/parution/gazette-des-armes/numero-220-mars-1992/page-16-17-texte-integral|first=Jean|last=Huon}}</ref><br />[[Portuguese Colonial War]]<ref name= 'Portugal'/><br />[[Vietnam War]]<ref name ="NVA"/>
|service=
⚫
<!-- Production history -->| designer = [[Edgar Brandt]]
|used_by=See users section
⚫
| design_date =
⚫
|wars=[[Second World War]]<br>[[First Indochina War]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Personal firepower|first=Edward Clinton|last= Ezell|publisher=Bantam Books|year=1988|series=The Illustrated history of the Vietnam War 15|oclc=1036801376|url=https://archive.org/details/personalfirepowe00ezel|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/personalfirepowe00ezel/page/41 41]}}</ref><br>[[Algerian War]]<ref name ="Algeria">{{cite magazine|language=fr|magazine=Gazette des Armes |issue=220 |date=March 1992|title=L'armement français en A.F.N.|pages=12-16|url=http://fr.1001mags.com/parution/gazette-des-armes/numero-220-mars-1992/page-16-17-texte-integral|first=Jean|last=Huon}}</ref><br>[[Portuguese Colonial War]]<ref name= 'Portugal'/><br>[[Vietnam War]]<ref name ="NVA"/>
⚫
| manufacturer =
⚫
<!-- Production history -->
⚫
| unit_cost =
|designer=[[Edgar Brandt]]
⚫
| production_date =
⚫
|design_date=
⚫
| number = 8000
⚫
|manufacturer=
⚫
| variants = L13.7<br />L/15.6
⚫
|unit_cost=
⚫
<!-- General specifications -->| spec_label =
⚫
|production_date=
⚫
| weight = {{convert|56|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
⚫
|number=8000
| length =
⚫
|variants=L13.7<br>L/15.6
⚫
| part_length = {{convert|1.11|m|ftin|abbr=on}} L/13.7<br />{{convert|1.26|m|ftin|abbr=on}} L/15.6
⚫
<!-- General specifications -->
| width =
|spec_label=
| height =
⚫
|weight={{convert|56|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
⚫
| diameter =
|length=
⚫
| crew = 3<ref name=":0">{{harvnb|Chamberlain|Gander|1975|p=5}}</ref>
⚫
|part_length={{convert|1.11|m|ftin|abbr=on}} L/13.7<br>{{convert|1.26|m|ftin|abbr=on}} L/15.6
⚫
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->| cartridge_weight = Light: {{convert|3.25|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}<br />Heavy: {{convert|6.5|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}
|width=
⚫
| caliber = {{convert|81|mm|in|abbr=on}}
|height=
| barrels =
⚫
|diameter=
| action =
⚫
|crew=3<ref name=":0">{{harvnb|Chamberlain|1975|p=5}}</ref>
⚫
| rate = 18 rounds per minute
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
|cartridge_weight=Light: {{convert|3.25|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}<br>Heavy: {{convert|6.5|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}
| velocity = {{convert|174|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}
|caliber={{convert|81|mm|in|abbr=on}}
| range = Light: {{convert|2.8|km|mi|abbr=on}}<br />Heavy: {{convert|1.2|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref name=":0" />
⚫
| max_range =
|barrels=
| feed =
|action=
⚫
| sights = <!-- Artillery specifications -->
⚫
|rate=18 rounds per minute
| breech =
⚫
|velocity={{convert|174|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}
| recoil =
⚫
|range=Light: {{convert|2.8|km|mi|abbr=on}}<br>Heavy: {{convert|1.2|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref name=":0" />
⚫
| carriage =
⚫
|max_range=
⚫
| elevation = +45° to +85°
|feed=
⚫
| traverse = 8° to 12° variable with elevation<ref name=":0" />
|sights=
<!-- Artillery specifications -->
<!-- Explosive specifications -->| filling =
⚫
| filling_weight =
|breech=
⚫
| detonation =
|recoil=
| yield =
⚫
|carriage=
⚫
|elevation=+45° to +85°
⚫
|traverse=8° to 12° variable with elevation<ref name=":0" />
⚫
<!-- Explosive specifications -->
|filling=
⚫
|filling_weight=
⚫
|detonation=
|yield=
}}
}}


The '''Brandt mle 27/31''' [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]] was a regulation weapon of the [[French army]] during the [[World War II|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.<ref name="Bishop2002">{{cite book|author=Chris Bishop|title=The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MuGsf0psjvcC&pg=PA202|year=2002|publisher=Sterling Publishing Company|isbn=978-1-58663-762-0|page=202}}</ref>
The '''Brandt mle 27/31''' [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]] was a regulation weapon of the [[French army]] during the [[World War II|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.<ref name="Bishop2002" />
==Development history==
[[File:Stokes mortar vaned bomb Mk II diagrams.jpg|thumb|left|Mk. II vaned HE bomb of Brandt's type for 3-inch Stokes mortar]]
In 1915, about the same time when English civil engineer [[Wilfred Stokes]] turned to developing [[trench mortar]]s for the troops, French [[Applied art|applied]] artist, silversmith and ironsmith Edgar Brandt did the same while serving in the French Army. He developed two [[pneumatic weapon]]s, ''obusier pneumatique Brandt de 60 mm modèle 1915'' on a [[tripod]] carriage and later also ''modèle 1916'' on a cast aluminium baseplate.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://rosalielebel75.franceserv.com/guerre-des-tranchees-artillerie-de-tranchee-infanterie-mortiers.html | title=L'Artillerie de tranchées servie par l'infanterie - les mortiers }}</ref><ref>[https://qsy-complains-a-lot.tumblr.com/post/167576235259/brandt-mle1915-type-a-and-mle1916-type-b-pneumatic Tumbir post] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805205616/http://qsy-complains-a-lot.tumblr.com/post/167576235259/brandt-mle1915-type-a-and-mle1916-type-b-pneumatic |date=5 August 2018 }} {{User-generated source|date=August 2022}}</ref> Already the first type of the shell (''projectile type A'') had an aerodynamic teardrop body with flat [[Stabilizer (aeronautics)|stabilizers]] (called vanes or fins) and an [[obturation]] groove around its widest part,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.musee-chevau.org/produits/obusier-de-tranchee-pneumatique-brandt-de-60mm-3eme-partie-658 | title=L'Obusier de tranchée pneumatique BRANDT de 60mm (3ème partie) par François BRANDT - Musée de Chevau }}</ref> both features which will define the design of mortar shells in decades to come.

In September 1917 under-secretary of state for inventions sent a circular letter requesting inventors to design a better projectile for the successful Stokes mortar, and Brandt scaled his 60&nbsp;mm projectile up to 81&nbsp;mm.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k96997978/f94.item | title=Revue des sociétés : Recueil mensuel de jurisprudence, doctrine, législation française et étrangère... / M. A. Vavasseur, fondateur | date=January 1937 }}</ref> Both British and French military adopted the scaled-up design except for the grooves (apparently, their importance wasn't realized at the time) in 1918 as ''projectile BM (Brandt-Maurice) modèle 1918'' (later simplified to ''FA (fonte aciérée) modèle 1921''<ref>{{cite book | url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6552143h/f93.item | title=Instruction du 20 juin 1919 sur le Mortier Stokes de 81 m/M modèle 1918 (Mise à jour le 15 avril 1922) / Ministère de la guerre, Direction de l'Infanterie | year=1922 }}</ref>) and Mk. II HE bomb respectively.

After several years of further development in January 1925 Brandt applied for a patent<ref>{{US-patent|1628527A}}; referring to an unpublished French patent</ref> on a mortar shell with several obturation grooves (of several types), a design which has not in principle changed in the century since. French shell ''FA modèle 1924/27'' soon adopted in place of ''BM Mle 1918'' closely followed the drawing in the patent, and ''FA modèle 1932'' offered even more improvement in range. It was this refined projectile design that made Stokes-Brandt mortar so superior compared to WWI Stokes: with Brandt-type WWII shells, the latter was able to reach {{convert|2,650|yards|km}} in range.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/TM9-2005/page/n20/mode/1up | title=TM 9-2005 Ordnance Materiel - General, Volume 3: Infantry and Cavalry Accompanying Weapons Field Artillery, 1942 | date=December 1942 }}</ref>


==Description==
==Description==
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==Users==
==Users==
[[File:Senegalese Tirailleurs with mortar (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|A [[Senegalese Tirailleurs]] crew with a Brandt Mle 1927/31 mortar, December 1939.]]
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.
Brandt's innovative projectile design along with the [[Stokes Mortar]] provided the pattern for most World War II era light mortars.<ref name="Bishop2002">{{cite book|author=Chris Bishop|title=The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MuGsf0psjvcC&pg=PA202 |year=2002 |publisher=Sterling Publishing Company|isbn=978-1-58663-762-0|page=202}}</ref>


In 1928, an unlicensed Polish copy was made as the Avia wz.28, but due to French pressure it was abandoned in 1931 because the French [[Edgar Brandt|Brandt]] company held the patent for the ammunition. The Polish then produced a licensed copy as the wz.31 model (Polish: [[:pl:Moździerz piechoty 81 mm wz. 31|Moździerz piechoty 81 mm wz. 31]]) starting in 1935; 1,050 were made in [[Pruszków]]. By 1939, the Polish army was equipped with some 1,200 Stokes-Brandt mortars, most of them the newer 1931 model. Each Polish infantry battalion was intended to be equipped with four such mortars, but there were not enough available to fulfill this disposition.<ref name="ZalogaMadej1991">{{cite book|author1=Steve Zaloga|author2=W. Victor Madej|title=The Polish campaign, 1939|year=1991|publisher=Hippocrene Books|isbn=978-0-87052-013-6|page=82}}</ref> The upgraded 1931 version was used by the [[Polish Army]] during, amongst others, the [[Battle of Westerplatte]] in 1939.
In 1928, an unlicensed Polish copy was made as the Avia wz.28, but due to French pressure it was abandoned in 1931 because the French [[Edgar Brandt|Brandt]] company held the patent for the ammunition. The Polish then produced a licensed copy as the wz.31 model (Polish: [[:pl:Moździerz piechoty 81 mm wz. 31|Moździerz piechoty 81 mm wz. 31]]) starting in 1935; 1,050 were made in [[Pruszków]]. By 1939, the Polish army was equipped with some 1,200 Stokes-Brandt mortars, most of them the newer 1931 model. Each Polish infantry battalion was intended to be equipped with four such mortars, but there were not enough available to fulfill this disposition.<ref name="ZalogaMadej1991">{{cite book|author1=Steve Zaloga|author2=W. Victor Madej|title=The Polish campaign, 1939|year=1991|publisher=Hippocrene Books|isbn=978-0-87052-013-6|page=82}}</ref> The upgraded 1931 version was used by the [[Polish Army]] during, amongst others, the [[Battle of Westerplatte]] in 1939. An unspecified amount, probably a few hundred, were [[Polish arms sales to Republican Spain|sold to Republican Spain in 1936-1938]].


In Romania, the mortar was licence-produced at the [[Voina Works]] in [[Brașov]],<ref>Great Britain. Foreign Office, Ministry of Economic Warfare, 1944, ''Rumania Basic Handbook'', p. 27</ref> with a production rate of 30 pieces per month as of October 1942{{sfn|Axworthy|Scafes|Craciunoiu|1995|p=75}} (over 1,000 such mortars were built in Romania by mid-1943).{{sfn|Axworthy|Scafes|Craciunoiu|1995|p=147}} 360 mortars captured by the Germans from the French were also received in 1942.{{sfn|Axworthy|Scafes|Craciunoiu|1995|p=76}}
In Romania, the mortar was licence-produced at the [[Voina Works]] in [[Brașov]],<ref>Great Britain. Foreign Office, Ministry of Economic Warfare, 1944, ''Rumania Basic Handbook'', p. 27</ref> with a production rate of 30 pieces per month as of October 1942{{sfn|Axworthy|Scafes|Craciunoiu|1995|p=75}} (over 1,000 such mortars were built in Romania by mid-1943).{{sfn|Axworthy|Scafes|Craciunoiu|1995|p=147}} 360 mortars captured by the Germans from the French were also received in 1942.{{sfn|Axworthy|Scafes|Craciunoiu|1995|p=76}}
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| {{AUT}} || || ''8 cm GrW 33(ö)''<ref name=":0" />
| {{AUT}} || || ''8 cm GrW 33(ö)''<ref name=":0" />
|-
|-
| rowspan="2"|{{CSK}} ||81.4&nbsp;mm minomet,|| ''8.14 cm GrW 278(t)''||License-built variant{{sfn|Chamberlain|1975|p=3}}
| rowspan="2"|{{CSK}} ||81.4&nbsp;mm minomet,|| ''8.14 cm GrW 278(t)''||License-built variant{{sfn|Chamberlain|Gander|1975|p=3}}
|-
|-
| [[8 cm minomet vz. 36]]||''8 cm GrW M.36(t)''||Modified variant{{sfn|Chamberlain|1975|p=3}}
| [[8 cm minomet vz. 36]]||''8 cm GrW M.36(t)''||Modified variant{{sfn|Chamberlain|Gander|1975|p=3}}
|-
|-
|rowspan="2"| {{flag|Republic of China (1912-1949)|name=Republic of China}} || || -||French and Austrian versions<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Chinese">{{cite book|title=Kangzhan: Guide to Chinese Ground Forces 1937–45|publisher=Helion & Company |isbn=9781910294420|date=July 2016|url=https://books.google.fr/books?id=ZYQwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA345#v=onepage&q&f=false|first1=Leland|last1=Ness|first2=Bin|last2=Shih|pages=343-345|ref=harv}}</ref>
|rowspan="2"| {{flag|Republic of China (1912-1949)|name=Republic of China}} || || -||French and Austrian versions<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Chinese">{{cite book|title=Kangzhan: Guide to Chinese Ground Forces 1937–45|publisher=Helion & Company |isbn=9781910294420|date=July 2016|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZYQwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA345|first1=Leland|last1=Ness|first2=Bin|last2=Shih|pages=343–345}}</ref>
|-
|-
|Type 20 mortar|| -||Local copy produced from 1931 in Jinling Arsenal<ref name="Chinese"/>
|Type 20 mortar|| -||Local copy produced from 1931 in Jinling Arsenal<ref name="Chinese"/>
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| {{DEN}} || 81.4&nbsp;mm L/12 || ''8.14 cm GrW 275(d)''||<ref name=":0" />
| {{DEN}} || 81.4&nbsp;mm L/12 || ''8.14 cm GrW 275(d)''||<ref name=":0" />
|-
|-
| {{EST}} || || ||{{cn|date=December 2018}}
| {{EST}} || || ||{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}
|-
⚫
| {{FIN}} || 81&nbsp;mm [[Tampella]] ||- ||<ref name=":0" />
|-
|-
| {{NOR}} || 8.1&nbsp;cm Bombekaster m/35 ||- ||License-built variant<ref>[http://www.kvf.no/vaapen.php?type=BK&weaponid=BK00 BK Weapon ID] kvf.no {{dead link|date=June 2023|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
⚫
| {{FIN}} || 81 mm [[Tampella]] ||- ||<ref name=":0" />
|-
|-
|rowspan="2"| {{FRA}} || Mortier Brandt de 81 mm mle 27/31||''8.14 cm GrW 278(f)'', ''8.14 cm GrW 278/1(f)''||<ref name=":0" />
|rowspan="2"| {{FRA}} || Mortier Brandt de 81&nbsp;mm mle 27/31||''8.14 cm GrW 278(f)'', ''8.14 cm GrW 278/1(f)''||<ref name=":0" />
|-
|-
|mle 44 ACC, mle 44 ATS, mle 44 ARE ||- ||{{cn|date=December 2018}}
|mle 44 ACC, mle 44 ATS, mle 44 ARE ||- ||{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}
|-
|-
| {{flag|Ireland}} || ||-||{{cn|date=December 2018}}
| {{flag|Ireland}} || ||-||{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}
|-
|-
| {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}} || [[Mortaio da 81/14 Modello 35]] || ''8.1 cm GrW 276(i)''||Slightly-modified copy<ref name=":0" />
| {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}} || [[Mortaio da 81/14 Modello 35]] || ''8.1 cm GrW 276(i)''||Slightly-modified copy<ref name=":0" />
|-
|-
| rowspan="2"|{{flag|Empire of Japan}} || Type 3 81 mm mortar|| ||Slightly-modified copy{{sfn|Chamberlain|1975|p=14}}<ref name="Norris2002">{{cite book|author=John Norris|title=Infantry Mortars of World War II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x4Imr80itp0C&pg=PA39|year=2002|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84176-414-6|pages=39-40}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"|{{flag|Empire of Japan}} || Type 3 81&nbsp;mm mortar|| ||Slightly-modified copy{{sfn|Chamberlain|Gander|1975|p=14}}<ref name="Norris2002">{{cite book|author=John Norris|title=Infantry Mortars of World War II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x4Imr80itp0C&pg=PA39|year=2002|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84176-414-6|pages=39–40}}{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar]] || ||Modified variant{{sfn|Chamberlain|1975|p=14}}
| [[Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar]] || ||Modified variant{{sfn|Chamberlain|Gander|1975|p=14}}
|-
|-
| {{flag|Nazi Germany}} || [[8 cm Granatwerfer 34]], [[Kz 8 cm GrW 42]] || ||{{cn|date=December 2018}}
| {{flag|Nazi Germany}} || [[8 cm Granatwerfer 34]], [[Kz 8 cm GrW 42]] || ||{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}
|-
|-
| {{NED}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Royal Netherlands East Indies Army 1936–42|series=Men-at-Arms 521|first=Marc|last= Lohnstein |date=23 Aug 2018|isbn=9781472833754 |page=13|publisher=Osprey Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U2dkDwAAQBAJ&q=Brandt}}</ref> || Mortier van 8 Brandt (M.27/31) || ''8.14 cm GrW 286(h)''||Produced under license<ref name=":0" />
| {{NED}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Royal Netherlands East Indies Army 1936–42|series=Men-at-Arms 521|first=Marc|last= Lohnstein |date=23 Aug 2018|isbn=9781472833754 |page=13|publisher=Osprey Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U2dkDwAAQBAJ&q=Brandt}}</ref> || Mortier van 8 Brandt (M.27/31) || ''8.14 cm GrW 286(h)''||Produced under license<ref name=":0" />
|-
|-
|{{flag|Portugal}}||''m/937'' 8cm<ref name= 'Portugal'>{{cite book|last1=Abbott|first1= Peter |last2=Rodrigues|first2= Manuel|title=Modern African Wars 2: Angola and Mozambique 1961-74|publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=1998|page=18}}</ref> || ||French variant
|{{flag|Portugal}}||''m/937'' 8&nbsp;cm<ref name= 'Portugal'>{{cite book|last1=Abbott|first1= Peter |last2=Rodrigues|first2= Manuel|title=Modern African Wars 2: Angola and Mozambique 1961-74|publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=1998|page=18}}</ref> || ||French variant
|-
|-
| {{flag|Philippines|1936}} || {{cn|date=November 2018}}||
| {{flag|Philippines|1936}} || {{citation needed|date=November 2018}}||
|-
|-
| {{POL}} || wz. 31 || ''8 cm GrW 31(p)''||<ref name=":0" />
| {{POL}} || wz. 31 || ''8 cm GrW 31(p)''||<ref name=":0" />
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| {{flag|Kingdom of Romania}} || ||-||License-built variant
| {{flag|Kingdom of Romania}} || ||-||License-built variant
|-
|-
|{{flag|Sweden}}|| 81mm GrK m/29-34 || -||<ref name="Janes 2002">{{cite encyclopedia|title=81 mm m/29 mortar|encyclopedia=Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003|url=https://archive.org/details/Janes_Infantry_Weapons/page/n4317|pages=4317-4318|year=2001|first1=Terry J. |last1=Gander}}</ref>
|{{flag|Sweden}}|| 8&nbsp;cm GrK m/29 || -||<ref name="Janes 2002">{{cite encyclopedia|title=81 mm m/29 mortar|encyclopedia=Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003|url=https://archive.org/details/Janes_Infantry_Weapons/page/n4317|pages=4317–4318|year=2001|first1=Terry J. |last1=Gander}}</ref>
|-
|-
|rowspan="3"| {{USSR}} || [[82-PM-36]]||''8.2 cm GrW 274/1(r)''||Modified copy{{sfn|Chamberlain|1975|p=28}}
|rowspan="3"| {{USSR}} || [[82-PM-36]]||''8.2 cm GrW 274/1(r)''||Modified copy{{sfn|Chamberlain|Gander|1975|p=28}}
|-
|-
|[[82-BM-37|82-PM-37]]||''8.2 cm GrW 274/2(r)''||Upgraded 82-PM-36{{sfn|Chamberlain|1975|p=29}}
|[[82-BM-37|82-PM-37]]||''8.2 cm GrW 274/2(r)''||Upgraded 82-PM-36{{sfn|Chamberlain|Gander|1975|p=29}}
|-
|-
|[[82-PM-41]]||''8.2 cm GrW 274/3(r)''||Upgraded 82-PM-37{{sfn|Chamberlain|1975|p=30}}
|[[82-PM-41]]||''8.2 cm GrW 274/3(r)''||Upgraded 82-PM-37{{sfn|Chamberlain|Gander|1975|p=30}}
|-
|-
| {{USA}} || [[M1 mortar]]|| ? ||Modified copy<ref name="Hogg2001">{{cite book|author=Ian V. Hogg|title=The American Arsenal: The World War II Official Standard Ordnance Catalog of Small Arms, Tanks, Armored Cars, Artillery, Antiaircraft Guns, Ammunition, Grenades, Mines, Etc|year=2001|publisher=Greenhill Books|isbn=978-1-85367-470-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/americanarsenal00ianv/page/134 134]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/americanarsenal00ianv/page/134}}</ref>
| {{USA}} || [[M1 mortar]]|| ? ||Modified copy<ref name="Hogg2001">{{cite book|author=Ian V. Hogg|title=The American Arsenal: The World War II Official Standard Ordnance Catalog of Small Arms, Tanks, Armored Cars, Artillery, Antiaircraft Guns, Ammunition, Grenades, Mines, Etc|year=2001|publisher=Greenhill Books|isbn=978-1-85367-470-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/americanarsenal00ianv/page/134 134]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/americanarsenal00ianv/page/134}}</ref>
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==Notes==
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==References==
==References==
*''Dictionnaire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale'', 1982 ed.
*''Dictionnaire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale'', 1982 ed.
* {{cite book|title= Third axis, fourth ally : Romanian armed forces in the European war, 1941-1945|last1=Axworthy|first1= Mark|last2=Scafes|first2= Cornel I.|last3=Craciunoiu|first3= Cristian|location= London |publisher=Arms and Armour|isbn=1854092677|year=1995|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book|title= Third axis, fourth ally : Romanian armed forces in the European war, 1941-1945|last1=Axworthy|first1= Mark|last2=Scafes|first2= Cornel I.|last3=Craciunoiu|first3= Cristian|location= London |publisher=Arms and Armour|isbn=1854092677|year=1995}}
* {{Cite book|title=Mortars and rockets|last1=Chamberlain|first1=Peter|date=1975|publisher=Arco Pub. Co|page=|last2=Gander|first2=Terry|isbn=0668038179|location=New York|oclc=2067459|ref=harv|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/mortarsrockets0000cham}}
* {{Cite book|title=Mortars and rockets|last1=Chamberlain|first1=Peter|date=1975|publisher=Arco Pub. Co|last2=Gander|first2=Terry|isbn=0668038179|location=New York|oclc=2067459|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/mortarsrockets0000cham}}
*Ferrard, Stéphane. "Les mortier Brandt de 60 et 81 mm dans l'Armée française en 1940"
*Ferrard, Stéphane. "Les mortier Brandt de 60 et 81 mm dans l'Armée française en 1940"
* {{cite book|author=Ministère de la guerre. Direction de l'infanterie|title= Manuel du gradé d'infanterie |chapter=Mortier de 81|volume=VIII - Chapter VI|date=1939|publisher=Charles-Lavauzelle|chapter-url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9622860g/f328.item|url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9622860g/f1.image|pages=308-313|ref={{harvid|Manuel du gradé 1939}}}}
* {{cite book|author=Ministère de la guerre. Direction de l'infanterie|title= Manuel du gradé d'infanterie |chapter=Mortier de 81|volume=VIII - Chapter VI|date=1939|publisher=Charles-Lavauzelle|chapter-url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9622860g/f328.item|url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9622860g/f1.image|pages=308–313|ref={{harvid|Manuel du gradé 1939}}}}


==External links==
==External links==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandt Mle 27 31}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandt Mle 27 31}}
[[Category:World War II infantry mortars of France]]
[[Category:World War II infantry mortars of France]]
[[Category:81 mm artillery]]
[[Category:81mm mortars]]
[[Category:Weapons of the Philippine Army]]
[[Category:Weapons of the Philippine Army]]
[[Category:World War II infantry weapons of China]]
[[Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1920s]]

Latest revision as of 17:21, 24 March 2024

Brandt mle 27
Brandt Mle 27/31 on display at the Romanian Navy Museum
TypeMortar
Place of originFrance
Service history
Used bySee Users
WarsSecond World War
First Indochina War[1]
Algerian War[2]
Portuguese Colonial War[3]
Vietnam War[4]
Production history
DesignerEdgar Brandt
No. built8000
VariantsL13.7
L/15.6
Specifications
Mass56 kg (123 lb)
Barrel length1.11 m (3 ft 8 in) L/13.7
1.26 m (4 ft 2 in) L/15.6
Crew3[5]
Shell weightLight: 3.25 kg (7 lb 3 oz)
Heavy: 6.5 kg (14 lb 5 oz)
Caliber81 mm (3.2 in)
Elevation+45° to +85°
Traverse8° to 12° variable with elevation[5]
Rate of fire18 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity174 m/s (570 ft/s)
Effective firing rangeLight: 2.8 km (1.7 mi)
Heavy: 1.2 km (0.75 mi)[5]

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.[6]

Development history[edit]

Mk. II vaned HE bomb of Brandt's type for 3-inch Stokes mortar

In 1915, about the same time when English civil engineer Wilfred Stokes turned to developing trench mortars for the troops, French applied artist, silversmith and ironsmith Edgar Brandt did the same while serving in the French Army. He developed two pneumatic weapons, obusier pneumatique Brandt de 60 mm modèle 1915 on a tripod carriage and later also modèle 1916 on a cast aluminium baseplate.[7][8] Already the first type of the shell (projectile type A) had an aerodynamic teardrop body with flat stabilizers (called vanes or fins) and an obturation groove around its widest part,[9] both features which will define the design of mortar shells in decades to come.

In September 1917 under-secretary of state for inventions sent a circular letter requesting inventors to design a better projectile for the successful Stokes mortar, and Brandt scaled his 60 mm projectile up to 81 mm.[10] Both British and French military adopted the scaled-up design except for the grooves (apparently, their importance wasn't realized at the time) in 1918 as projectile BM (Brandt-Maurice) modèle 1918 (later simplified to FA (fonte aciérée) modèle 1921[11]) and Mk. II HE bomb respectively.

After several years of further development in January 1925 Brandt applied for a patent[12] on a mortar shell with several obturation grooves (of several types), a design which has not in principle changed in the century since. French shell FA modèle 1924/27 soon adopted in place of BM Mle 1918 closely followed the drawing in the patent, and FA modèle 1932 offered even more improvement in range. It was this refined projectile design that made Stokes-Brandt mortar so superior compared to WWI Stokes: with Brandt-type WWII shells, the latter was able to reach 2,650 yards (2.42 km) in range.[13]

Description[edit]

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.[14] The mle 27/31 could be disassembled into 3 loads, plus the ammunitions loads,[15] and a complete crew was 10 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.[16] HE and smoke mortar bombs fired by the weapon weighed 3.25 kilograms.[17]

Users[edit]

A Senegalese Tirailleurs crew with a Brandt Mle 1927/31 mortar, December 1939.

Brandt's innovative projectile design along with the Stokes Mortar provided the pattern for most World War II era light mortars.[6]

In 1928, an unlicensed Polish copy was made as the Avia wz.28, but due to French pressure it was abandoned in 1931 because the French Brandt company held the patent for the ammunition. The Polish then produced a licensed copy as the wz.31 model (Polish: Moździerz piechoty 81 mm wz. 31) starting in 1935; 1,050 were made in Pruszków. By 1939, the Polish army was equipped with some 1,200 Stokes-Brandt mortars, most of them the newer 1931 model. Each Polish infantry battalion was intended to be equipped with four such mortars, but there were not enough available to fulfill this disposition.[18] The upgraded 1931 version was used by the Polish Army during, amongst others, the Battle of Westerplatte in 1939. An unspecified amount, probably a few hundred, were sold to Republican Spain in 1936-1938.

In Romania, the mortar was licence-produced at the Voina Works in Brașov,[19] with a production rate of 30 pieces per month as of October 1942[20] (over 1,000 such mortars were built in Romania by mid-1943).[21] 360 mortars captured by the Germans from the French were also received in 1942.[22]

Country Weapon name German designation for captured mortars Observation
 Austria 8 cm GrW 33(ö)[5]
 Czechoslovakia 81.4 mm minomet, 8.14 cm GrW 278(t) License-built variant[23]
8 cm minomet vz. 36 8 cm GrW M.36(t) Modified variant[23]
 Republic of China - French and Austrian versions[5][24]
Type 20 mortar - Local copy produced from 1931 in Jinling Arsenal[24]
 Denmark 81.4 mm L/12 8.14 cm GrW 275(d) [5]
 Estonia [citation needed]
 Finland 81 mm Tampella - [5]
 Norway 8.1 cm Bombekaster m/35 - License-built variant[25]
 France Mortier Brandt de 81 mm mle 27/31 8.14 cm GrW 278(f), 8.14 cm GrW 278/1(f) [5]
mle 44 ACC, mle 44 ATS, mle 44 ARE - [citation needed]
 Ireland - [citation needed]
 Kingdom of Italy Mortaio da 81/14 Modello 35 8.1 cm GrW 276(i) Slightly-modified copy[5]
 Empire of Japan Type 3 81 mm mortar Slightly-modified copy[26][27]
Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar Modified variant[26]
 Nazi Germany 8 cm Granatwerfer 34, Kz 8 cm GrW 42 [citation needed]
 Netherlands[28] Mortier van 8 Brandt (M.27/31) 8.14 cm GrW 286(h) Produced under license[5]
 Portugal m/937 8 cm[3] French variant
 Philippines [citation needed]
 Poland wz. 31 8 cm GrW 31(p) [5]
 Kingdom of Romania - License-built variant
 Sweden 8 cm GrK m/29 - [29]
 Soviet Union 82-PM-36 8.2 cm GrW 274/1(r) Modified copy[30]
82-PM-37 8.2 cm GrW 274/2(r) Upgraded 82-PM-36[31]
82-PM-41 8.2 cm GrW 274/3(r) Upgraded 82-PM-37[32]
 United States M1 mortar ? Modified copy[33]
 Vietnam[4] - French-made
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia 8.1 cm MWM 31/38 Kragujevac 8.14 cm GrW 270(j) [5]

See also[edit]

  • Reihenwerfer - An armored self-propelled barrage mortar based on the mle 27/31.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Ezell, Edward Clinton (1988). Personal firepower. The Illustrated history of the Vietnam War 15. Bantam Books. p. 41. ISBN 9780553345490. OCLC 1036801376.
  2. ^ Huon, Jean (March 1992). "L'armement français en A.F.N." Gazette des Armes (in French). No. 220. pp. 12–16.
  3. ^ a b Abbott, Peter; Rodrigues, Manuel (1998). Modern African Wars 2: Angola and Mozambique 1961-74. Osprey Publishing. p. 18.
  4. ^ a b Rottman, Gordon L. (10 February 2009). North Vietnamese Army Soldier 1958–75. Warrior 135. Osprey Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 9781846033711.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Chamberlain & Gander 1975, p. 5
  6. ^ a b Chris Bishop (2002). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Sterling Publishing Company. p. 202. ISBN 978-1-58663-762-0.
  7. ^ "L'Artillerie de tranchées servie par l'infanterie - les mortiers".
  8. ^ Tumbir post Archived 5 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine [user-generated source]
  9. ^ "L'Obusier de tranchée pneumatique BRANDT de 60mm (3ème partie) par François BRANDT - Musée de Chevau".
  10. ^ "Revue des sociétés : Recueil mensuel de jurisprudence, doctrine, législation française et étrangère... / M. A. Vavasseur, fondateur". January 1937.
  11. ^ Instruction du 20 juin 1919 sur le Mortier Stokes de 81 m/M modèle 1918 (Mise à jour le 15 avril 1922) / Ministère de la guerre, Direction de l'Infanterie. 1922.
  12. ^ U.S. patent 1628527A; referring to an unpublished French patent
  13. ^ "TM 9-2005 Ordnance Materiel - General, Volume 3: Infantry and Cavalry Accompanying Weapons Field Artillery, 1942". December 1942.
  14. ^ Manuel du gradé 1939, p. 308.
  15. ^ Manuel du gradé 1939, pp. 309–310.
  16. ^ Manuel du gradé 1939, p. 311.
  17. ^ Manuel du gradé 1939, p. 310.
  18. ^ Steve Zaloga; W. Victor Madej (1991). The Polish campaign, 1939. Hippocrene Books. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-87052-013-6.
  19. ^ Great Britain. Foreign Office, Ministry of Economic Warfare, 1944, Rumania Basic Handbook, p. 27
  20. ^ Axworthy, Scafes & Craciunoiu 1995, p. 75.
  21. ^ Axworthy, Scafes & Craciunoiu 1995, p. 147.
  22. ^ Axworthy, Scafes & Craciunoiu 1995, p. 76.
  23. ^ a b Chamberlain & Gander 1975, p. 3.
  24. ^ a b Ness, Leland; Shih, Bin (July 2016). Kangzhan: Guide to Chinese Ground Forces 1937–45. Helion & Company. pp. 343–345. ISBN 9781910294420.
  25. ^ BK Weapon ID kvf.no [permanent dead link]
  26. ^ a b Chamberlain & Gander 1975, p. 14.
  27. ^ John Norris (2002). Infantry Mortars of World War II. Osprey Publishing. pp. 39–40. ISBN 978-1-84176-414-6.[permanent dead link]
  28. ^ Lohnstein, Marc (23 August 2018). Royal Netherlands East Indies Army 1936–42. Men-at-Arms 521. Osprey Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 9781472833754.
  29. ^ Gander, Terry J. (2001). "81 mm m/29 mortar". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003. pp. 4317–4318.
  30. ^ Chamberlain & Gander 1975, p. 28.
  31. ^ Chamberlain & Gander 1975, p. 29.
  32. ^ Chamberlain & Gander 1975, p. 30.
  33. ^ 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.

References[edit]

  • Dictionnaire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, 1982 ed.
  • Axworthy, Mark; Scafes, Cornel I.; Craciunoiu, Cristian (1995). Third axis, fourth ally : Romanian armed forces in the European war, 1941-1945. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 1854092677.
  • Chamberlain, Peter; Gander, Terry (1975). Mortars and rockets. New York: Arco Pub. Co. ISBN 0668038179. OCLC 2067459.
  • Ferrard, Stéphane. "Les mortier Brandt de 60 et 81 mm dans l'Armée française en 1940"
  • Ministère de la guerre. Direction de l'infanterie (1939). "Mortier de 81". Manuel du gradé d'infanterie. Vol. VIII - Chapter VI. Charles-Lavauzelle. pp. 308–313.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brandt_Mle_27/31&oldid=1215357193"