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SURVIVING GUN FILE (# 636)
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France

Obusier pneumatique de 60 mm Brandt Mle 1915 et Mle 1916

Mle 1916

Trench artillery

Contributor :
Jean-Luc Jalabert     
     
     
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Location :
France
Varennes en Argonne (55)
Musée d'Argonne
Coordinates : Lat : 49.22530 / Long : 5.03140
General comments on this surviving gun :


Identical items in the same location : 1
Items covered by this file : 1


Historic and technical information
Denomination :     60 T Brandt Mle 1915 / 1916 Origin :       ( Brandt)          

Historic context :

Owner of a renowned art forged steel company and mobilized in 1914, Edgar Brandt capitalized on his front line exeprience to imagine a stealth pneumatic mortar and proipose it to the Head Quarters. The interest was not fake, since the industrial was sent back in his plant to launch the manufacturing of the weapon.

Particularly lightweighted (38 kg for the model 1915 and 16 kg for the model 1916, without the gas bottle) and therefore really ealily transportable, the 'obusier pneumatique Brandt de 60 mm Mle 1915' used the compressed air contained in a steel bottle to launch small 650 g fin tailed projectiles in several versions (high explosive, ligthning, toxic, message-bearer) introduced by the tube muzzle. Therefore, there was no detonation nor smoke at the firing time, giving to this weapon very interesting stealth properties in the front line.

These characteristics gave this small accompanying mortar the reputation of an appreciated weapon, and distributed in large quantities in the infantry units at the side of the 37 mm infantry guns. The fisrt 1915 version was mounted on a tripod. The second 1916 version ('obusier pneumatique Brandt de 60 mm mlle 1916') was lightened and mounted on an aluminium base. In this last version, the mortar was firing with a constant 42 degrees angle, the range being given by the tuning of the gas pressure (from 9 to 20 'kilogrammes') accumulated at the base of the barrel, before letting the projectile go.

This innovative concept was copied by the German with the pneumatic Erhardt mortar that was firing a 6 kg projectile.

Technical data :

  • Complete description : 60 mm Brandt pneumatic trench mortar mark 1915 and mark 1916
  • Design year : 1915
  • Calibre : 60.00 mm
  • Weight in firing position : 32 kg (Mle 1915) - 16 kg (Mle 1916)
  • Weight for transportation :
  • Tube length in calibres : 22.00
  • Grooves : 0 (smooth bore)
  • Projectile weight : 950 g (type A 1915) - 650 g (type B 1916)
  • Initial speed : 60 m/s (type A) - 75 m/s (type B)
  • Fire rate : 18 rounds / minute
  • Range : 420 m (type A) - 585 m (type B)
  • Elevation range : +20 to +60 degrés (Mle 1915), fix at 42 degrees (Mle 1916)
  • Direction range : 30 degrees total range


Sources
  • Les Crapouillots 1914-1918           Pierre Waline                   Charles Lavauzelle   1965  
  • Les canons de la Victoire 1914-1918 - Tome III - L' Artillerie de Côte et l'Artillerie de Tranchée       Général Guy François                   Histoire et Collection   2010  
  • Cours d'Artillerie de Tranchée       Capitaine Bouchon                   Bourges   1918