Original Item: Only One Available: This is a fantastic Original French WWII Brandt 50mm L GR MLE 37 Display Light Mortar, offered in excellent complete non-functional display condition in an original USGI Mail Back Crate! This item requires no type of license as it has been fully deactivated and rendered inert according to specifications outlined by the BATF, rendering it totally inert and incapable of ever being converted to an explosive device. It has had a bore width hole drilled in the tube at the bottom, a steel pin welded across the bore to prevent loading, and the firing system rendered inoperable per BATF requirements. As such it is NOT AVAILABLE FOR EXPORT.

The send-home crate measures 20" x 8" x 7” and is inscribed in the sender area:

Cpl Denzil G. Clark 37190511
Co A 159 Inf Regt
APO 408 ℅ QM
New York NY

And it is sent to his mother, Mrs. Charles Clark, in Fonda, Iowa. Under the sender information reads CONTENTS, 1 MORTAR, and under these are some great Passed Censor stamps. It’s truly astounding to find a piece like this with the crate still intact.

Denzil G. Clark was born on May 9th, 1911 in Iowa. He first entered the service on April 3rd, 1942 at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. He was assigned to Company A, 159th Infantry Regiment, part of the 7th Infantry Division. For the early parts of the war, the division participated mainly in construction and training roles. On 9 April 1942, the division formally redesignated as the 7th Motorized Division. It began training in the Mojave Desert in preparation for deployment to the African theater. However, it was again designated the 7th Infantry Division on 1 January 1943, when the motorized equipment was removed from the unit and it became a light infantry division once more. It began rigorous amphibious assault training under Marines from the Fleet Marine Force, before being deployed to fight in the Pacific theater instead of Africa.

Clark would have joined the regiment in the Aleutian Islands. According to "Order of Battle: US Army World War II" by Shelby Stanton, the 159th was relieved from the 7th Infantry Division on 23 August 1943 and assigned to the Alaskan Department, and it departed Attu on 9 August 1944. Arriving at the Seattle Port of Embarkation eleven days later, it was transferred to Camp Swift, Texas on 28 August 1944. It moved to Camp Callan, California, on 20 December 1944 before returning to Camp Swift on 28 January 1945. The regiment staged at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey on 27 February 1945 before departing from the New York Port of Embarkation on 7 March 1945. It arrived in France eleven days later and was attached to the 106th Infantry Division to replace the two lost regiments the division lost during the Battle of The Bulge. As part of the 106th, it entered Germany on 25 April 1945. On 4 November 1945 it returned to the New York Port of Embarkation and was inactivated at Camp Shanks, New York on that same date.

Clark was discharged from the service on November 8th, 1945. He passed away on October 21st, 1978 at the age of 67.

The display mortar still sets up correctly, and retains most of the original arsenal black finish. The right side of the barrel has the correct designation for the mortar:

L.  Gr.  Mle  37
№ 14097

This is short for Lance Grenades modèle 37 (Grenade Launcher Model 37), the official issue name used by the French. It is still adjustable for windage with the screw gear on the top of the bipod, and the angle adjustment is handled by a metal wire that locks into the back of the barrel. There is a range adjustment in the center of the tube, which can actually still be turned! It still has the bubble level at the bottom of the barrel, which unbroken and functional, and it folds up correctly with the base plate.

This is an outstanding French Pre-WWII made Mortar with airtight provenance as being brought back by a multi-theater veteran. Comes ready for further research and display!

The Brandt mle 37 (Model of 1937) Light Mortar, also known as the Lance Grenades de 50 mm modèle 37 (50mm Grenade Launcher Model 37), was one of several mortar systems adopted by the French just prior to World War 2 (1939-1945). The 81mm mle 27 was introduced in 1927 and the 50mm mle 37 followed in 1937, though its issuance did not occur until 1939. The type was introduced to succeed the standard platoon-level French infantry rifle grenade by allowing for more potent, accurate in-direct firepower against entrenched enemy forces. The result was a light-enough and reliable weapon to make a statement during the Grand War - though the collapse of the French defense in the German invasion of 1940 made certain that the mortar would see more action in the hands of Vichy French forces as well as the Germans. In the latter case, the mortar took on the designation of Granatenwerfer 203(f) - the lowercase "f" signifying its French origins.

The mle 37 exhibited a caliber of 50mm and its launch tube measured 415mm in length. Setup weight was 3.65 kilograms. Onboard controls allowed for traversal of 8-degrees to either side though elevation was fixed at 45-degrees. Rate-of-fire possible was up to 25 rounds per minute while the standard shell was High-Explosive (HE) in nature. Range was out to 695 meters and velocity for the outgoing shell was listed at 70 meters per second. Beyond the traditional launch tube a baseplate was featured as was a folding bipod assembly.

Another light mortar to come into service became the mle 1935. This was a 60mm system which was also adopted by the U.S. military (as the M1). Nearly 5,000 of this series were made available for 1940.

Any available statistics for the Brandt mle 37 (Mortier Brandt de 50mm modèle 37) Infantry Light Mortar are showcased in the areas immediately below. Categories include basic specifications covering initial year of service, country-of-origin and manufacture(s) involved in bringing the weapon to market. Other qualities showcased are related to physical values such as the internal action, available calibers / chamberings, weight and lengths. Global operators are also presented in A-to-Z format as are any model variants available to the series.

Firing Action: Manually-Loaded, Striker Actuated
Available Caliber(s): 50mm
Ammunition Count / Feed: Single-Shot
Weight (Empty): 8.05 lb (3.65 kg)
Overall Length: 415 mm (16.34 in)
Barrel Length: 415 mm (16.34 in)
Sighting Assist: Integrated Optics Set

Operating Performance
Rate-of-Fire (RoF): 23 rounds-per-minute (rpm)
Typical Range: 2,260 feet (689 m; 753 yd)

Operators List
France (Vichy France); NSDAP Germany

Model Variants
- Mortier de 50mm Mle 1937 (Brandt) - Base Longform Designation.
- Granatwerfer 203(f) (GrW.203(f)) - German Army Designation of captured systems.