French "grenade d'aviation M.A.C. 50 mm"

[Yodamaster]

So as promised, here the pics and documents I found about the M.A.C. 50 mm.

I have different questions about it.
First one, I found nowhere the signification of "M.A.C.". Can someone light my lantern ?
Second one, under the fuze, on the body of the grenade, can you see a square stamped marking. What is the signification of it ?

This grenade was dropped from two different containers. One horizontal and one vertical. You shall find the documentation about these containers in the text with pictures, . Sorry, it is all I have found.


Yoda

[Yodamaster]

Here some more documentation about it !

Gren MAC 50mm-06.JPGGren MAC 50mm-05.JPG

Two fuzes were possible on this grenade, the first is "21/28 RSA Mle 1926" and the second "21/28 RSA Mle 1926 type Schneider".

Great thanks to Henry Belot for his beautiful documentation.


Yoda

[lcn]

Hi Daniel oups Yoda
M.A.C stands for "Manufacture d''Armes de Châtellerault " is the manufacturer's mark
Only the French artillery ammunition were painted squares to indicate the weight
For the square engraved this grenade, it seems to me that the verification mark made ​​by neutralizing a specialist EOD French, he should have, too, one code number engraved markings normally "INE or inert." All these operations are subject to a verification control sheet and allowed to have dummy ammunition in of official collections working
friendly
Jean Paul
PS
I search for launchers

[Grenademan2005]

I´m the only guy who see that the tail is totally different from the one reused by the Germans and the one with the French mortar fuze?

[Grenademan2005]

Ok, I have read the info on this page, translation is as follow: "For infantry grenade launcher mod. 27 not adopted". For the text and summarizing: "...grenade launcher not adopted and reused as a air dropped grenade". So this could explain why I have one with a French mortar fuze, maybe they were finally used as a mortars. But why the tail is different? I never saw before the tails on Yoda pictures. Anyway I believe there is something wrong with the document because it states that this small bombs were adopted by Germans for replace the SD1 bombs, I think this is not right because the SD1 bombs were used first time at Kursk in 1943?

[Yodamaster]

Hi Miguel,
no they were not used as mortar, they were first used as submunition for the "Armée de l'Air". Then, in 1940, the germans used and transformed the french "grenade MAC" in the SD1 (f).
It's on that moment that the tail was adapted and the fuze also (AZ73b) to serve in the german clusters. I don't think that the french grenade MAC is ever coming in use by the Luftwaffe !
Only the modified model SD1 (f) is coming in use by the germans.
Soon more documentation about this grenade.


Yoda

[Tmine35]

Interesting features in Yodamaster's pictures; thickest point of the shell has a clear machined guide surface and perforated tail tube - both typical to mortar shells.
Mine, which I posted pictures on German SD1-topic have no holes on tail tube and neither a machined surface on the thickest poit. In fact the cast diameter on the thickest point is already 50mm or less and there thus is no material for machining.

[butterfly]

Interesting thread.

In answer to Miguel, I seem to think I have read that SD1's were being used in 1940, though will have to check up on it to be sure.

Very nice example Yodamaster - thanks for showing!!

regards Kev

Ok, according to the book 'German Air-dropped Weapons to 1945 - Wolfgang Fleischer' the SD1's were first used in the summer of 1941 (see page 105)

[Grenademan2005]

All the infos about cluster bombs first use are at 1943. And how you explain the mortar fuze on mine? Because it is original to the bomb for sure, not custom made.

[EOD]