Mantlet

This article is about the medieval shield. For "mantelet", the garment, seeMantle (clothing).

Amantletwas a portable wall or shelter used for stoppingprojectilesinmedieval warfare.It could be mounted on a wheeled carriage, and protected one or several soldiers.

In theFirst World Wara mantlet type of device was used by the French to attackbarbed wire entanglements.

Gun mantlet

Main article:Gun mantlet

In military use from pre-WW2 onward, a mantlet is the thick, protective steel frontal shield, usually able to elevate and depress, which houses the main gun on an armoured tank, examples beingTiger Tank,Sherman TankandChurchill Tank.

Gallery

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  A wicker U-shaped mantlet on wheels. Wicker was a popular material for siege defences as it was lightweight, effective and easy to construct. The wheels add further mobility which meant that the user could move forward slowly but surely.
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  A wood-planked, L-shaped mantlet on wheels. Wooden-planked construction with proper joinery and even arrow slots would make this a more hard-wearing and expensive option. It would be heavier to push and would require more time and skill to construct; this might not be the sort one would use when attacking uphill.
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  Apaviselike wicker mantlet. This is probably the cheapest and simplest option, but it would not be as hard wearing and does not offer as much cover as the other variations.
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  A wood-planked mantlet on wheels, affording the hard protection of a wooden structure but still being mobile. The lever-like handle would allow the mantlet to be pushed along and then held upright in a stationary situation.
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  The Japanese commonly used mantlets composed of bundles of blankets wrapped in a mattress to reduce the effects of shell shrapnel. Print of Admiral Togo aboard theMikasaduring theBattle of Tsushima(May 27, 1905).
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  In theRoyal Navyfrom the 18th century onwards, hammocks and bedding were rolled up each day and stowed in netting along the ship's sides to air. They functioned as mantlets to reduce the effect of splinters, grape and musket fire in battle. ByWorld War Ithese had been replaced by splinter mats to protect exposed areas such as thebridge.These were again used inWorld War II.A German photo ofHMSCampbeltownafter theSt Nazaire Raidbefore she exploded.

See also

• Chemise (wall)
• Gabion
• Pavise
• Mantelets
• Testudo formation

Further reading

• Farrow's military encyclopedia: a dictionary of military knowledge By Edward Samuel Farrow.Page 259