Notice: Only variables should be passed by reference in /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-content/themes/barcelona/option-tree/ot-loader.php on line 98 Notice: Only variables should be passed by reference in /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-content/themes/barcelona/option-tree/ot-loader.php on line 304 Notice: Function register_block_script_handle was called incorrectly. The asset file for the "editorScript" defined in the "contact-form-7/contact-form-selector" block definition is missing. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 5.5.0.) in /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5835 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-content/themes/barcelona/option-tree/ot-loader.php:98) in /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1758 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-content/themes/barcelona/option-tree/ot-loader.php:98) in /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1758 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-content/themes/barcelona/option-tree/ot-loader.php:98) in /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1758 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-content/themes/barcelona/option-tree/ot-loader.php:98) in /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1758 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-content/themes/barcelona/option-tree/ot-loader.php:98) in /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1758 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-content/themes/barcelona/option-tree/ot-loader.php:98) in /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1758 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-content/themes/barcelona/option-tree/ot-loader.php:98) in /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1758 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-content/themes/barcelona/option-tree/ot-loader.php:98) in /customers/a/b/4/worldwarmedia.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/rest-api/class-wp-rest-server.php on line 1758 {"id":3548,"date":"2017-12-08T22:28:19","date_gmt":"2017-12-08T22:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldwarmedia.com\/?p=3548"},"modified":"2017-12-08T22:44:11","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T22:44:11","slug":"u-s-mortars-world-war-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldwarmedia.com\/2017\/12\/08\/u-s-mortars-world-war-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Mortars of World War II"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

When history is visceral and experiential, it is typically more compelling and engaging than when it is taken out of the human context.\u00a0 The subject is notorious for being presented in dry and uninteresting ways, but that is mainly because most people are exposed almost exclusively to the sterility of classroom lecture.\u00a0 When it comes to the history of the Second World War, classroom instruction is critical to understanding the big picture of the conflict, but bringing clarity to the individual soldier experience is something that is typically best edified by good old-fashioned fieldwork.<\/h4>\n
by Martin K.A. Morgan and very special thanks to Brian Domitrovich<\/p>\n
This can be done by visiting a battlefield or, in some countries, by live-firing the weapons used in a given war.\u00a0 As described in my January 22, 2017 post about shooting the German MG.42 machine gun, a day at the range can offer a powerful and memorable insight into the lives of those who experienced combat first hand.\u00a0 But even in the U.S.A. where it is possible to own just about every type of weapon used in ground combat between 1939 and 1945, one category is usually missing: mortars.\u00a0 Each country involved in World War II used them to great effect in circumstances where indirect, high-angle fire was needed but field artillery fire was unavailable.\u00a0 They were dangerously accurate, and they could operate in rain or shine \u2013 in the blistering heat or the numbing cold.
\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Despite their prolific use and significant importance to the story of World War II combat, most American collectors do not own mortars, and as a result they are largely only understood in the abstract.\u00a0 We read technical details about weight, range, accuracy and explosive power, but we just do not have access to them like we have access to rifles, pistols and machine guns.\u00a0 For that reason, I recently traveled to western Pennsylvania for a day at the range with Brian Domitrovich, owner of three live U.S. World War II mortars: a 60mm, an 81mm and a 4.2-inch.\u00a0 Brian\u2019s possession of these weapons is regulated by the National Firearms Act of 1934, which designates them as \u201cdestructive devices\u201d and holds him up to stringent qualifications for their ownership.<\/p>\n<p>For him to be eligible to purchase these registered destructive devices, Brian had to be a U.S. citizen over the age of 21 with no criminal arrest record, he was required to pay a one-time $200 transfer tax for each weapon, and he had to wait between six and twelve months while each transfer application was reviewed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (the \u201cBATFE\u201d).\u00a0 In other words, the 1934 National Firearms Act created a heavily regulated category of civilian ownership that Brian qualified for, thus allowing him to make it rain 60mm, 81mm and 4.2-inch mortar rounds. \u00a0We hauled all three weapons out to the Beaver Valley Rifle and Pistol Club near the township of Patterson Heights, Pennsylvania and spent the day putting each tube through its paces.<br \/>\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3607132294366157\" data-ad-slot=\"5331534427\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><br \/>\nFor each mortar, we fired only inert projectiles \u2013 meaning that only propelling charges were used and none of what we fired exploded downrange.\u00a0 The only partial exception was the M2 mortar, through which we fired BATFE-approved 60mm reusable training projectiles made exclusively by ordnance.com.\u00a0 These projectiles are equipped with a proprietary fuze assembly that produces a non-lethal impact explosion through the use of a point-detonated 20-guage blank shotgun shell.\u00a0 Although they do not distribute deadly fragments, they do produce a report downrange that simulates the experience of shooting a 60mm M49A2 high explosive round.<\/p>\n<p>The smallest and lightest of the three mortars being demonstrated that day, the M2, consists of a 12.8-pound tube, a 16.4-pound bi-pod\/mount, and a 12.8-pound baseplate.\u00a0 With an overall 42-pound weight, the M2 gave U.S. fighting forces during the Second World War the kind of handy mobility that made it easy to provide company-level fire support, and even advance with an attacking echelon if necessary.\u00a0 Although it can deliver concentrations of fire to a maximum range of 2,000 yards, we had to keep our rounds within 200 yards so as not to lose any of the five-pound reusable training projectiles.\u00a0 When we went downrange to recover the rounds, they were all sticking out of the ground like lawn darts within a few feet of each other.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3556\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldwarmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Morgan-Mortar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"411\" height=\"389\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Moving up in size and weight, we fired the 81 mm M1 mortar next, but the space constraints at Beaver Valley Rifle and Pistol Club prevented us from realizing that weapon\u2019s full range potential.\u00a0 With a full increment charge and a 6.87-pound M43A2 high explosive round, the M1 mortar could hit a target almost 3,300 yards away, giving it a significant range advantage over the 60mm M2 mortar.\u00a0 Using a minimum propellant charge, we were able to keep all of our 8-pound, 81 mm projectiles in one area but they still dug deeper into the ground than the lighter 60mm projectiles did.\u00a0 The M1\u2019s greater capabilities come with a cost though: greater weight.\u00a0 With a 44.5-pound tube, a 46.5-pound mount, and a 45-pound base plate, the total package is almost 100-pounds heavier than the 60mm mortar.<br \/>\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3607132294366157\" data-ad-slot=\"5331534427\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><br \/>\nDespite its weight though, the 81mm mortar was an important part of the Table of Organization and Equipment of U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps maneuver battalions throughout World War II.\u00a0 It was even a tool used by airborne units, and was dropped in parachute bundles during Operations Neptune, Market Garden, and Varsity.\u00a0 Ground combat units appreciated the 81mm mortar because of its mobile and hard-hitting qualities, and that is why it occupied a prominent place in the arsenal of American fighting forces during the Second World War.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3554\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldwarmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mortar-81mm-img-600x331.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worldwarmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mortar-81mm-img-600x331.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.worldwarmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mortar-81mm-img-768x423.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.worldwarmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mortar-81mm-img.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Last but not least, we fired the mighty 4.2-inch M2 chemical mortar.\u00a0 Developed before World War II as a means of delivering toxic agents (thus the name \u201cchemical mortar\u201d), the U.S. Army Chemical Weapons Service eventually turned the 4.2 into a weapon capable of delivering high-explosive fire. \u00a0But TNT, and Mustard Gas rounds were not on the menu for our live fire exercise, so M335A2 Illuminating Rounds were used instead.\u00a0 Weighing 17-pounds each, they tumbled through the air like parabolic watermelons and half-buried themselves in the mud at the very edge of the designated long-range lane.\u00a0 While convenient for our purposes, the M335A2 rounds need the weight of the illuminating chemicals in them to stabilize in flight.\u00a0 The ones we fired that day were inert and (therefore) empty, so there was only so much the barrel could do.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3559\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldwarmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mortars-4-600x264.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.worldwarmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mortars-4-600x264.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.worldwarmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mortars-4.jpg 667w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Unlike the 60mm and the 81mm mortars, the \u201cfour deuce\u201d uses a rifled barrel to stabilize its projectiles in flight, and those projectiles engage that rifling through the use of a brass obturating plate.\u00a0 While the barrel did its job with no problem and the rounds caught the rifling as they were designed to, after leaving the tube\u2019s muzzle at 700 feet per second they gradually lost their stability and started to tumble.\u00a0 Still, it was lots of fun throwing them skyward in an offering to the spirit of Saint Barbara.\u00a0 Once again though, we had to generate as little range as possible, which was not an insignificant challenge with the \u201cfour deuce.\u201d\u00a0 That weapon can throw a round out to 4,400 yards (2.5 miles) and we had only 300 yards to play with, so we were barely scratching the surface of what that tube could do.<br \/>\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3607132294366157\" data-ad-slot=\"5331534427\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><br \/>\nWeighing-in at 333-pounds overall, the \u201cfour deuce\u201d is a beast of a weapon.\u00a0 Just to put this in perspective, it weighs the same as eight 60mm mortars or two and a half 81mm mortars.\u00a0 It\u2019s base plate alone weighs as much as I do, which only became an issue when we had to carry it up the stairs from Brian\u2019s basement to get it to his truck.\u00a0 Every bit of that effort was worthwhile though because it offered a priceless opportunity to appreciate the difficulty of manhandling this weapon that contributed so meaningfully to allied victory in World War II.\u00a0 The 4.2-inch mortar fought for the first time in the Sicily campaign in 1943 during which it fired over 35,000 rounds in 38-days. \u00a0It then went-on to fight it\u2019s way across difficult terrain in Europe and islands in the Pacific.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3560\" src=\"http:\/\/www.worldwarmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mortars-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"382\" height=\"349\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Army used it, the Marine Corps used it, and even the U.S. Navy used it on landing craft converted into mortar gunboats under the designation LCI(M).\u00a0 Though it never delivered a gas attack in combat, it did put down vast quantities of TNT and smoke during World War II and again during the war in Korea.\u00a0 Having the chance to shoot the \u201cfour deuce\u201d – alongside its 60 mm and 81 mm cousins – provided the kind of visceral and tactile experience that I value because it helps bring another element of the story of World War II into sharper focus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>  When history is visceral and experiential, it is typically more compelling and engaging than when it is taken out of the human context.\u00a0 The subject is notorious for being presented in dry and uninteresting ways, but that is mainly because most people are exposed almost exclusively to the sterility of classroom lecture.\u00a0 When it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":[],"categories":[106,128,113],"tags":[295,53],"yoast_head":"\n<title>U.S. Mortars of World War II - World War Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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