M1 Mortar Launcher
Country of Origin | United States |
Type | Launcher |
Caliber | 81.000 mm |
Length | 1.190 m |
Rate of Fire | 18 rounds/min |
Range | 3.010 km |
Muzzle Velocity | 210 m/s |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseThe US Army M1 infantry mortar design was based on the French Brandt mortar. An infantry battalion in the US Army and US Marine Corps would usually receive four of these weapons. Each weapon was usually carried in three separate loads, which were the barrel (44.5 pounds or 20.2 kilograms), the base plate (45 pounds or 20.4 kilograms), and the bipod (46.5 pounds or 21 kilograms). They were usually coupled with M4 sights. The standard ammunition used with M1 mortars were the M43A1 light high explosive rounds, which weight 6.87 pounds (3.11 kilograms) each, with a range of 200 to 3,290 yards (183 meters to 3,010 meters). Also used were M45 and M45B1 heavy high explosive rounds (10.62 pounds or 4.82 kilograms), M56 heavy high explosive rounds (15.01 pounds or 6.81 kilograms), M57 white phosphorus rounds (10.74 pounds or 4.87 kilograms), M57 smoke rounds (10.74 pounds or 4.87 kilograms), and M301 parachute illumination rounds. In WW2, while they were used in all major theaters of war, they were particularly important to the infantry fighting on Pacific islands and atolls, where the terrain did not always allow larger land-based artillery pieces. They remained in use through the Korean War, and they were replaced by the ligher and longer ranged M29 mortar starting in 1952.Source: Wikipedia ww2dbase
Last Major Revision: Oct 2014
M1 Mortar Launcher Interactive Map
Photographs
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Change View
Desktop ViewSearch WW2DB
News
- » WW2DB's 19th Anniversary (29 Dec 2023)
- » Looted Painting "Madonna with Child" Returned to Poland (2 Jun 2023)
- » Wreck of USS Mannert L. Abele Found (29 May 2023)
- » Wreck of Montevideo Maru Found (25 Apr 2023)
- » Accidental Detonation of a WW2-Era Bomb in Great Yarmouth (10 Feb 2023)
- » See all news
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,145 biographies
- » 336 events
- » 43,415 timeline entries
- » 1,237 ships
- » 349 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 372 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 259 facilities
- » 468 book reviews
- » 28,364 photos
- » 432 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"Since peace is now beyond hope, we can but fight to the end."Chiang Kaishek, 31 Jul 1937