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M2 mortar

March 07, 2023

The M2 Mortar is a 60 millimeter smoothbore, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon used by U.S. forces in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War for light infantry support.

US M2 60 mm Mortar
World War II era 60 mm U.S. M2 Mortar, G.I. helmet shown for scale
TypeInfantry mortar
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1920 -​ Present
Used byUnited States
France
Israel
South Korea
Republic of China
China
Turkey
North Vietnam
South Vietnam
Vietnam
WarsWorld War II
Chinese Civil War
First Indochina War
Korean War
Algerian War
Portuguese Colonial War
Vietnam War
Soviet-Afghan War
Lebanese Civil War
Guatemalan Civil War
Production history
DesignerEdgar Brandt
VariantsType 31
Specifications
Mass42 lb (19 kg)
Barrel length2 ft 5 in (726 mm)
Crew5 (squad leader, gunner, assistant gunner, two ammunition carriers)
Shell3 lb (1.4 kg)
Caliber60 mm (2.36 in)
Elevation+40° to +85°
Traverse7°
Rate of fire18 rounds/minute
Muzzle velocity520 ft/s (158 m/s)
Maximum firing range1.1 mi (1.8 km)

Description

 
M4 Collimator sight, used for both indirect fire and direct lay missions.

The U.S. M2 60 mm mortar was licensed from French Brandt company to supplement 81 mm M1 Mortar to provide a lighter-weight alternative to company-level fire support.[1] The M2 attempted to bridge the gap between the 81 mm mortar and the hand grenade. Normally employed by the weapons platoon of a U.S. infantry company, the M2 is of the usual mortar pattern of the day.[1][2] It consists of a smoothbore metal tube on a rectangular baseplate, supported by a simple bipod with the elevation and traverse mechanisms. The firing pin was fixed in the base cap of the tube, and the bomb was fired automatically when it dropped down the barrel. Though classed as a light mortar, the M2 had considerable range compared to the 50 mm and 60 mm mortars of most other nations, and its fixed-firing pin design allowed a high rate of fire by trained crews.[1]

History

During the late 1920s, the US Army began examining mortars to act as a light infantry support weapon. The War Department eventually settled on a 60 mm design from Edgar Brandt, a French ordnance engineer, and purchased a license to build the weapon. The model was standardized as the Mortar, 60 mm M2. Testing took place in the late 1930s, and the first order for 1,500 M2 mortars was placed in January 1940.

The weapon was used throughout World War II by the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps. It saw service again in the Korean War, and by French forces in their counterinsurgency campaigns in Indochina and Algeria.[3] It was used under designation m/952 by Portugal during the Portuguese Colonial War.[4] During the Vietnam War, the M2 was again used by the U.S. Army and Marines, as well as by South Vietnamese forces. Ultimately, the M2 was replaced by the M224 in 1978.

Chinese variants

China (the Republic of China prior to 1949) also locally produced the M2 mortar, which was designated as the Type 31.[5] After the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, some Type 31s were supplied to North Korea[6] and North Vietnam.[7] It was later modified as the Type 63[8] and then as the Type 63-1 mortar. They are also supplied to Mujahideen rebels during Soviet-Afghan War by China and the US Central Intelligence Agency. The latter type has been produced under license by the Pakistan Machine Tool Factory Limited and by Helwan Machine Tools Company in Egypt.[9]

Operation

Each mortar shell had a screw-on cap in its base. Inside the hollow in the tail, it contained a 20-gauge M5A1 Ignition Cartridge. This was a paper shotgun shell filled with ballistite powder.

The mortar had a firing pin in the bottom of the tube. When the shell was dropped down the tube, the firing pin struck the Ignition Cartridge in the shell's tail, detonating it. When the cartridge detonated, the explosive gases exited the base of the shell through two bleed holes. This propelled the shell out of the tube in an arc. Unassisted, the mortar shell had a range of about 200 to 325 yards (183 to 297 m).

To increase the mortar's range, shells were issued with four waterproof cellophane bags of propellant, called increments, fastened to the stabilizing fins with wire clips. The ignition cartridge would ignite the propellant, increasing chamber pressure and the shell's muzzle velocity. All four increments and the ignition cartridge pushed the maximum range to about 2,000 yards (1,800 m) at 45 degrees elevation (depending on the shell's length and weight). To reduce the mortar's muzzle velocity, increment charges were removed as needed before firing. This allowed great flexibility in the angle at which shells impacted the target area, allowing the weapon to drop shells behind hills or buildings.

Ammunition

 
60mm mortar shells for the U.S. M2 Mortar. Left-to-Right: M69 Training/Practice, M49A2 High Explosive, M302 White Phosphorus/Smoke, M83 Illuminating (parachute flare)
 
U.S. Marines firing M2 mortar during the Korean War. August, 1952

The M2 Mortar could fire several types of ammunition.

  • M49A2 High explosive (HE) with Point Detonating fuze M52B1 [Weight: 2.73 lb (1.24 kg)]:[10] An explosive shell used against infantry and other light area targets. It has a minimum range of 200 yards (180 m) when fired without a boosting charge at a 70° angle and a maximum range of 2,017 yards (1,844 m) when fired with four boosting charges at a 45° angle.
  • M49A3 High Explosive Cartridge (HE) with Super-Quick Point Detonating fuze M525 [Weight: 3.05 lb (1.38 kg)]: Often referred to in the field as "HE quick".
  • M302 White phosphorus Cartridge (WP): A "bursting smoke" shell used as a signaling, screening, smoke-producing, and casualty-producing shell.
    Unlike regular smoke shells of the period, which used a "hot" chemical reaction to generate a smoke cloud, the white phosphorus shell detonates to expose its filler to the air, causing it to spontaneously ignite and generate a thick cloud of white or grey smoke. It also sets combustible materials in its radius of effect on fire, causing secondary smoke sources. If personnel are hit by burning white phosphorus, the fragments will continue to burn inside the wound. They need to be evacuated to a hospital to have the fragments removed under special conditions.
  • M83 Illuminating Cartridge (ILL): A pyrotechnic parachute flare shell used in night missions requiring illumination for assistance in observation.
  • M69 Training/Practice Cartridge (TP) [Weight: 4.43 lb (2.01 kg)]: A shell with a cast iron body, inert filler, and detachable fin assembly used to train recruits in firing the M2 mortar. The cast iron body is reusable and the fin assembly can be replaced if damaged.
  • M50A3 Training / Practice Cartridge (TP) [Weight 3.15 lb (1.43 kg)]: This practice shell is ballistically matched to the M49A4 HE shell, making it easier to train. They are the same size and weight, only differing in that the M50A3 is inert and emits a puff of white smoke on impact.

Users

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Norris, John and Calow, Robert, Infantry Mortars of World War II, Osprey Publishing (2002), ISBN 1-84176-414-0, ISBN 978-1-84176-414-6, p. 15
  2. ^ U.S. Army M2 60 mm Mortar
  3. ^ a b Huon, Jean (March 1992). "L'armement français en A.F.N." Gazette des Armes (in French). No. 220. pp. 12–16.
  4. ^ Abbott, Peter; Rodrigues, Manuel (1998). Modern African Wars 2: Angola and Mozambique 1961-74. Osprey Publishing. p. 18.
  5. ^ "60 mm Type 31 and variants". Jane's Infantry Weapons 1992-1993. 1992. p. 1394.
  6. ^ a b US Department of Defense. "60mm Type-31 Mortar". North Korea Country Handbook 1997, Appendix A: Equipment Recognition (PDF). p. A-90.
  7. ^ a b Rottman, Gordon L. (10 Feb 2009). North Vietnamese Army Soldier 1958–75. Warrior 135. Osprey Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 9781846033711.
  8. ^ a b "60 mm Type 63 mortar". Jane's Infantry Weapons 1992-1993. 1992. p. 1392.
  9. ^ a b c "NORINCO 60 mm Type 63-1 mortar". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003. 2002. pp. 1306–1307.
  10. ^ FT60-D-2 (Abridged) "Firing Tables for Mortar, 60-mm, M2" - Firing Shell, H.E., M49A2 WITH Fuze, P.D., M52B1 (Plastic) - Cartridge, Ignition, M5A1 - Weight of Fuzed Projectile 2.73 lb. [2 lbs., 12 oz.]
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "60mm M2 mortar". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. 2002. pp. 5338–5339.
  12. ^ "Mortar - 60 mm" (PDF). defence.gov.au. Defence unexploded ordnance website: ordnance information sheet. March 2015.
  13. ^ "TENDER NOTICE P.4 SEC" (PDF). dgdp.gov.bd. Directorate General of Defence Purchase. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d Wiener, Friedrich (1987). The armies of the NATO nations: Organization, concept of war, weapons and equipment. Truppendienst Handbooks Volume 3. Vienna: Herold Publishers. p. 462.
  15. ^ "Ethiopians in the Korean War: WWII gear used". wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com. August 18, 2016.[self-published source]
  16. ^ Iraqi army equipment 1930-2017. Vol. 2. p. 114.
  17. ^ Bak, Dongchan (March 2021). (PDF) (in Korean). Republic of Korea: Ministry of Defense Institute for Military History. pp. 82–84. ISBN 979-11-5598-079-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  18. ^ Rottman, Gordon L. (2010). Army of the Republic of Vietnam 1955–75. Men at Arms 458. Osprey Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 9781849081818.
  • Hogg, Ian (2000). Twentieth-Century Artillery. Friedman/Fairfax Publishers. ISBN 1-58663-299-X
  • Norris, John and Calow, Robert, Infantry Mortars of World War II, Osprey Publishing (2002), ISBN 978-1-84176-414-6

External links

March 07, 2023
mortar, mortar, millimeter, smoothbore, muzzle, loading, high, angle, fire, weapon, used, forces, world, korean, vietnam, light, infantry, support, mortarworld, mortar, helmet, shown, scaletypeinfantry, mortarplace, originunited, statesservice, historyin, serv. The M2 Mortar is a 60 millimeter smoothbore muzzle loading high angle of fire weapon used by U S forces in World War II the Korean War and the Vietnam War for light infantry support US M2 60 mm MortarWorld War II era 60 mm U S M2 Mortar G I helmet shown for scaleTypeInfantry mortarPlace of originUnited StatesService historyIn service1920 PresentUsed byUnited StatesFranceIsraelSouth KoreaRepublic of ChinaChinaTurkeyNorth VietnamSouth VietnamVietnamWarsWorld War IIChinese Civil WarFirst Indochina WarKorean WarAlgerian WarPortuguese Colonial WarVietnam WarSoviet Afghan WarLebanese Civil WarGuatemalan Civil WarProduction historyDesignerEdgar BrandtVariantsType 31SpecificationsMass42 lb 19 kg Barrel length2 ft 5 in 726 mm Crew5 squad leader gunner assistant gunner two ammunition carriers Shell3 lb 1 4 kg Caliber60 mm 2 36 in Elevation 40 to 85 Traverse7 Rate of fire18 rounds minuteMuzzle velocity520 ft s 158 m s Maximum firing range1 1 mi 1 8 km Contents 1 Description 2 History 3 Chinese variants 4 Operation 5 Ammunition 6 Users 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksDescription Edit M4 Collimator sight used for both indirect fire and direct lay missions The U S M2 60 mm mortar was licensed from French Brandt company to supplement 81 mm M1 Mortar to provide a lighter weight alternative to company level fire support 1 The M2 attempted to bridge the gap between the 81 mm mortar and the hand grenade Normally employed by the weapons platoon of a U S infantry company the M2 is of the usual mortar pattern of the day 1 2 It consists of a smoothbore metal tube on a rectangular baseplate supported by a simple bipod with the elevation and traverse mechanisms The firing pin was fixed in the base cap of the tube and the bomb was fired automatically when it dropped down the barrel Though classed as a light mortar the M2 had considerable range compared to the 50 mm and 60 mm mortars of most other nations and its fixed firing pin design allowed a high rate of fire by trained crews 1 History EditDuring the late 1920s the US Army began examining mortars to act as a light infantry support weapon The War Department eventually settled on a 60 mm design from Edgar Brandt a French ordnance engineer and purchased a license to build the weapon The model was standardized as the Mortar 60 mm M2 Testing took place in the late 1930s and the first order for 1 500 M2 mortars was placed in January 1940 The weapon was used throughout World War II by the U S Army and U S Marine Corps It saw service again in the Korean War and by French forces in their counterinsurgency campaigns in Indochina and Algeria 3 It was used under designation m 952 by Portugal during the Portuguese Colonial War 4 During the Vietnam War the M2 was again used by the U S Army and Marines as well as by South Vietnamese forces Ultimately the M2 was replaced by the M224 in 1978 Chinese variants EditChina the Republic of China prior to 1949 also locally produced the M2 mortar which was designated as the Type 31 5 After the People s Republic of China was established in 1949 some Type 31s were supplied to North Korea 6 and North Vietnam 7 It was later modified as the Type 63 8 and then as the Type 63 1 mortar They are also supplied to Mujahideen rebels during Soviet Afghan War by China and the US Central Intelligence Agency The latter type has been produced under license by the Pakistan Machine Tool Factory Limited and by Helwan Machine Tools Company in Egypt 9 Operation EditEach mortar shell had a screw on cap in its base Inside the hollow in the tail it contained a 20 gauge M5A1 Ignition Cartridge This was a paper shotgun shell filled with ballistite powder The mortar had a firing pin in the bottom of the tube When the shell was dropped down the tube the firing pin struck the Ignition Cartridge in the shell s tail detonating it When the cartridge detonated the explosive gases exited the base of the shell through two bleed holes This propelled the shell out of the tube in an arc Unassisted the mortar shell had a range of about 200 to 325 yards 183 to 297 m To increase the mortar s range shells were issued with four waterproof cellophane bags of propellant called increments fastened to the stabilizing fins with wire clips The ignition cartridge would ignite the propellant increasing chamber pressure and the shell s muzzle velocity All four increments and the ignition cartridge pushed the maximum range to about 2 000 yards 1 800 m at 45 degrees elevation depending on the shell s length and weight To reduce the mortar s muzzle velocity increment charges were removed as needed before firing This allowed great flexibility in the angle at which shells impacted the target area allowing the weapon to drop shells behind hills or buildings Ammunition Edit 60mm mortar shells for the U S M2 Mortar Left to Right M69 Training Practice M49A2 High Explosive M302 White Phosphorus Smoke M83 Illuminating parachute flare U S Marines firing M2 mortar during the Korean War August 1952 The M2 Mortar could fire several types of ammunition M49A2 High explosive HE with Point Detonating fuze M52B1 Weight 2 73 lb 1 24 kg 10 An explosive shell used against infantry and other light area targets It has a minimum range of 200 yards 180 m when fired without a boosting charge at a 70 angle and a maximum range of 2 017 yards 1 844 m when fired with four boosting charges at a 45 angle M49A3 High Explosive Cartridge HE with Super Quick Point Detonating fuze M525 Weight 3 05 lb 1 38 kg Often referred to in the field as HE quick M302 White phosphorus Cartridge WP A bursting smoke shell used as a signaling screening smoke producing and casualty producing shell Unlike regular smoke shells of the period which used a hot chemical reaction to generate a smoke cloud the white phosphorus shell detonates to expose its filler to the air causing it to spontaneously ignite and generate a thick cloud of white or grey smoke It also sets combustible materials in its radius of effect on fire causing secondary smoke sources If personnel are hit by burning white phosphorus the fragments will continue to burn inside the wound They need to be evacuated to a hospital to have the fragments removed under special conditions M83 Illuminating Cartridge ILL A pyrotechnic parachute flare shell used in night missions requiring illumination for assistance in observation M69 Training Practice Cartridge TP Weight 4 43 lb 2 01 kg A shell with a cast iron body inert filler and detachable fin assembly used to train recruits in firing the M2 mortar The cast iron body is reusable and the fin assembly can be replaced if damaged M50A3 Training Practice Cartridge TP Weight 3 15 lb 1 43 kg This practice shell is ballistically matched to the M49A4 HE shell making it easier to train They are the same size and weight only differing in that the M50A3 is inert and emits a puff of white smoke on impact Users Edit Albania 8 Austria 11 Australia 12 Bangladesh Type 63 13 Republic of China 11 China Type 31 Type 63 and Type 63 1 Denmark designated m 51 14 Egypt Type 63 1 produced under license 9 Ethiopian Empire used by the Kagnew Battalion 15 France 3 Greece 14 Guatemala 11 Haiti 11 Indonesia 11 Iraq Type 63 16 North Korea Type 31 6 South Korea The Armed Forces was equipped with 579 M2 M19s before the Korean War and 2 263 were in service with the Army by the end of the war Began replacing with KM19 in 1970s 17 Lebanon Mexico 11 Morocco 11 Pakistan Type 63 1 produced under license 9 Portugal 14 Turkey 14 Thailand citation needed United States South Vietnam 18 North Vietnam Type 31 Republic of South Vietnam Vietnam M2 Type 31 and Type 63 7 See also EditList of U S Army weapons by supply catalog designation M1 mortar M224 mortar Replacement for the M2 in US service CM60A1 Weapons of the Lebanese Civil WarReferences Edit a b c Norris John and Calow Robert Infantry Mortars of World War II Osprey Publishing 2002 ISBN 1 84176 414 0 ISBN 978 1 84176 414 6 p 15 U S Army M2 60 mm Mortar 1 a b Huon Jean March 1992 L armement francais en A F N Gazette des Armes in French No 220 pp 12 16 Abbott Peter Rodrigues Manuel 1998 Modern African Wars 2 Angola and Mozambique 1961 74 Osprey Publishing p 18 60 mm Type 31 and variants Jane s Infantry Weapons 1992 1993 1992 p 1394 a b US Department of Defense 60mm Type 31 Mortar North Korea Country Handbook 1997 Appendix A Equipment Recognition PDF p A 90 a b Rottman Gordon L 10 Feb 2009 North Vietnamese Army Soldier 1958 75 Warrior 135 Osprey Publishing p 32 ISBN 9781846033711 a b 60 mm Type 63 mortar Jane s Infantry Weapons 1992 1993 1992 p 1392 a b c NORINCO 60 mm Type 63 1 mortar Jane s Infantry Weapons 2002 2003 2002 pp 1306 1307 FT60 D 2 Abridged Firing Tables for Mortar 60 mm M2 Firing Shell H E M49A2 WITH Fuze P D M52B1 Plastic Cartridge Ignition M5A1 Weight of Fuzed Projectile 2 73 lb 2 lbs 12 oz a b c d e f g 60mm M2 mortar Jane s Infantry Weapons 2001 2002 2002 pp 5338 5339 Mortar 60 mm PDF defence gov au Defence unexploded ordnance website ordnance information sheet March 2015 TENDER NOTICE P 4 SEC PDF dgdp gov bd Directorate General of Defence Purchase Retrieved March 13 2021 a b c d Wiener Friedrich 1987 The armies of the NATO nations Organization concept of war weapons and equipment Truppendienst Handbooks Volume 3 Vienna Herold Publishers p 462 Ethiopians in the Korean War WWII gear used wwiiafterwwii wordpress com August 18 2016 self published source Iraqi army equipment 1930 2017 Vol 2 p 114 Bak Dongchan March 2021 Korean War Weapons of the United Nations PDF in Korean Republic of Korea Ministry of Defense Institute for Military History pp 82 84 ISBN 979 11 5598 079 8 Archived from the original PDF on 2022 09 20 Retrieved 2022 07 07 Rottman Gordon L 2010 Army of the Republic of Vietnam 1955 75 Men at Arms 458 Osprey Publishing p 9 ISBN 9781849081818 Hogg Ian 2000 Twentieth Century Artillery Friedman Fairfax Publishers ISBN 1 58663 299 X Norris John and Calow Robert Infantry Mortars of World War II Osprey Publishing 2002 ISBN 978 1 84176 414 6External links EditCover photo of M2 60mm mortar Archived 2011 05 01 at the Wayback Machine May 1941 Popular Science Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title M2 mortar amp oldid 1142046245, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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