It was a simple smooth bore muzzle-loading mortar consisting of a 57-inch (1,448 mm) one-piece steel tube barrel, with a "striker stud" inside the centre of the closed base of the tube. The rounded external base of the tube sat in a socket in the flat cast steel base, which in turn sat on a wooden platform. An "elevating guy" (cable) connected to a loop in the upper side of the barrel and the rear end of the bed. "Traversing guys" (cables) connected to loops on each side of the barrel and eyebolts on the upper sides of the bed. Hence aiming of the barrel was done by adjusting the length of the guys via adjusting screws. A socket in the barrel base allowed for emergency firing via a "misfire plug" in the case of misfires (i.e. if the bomb remained in the barrel due to failure of the propellant to ignite).[6]
Combat service
Loading bomb in a typical trench emplacement, Mesopotamia 1918
British Empire divisions were initially equipped with three batteries of four mortars designated X, Y and Z. From February 1918 onwards, these were consolidated into two batteries, X and Y, of six mortars each, and Z was dissolved. In British use, they were operated by the Royal Field Artillery and formed part of the divisional artillery, with one battery attached to each of the divisional artillery brigades.
The United States Army began production and equipping with this mortar late in the war but it is doubtful whether any were used in combat.
3rd Australian Medium Trench Mortar Battery in action, Ville-sur-Ancre, Somme, 29 May 1918
The mortar was operated from concealed pits close to the front line during trench warfare, and was used in the open during the final "mobile warfare" phase of the First World War, depending on available transport. The disassembled weapon was usually transported on horsedrawn carts but the Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade (the Canadian Independent Force or "Brutinel's Brigade") is known to have successfully used the mortar both mounted on motor trucks and dismounted in the closing months of the war.[7][8]
The 52-pound cast-iron fin-stabilised high explosive bomb carried the percussion primer at the base in the intersection of the four vanes (fins), consisting of a specially loaded blank .303 rifle cartridge. The basic propellant charges were contained in four small white cambric bags each containing 1 oz of guncotton yarn. These were held in place in the four angles between the bomb's fins. For ranges less than 1000 yards, one or more bags could be removed, as per range tables.
For ranges above 1,000 yards (910 m), additional charges were loaded before the bomb, held in two white cambric bags each containing 1 oz 4 drm of cordite.[9]
In action the gunners would adjust the angle of the barrel via the elevating guy (for distance) and traversing guys (for direction). The manual warns: "See that the elevating and traversing screws of the guys are always tight. A slack guy leads to inaccurate shooting, and the stresses on firing are not equally distributed; this is usually the cause of the guys breaking".[10]
The range tables specified the barrel angle and propellant charges required. The additional cordite propelling charge bags were dropped down the barrel if necessary, or necessary number of propellant charges removed from the bomb, and the bomb's fuze was set. The gunners stood back, the bomb was dropped down the barrel, the detonator in the base of the .303 cartridge in the base of the bomb struck a pin in the bottom of the barrel and fired, igniting the guncotton charges in the base of the bomb, which in turn ignited the cordite charges if present. The resulting rapid gas expansion propelled the bomb up the barrel and to its target.
1917 range tables
52 lb bomb, ML 6-inch trench mortar Propellant : 1-4 one ounce guncotton charges in the base of the bomb, plus an optional 2.5 oz cordite charge.[11]
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (May 2021)
Army Memorial Museum, Waiouru, New Zealand
, North Head, Sydney, Australia
Australian Army Infantry Museum, Singleton NSW Australia
Jonesborough-Washington County History Museum, Jonesborough, Tennessee - Displayed previously in the town square, now part of the Historical Society collection. Produced by Hadfields of Sheffield, England. Unknown how it came to reside in Tennessee.
^Preliminary Notes on the M.L. 6-Inch Trench Mortar Mark I. 1917
^52 lb total weight for bomb is quoted in Range Tables. Preliminary Notes on the M L 6-inch Trench Mortar, Mark I. Handbook of the M L 6-inch Trench Mortar Mark I.
^A maximum range of 1,950 yards was eventually achieved after improvements. Ministry of Munitions 1922, page 66
^Preliminary Notes on the M.L. 6-Inch Trench Mortar, Mark I, 1917, page 1
^Michael Holden, University of New Brunswick, "Training, Multi-National Formations, and Tactical Efficiency: The Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigades in 1918"
^Danish Military History Society, "The Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade, Part 1"
^Handbook of the M.L. 6-Inch Trench Mortar Mark I. 1918
^Handbook of the M.L. 6-Inch Trench Mortar Mark I. 1918, page 10
Preliminary Notes on the M.L. 6-Inch Trench Mortar Mark I. 1917. War Office, UK.
Handbook of the M.L. 6-Inch Trench Mortar Mark I. 1918. War Office, UK.
W L Ruffell, "An example of Kiwi ingenuity. A carriage designed by the Divisional Trench Mortars to meet the changed conditions of fighting in the last advances of 1918"
Handbook of artillery : including mobile, anti-aircraft and trench matériel (1920). United States. Army. Ordnance Dept, May 1920
"History of the Ministry of Munitions", 1922. Volume XI, Part I Trench Warfare Supplies. Facsimile reprint by Imperial War Museum and Naval & Military Press, 2008 ISBN1-84734-885-8
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Newton 6 inch Mortar.
Imperial War Museum Collection Search Weaponry Inventions and Improvements by Captain H Newton during the First World War a manuscript detailing Captain Newton's work on this and other weapons, written by his nephew and held by the Imperial War Museum.
"Provisional drill regulations for trench mortar batteries; 6" Newton and the 240 mm. : chapters II, VI, and VIII". United States. War Dept, 1918. Made available online by Combined Arms Research Library
"Handbook on trench mortar fuzes, Mark VII and Mark VII-E.". United States. War Dept, 1918. Made available online by Combined Arms Research Library
"Manual for trench artillery, United States Army (provisional). Part I, trench artillery.". United States. War Dept, July 1918. Made available online by Combined Arms Research Library
"Manual for trench artillery, United States Army (provisional). Part II, formations and maneuvers". United States. War Dept, 1918. Made available online by Combined Arms Research Library
WL Ruffell, The 6-inch Mortar from "The Mortar"
6-inch Newton Mortar at Landships
July 04, 2023
newton, inch, mortar, standard, british, medium, mortar, world, from, early, 1917, onwards, canadian, troops, firing, inch, mortar, open, valenciennes, 1918typemedium, mortarplace, originunited, kingdomservice, historyin, service1917, 1918used, bybritish, empi. The Newton 6 inch mortar was the standard British medium mortar in World War I from early 1917 onwards Newton 6 inch mortarCanadian troops firing the 6 inch 152 4 mm mortar in the open at Valenciennes in 1918TypeMedium mortarPlace of originUnited KingdomService historyIn service1917 1918Used byBritish EmpireUnited StatesWarsWorld War IProduction historyDesignerCaptain H Newton 5th Btn Sherwood ForestersDesigned1916No builtUK 2 538 1 SpecificationsBarrel lengthBore 4 ft 6 in 1 37 m Total 4 ft 9 in 1 45 m 2 ShellHE 52 lb 24 kg 3 Calibre6 inches 152 4 mm Elevation77 45 Rate of fire8 rounds min 4 Effective firing range100 1 420 yds 91 1 298 m Maximum firing range1 950 yd 1 780 m 5 FillingAmatol Ammonal or SabuliteFilling weight22 pounds 9 98 kg Contents 1 Description 2 Combat service 3 1917 range tables 4 Image gallery 5 See also 5 1 Weapons of comparable role performance and era 6 Surviving examples 7 Notes and references 8 Bibliography 9 External linksDescription EditThe Newton 6 inch replaced the 2 inch medium mortar beginning in February 1917 It was a simple smooth bore muzzle loading mortar consisting of a 57 inch 1 448 mm one piece steel tube barrel with a striker stud inside the centre of the closed base of the tube The rounded external base of the tube sat in a socket in the flat cast steel base which in turn sat on a wooden platform An elevating guy cable connected to a loop in the upper side of the barrel and the rear end of the bed Traversing guys cables connected to loops on each side of the barrel and eyebolts on the upper sides of the bed Hence aiming of the barrel was done by adjusting the length of the guys via adjusting screws A socket in the barrel base allowed for emergency firing via a misfire plug in the case of misfires i e if the bomb remained in the barrel due to failure of the propellant to ignite 6 Combat service Edit Loading bomb in a typical trench emplacement Mesopotamia 1918 British Empire divisions were initially equipped with three batteries of four mortars designated X Y and Z From February 1918 onwards these were consolidated into two batteries X and Y of six mortars each and Z was dissolved In British use they were operated by the Royal Field Artillery and formed part of the divisional artillery with one battery attached to each of the divisional artillery brigades The United States Army began production and equipping with this mortar late in the war but it is doubtful whether any were used in combat 3rd Australian Medium Trench Mortar Battery in action Ville sur Ancre Somme 29 May 1918 The mortar was operated from concealed pits close to the front line during trench warfare and was used in the open during the final mobile warfare phase of the First World War depending on available transport The disassembled weapon was usually transported on horsedrawn carts but the Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade the Canadian Independent Force or Brutinel s Brigade is known to have successfully used the mortar both mounted on motor trucks and dismounted in the closing months of the war 7 8 The 52 pound cast iron fin stabilised high explosive bomb carried the percussion primer at the base in the intersection of the four vanes fins consisting of a specially loaded blank 303 rifle cartridge The basic propellant charges were contained in four small white cambric bags each containing 1 oz of guncotton yarn These were held in place in the four angles between the bomb s fins For ranges less than 1000 yards one or more bags could be removed as per range tables For ranges above 1 000 yards 910 m additional charges were loaded before the bomb held in two white cambric bags each containing 1 oz 4 drm of cordite 9 In action the gunners would adjust the angle of the barrel via the elevating guy for distance and traversing guys for direction The manual warns See that the elevating and traversing screws of the guys are always tight A slack guy leads to inaccurate shooting and the stresses on firing are not equally distributed this is usually the cause of the guys breaking 10 The range tables specified the barrel angle and propellant charges required The additional cordite propelling charge bags were dropped down the barrel if necessary or necessary number of propellant charges removed from the bomb and the bomb s fuze was set The gunners stood back the bomb was dropped down the barrel the detonator in the base of the 303 cartridge in the base of the bomb struck a pin in the bottom of the barrel and fired igniting the guncotton charges in the base of the bomb which in turn ignited the cordite charges if present The resulting rapid gas expansion propelled the bomb up the barrel and to its target 1917 range tables Edit52 lb bomb ML 6 inch trench mortar Propellant 1 4 one ounce guncotton charges in the base of the bomb plus an optional 2 5 oz cordite charge 11 Range yards 1 oz chargedegrees 2 oz chargedegrees 3 oz chargedegrees 4 oz chargedegrees 4 oz 2 5 oz corditedegrees seconds100 77120 74140 71160 67 5180 63 5200 59220 47 5 77 25226 45240 76260 74 75280 73 25300 72320 70 5 77 5340 69 76 75360 67 5 76380 66 75400 64 25 74 25420 62 25 73 25440 60 25 72 25 77 25460 57 75 71 5 76 5480 55 70 5 76500 50 5 69 5 75 25510 45520 68 5 74 5540 67 5 74560 66 25 73 25580 65 25 72 5600 64 72620 62 75 71 25640 61 25 70 5660 59 75 69 75680 58 25 69700 56 5 68 25 75 25 23 9720 54 5 67 5 74 75 23 9740 51 75 66 75 74 25 23 8760 45 5 65 75 73 75 23 8761 45780 65 73 25 23 7800 64 72 75 23 6820 63 25 72 25 23 6840 62 25 71 75 23 5860 61 71 25 23 4880 60 70 75 23 4900 58 75 70 25 23 3920 57 5 69 75 23 2940 56 69 25 23 1960 54 5 68 75 23 1980 52 5 68 25 23 01000 50 67 5 22 91016 451020 67 22 81040 66 5 22 71060 66 22 61080 65 25 22 51100 64 5 22 81120 64 22 21140 63 25 22 11160 62 75 22 01180 62 21 81200 61 25 21 71220 60 5 21 51240 59 5 21 31260 58 75 21 11280 57 75 20 91300 56 75 20 71320 55 75 20 41340 54 75 20 21360 53 5 19 91380 52 19 51400 50 19 01420 45 17 5Image gallery Edit Men of the 9th Btn Royal Sussex Regiment and mortar bomb dump near Lens September 3 1918 Mk III bomb diagram Bomb at Hawthorn Crater Somme 1998 See also EditList of heavy mortarsWeapons of comparable role performance and era Edit Mortier de 58 mm type 2 approximate French equivalentSurviving examples EditThis list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items May 2021 Army Memorial Museum Waiouru New Zealand Royal Australian Artillery Museum North Head Sydney Australia Australian Army Infantry Museum Singleton NSW Australia Jonesborough Washington County History Museum Jonesborough Tennessee Displayed previously in the town square now part of the Historical Society collection Produced by Hadfields of Sheffield England Unknown how it came to reside in Tennessee Fox River Grove Illinois USA veterans memorialNotes and references Edit Ministry of Munitions 1922 pages 130 131 Preliminary Notes on the M L 6 Inch Trench Mortar Mark I 1917 52 lb total weight for bomb is quoted in Range Tables Preliminary Notes on the M L 6 inch Trench Mortar Mark I Handbook of the M L 6 inch Trench Mortar Mark I Ministry of Munitions 1922 page 66 A maximum range of 1 950 yards was eventually achieved after improvements Ministry of Munitions 1922 page 66 Preliminary Notes on the M L 6 Inch Trench Mortar Mark I 1917 page 1 Michael Holden University of New Brunswick Training Multi National Formations and Tactical Efficiency The Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigades in 1918 Danish Military History Society The Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade Part 1 Handbook of the M L 6 Inch Trench Mortar Mark I 1918 Handbook of the M L 6 Inch Trench Mortar Mark I 1918 page 10 Preliminary Notes 1917Bibliography EditPreliminary Notes on the M L 6 Inch Trench Mortar Mark I 1917 War Office UK Handbook of the M L 6 Inch Trench Mortar Mark I 1918 War Office UK W L Ruffell An example of Kiwi ingenuity A carriage designed by the Divisional Trench Mortars to meet the changed conditions of fighting in the last advances of 1918 Handbook of artillery including mobile anti aircraft and trench materiel 1920 United States Army Ordnance Dept May 1920 History of the Ministry of Munitions 1922 Volume XI Part I Trench Warfare Supplies Facsimile reprint by Imperial War Museum and Naval amp Military Press 2008 ISBN 1 84734 885 8External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Newton 6 inch Mortar Imperial War Museum Collection Search Weaponry Inventions and Improvements by Captain H Newton during the First World War a manuscript detailing Captain Newton s work on this and other weapons written by his nephew and held by the Imperial War Museum Provisional drill regulations for trench mortar batteries 6 Newton and the 240 mm chapters II VI and VIII United States War Dept 1918 Made available online by Combined Arms Research Library Handbook on trench mortar fuzes Mark VII and Mark VII E United States War Dept 1918 Made available online by Combined Arms Research Library Manual for trench artillery United States Army provisional Part I trench artillery United States War Dept July 1918 Made available online by Combined Arms Research Library Manual for trench artillery United States Army provisional Part II formations and maneuvers United States War Dept 1918 Made available online by Combined Arms Research Library WL Ruffell The 6 inch Mortar from The Mortar 6 inch Newton Mortar at Landships Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Newton 6 inch mortar amp oldid 1159766442, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
