General Facts
- TYPE
Mortar - ORIGIN
United States - NICKNAMES
4.2-inch mortar
Chemical mortar - DESIGNED
1920's (M1)
Early 1940's (M2) - DESIGNER
? - PRODUCTION
1928 - late 1940's - PRODUCERS
Spain
United States - QUANTITY
Unknown - UNIT COST
Unknown - CHARACTERISTICS
Light weight
Average range
Limited stability
Introduction
The M2 is a conventional muzzle loaded rifled 107mm mortar. It was developed in the USA in the 1920's. At first it was only used to fire chemical rounds, but during World War 2 high explosive rounds were widely used. In the 1950's it was replaced by the M30 in US service, which is much heavier and provides a much longer range.
Design
The M2 is a conventional muzzle loaded rifled mortar. It is based on a square baseplate, a standard on a small rectangular plate and two rods connecting the two. The sight unit is attached near the muzzle.
Firepower
The M2 fires a variety of 107mm shells out to a maximum of 4 km. The maximum rate of fire 20 rounds per minute, although normally only 5 rounds per minute are fired.
Mobility
With a weight of only 150 kg the M2 was a relatively light mortar for its caliber. It is normally carried on a two wheel handcart.
Users
The main user of the M2 was the United States, which used it extensively in World War 2. Many nations adopted the M2 after World War 2, but nowadays it is obsolete and only very few remain in reserve use.
M2
The M1 is a conventional muzzle loaded mortar that fires 107mm shells. It was the original 4.2-inch mortar that was adopted by the United States. At first it was only used to fire chemical shells, but later on high explosive shells were introduced. The M1 was replaced in production and US service with a strengthened version called the M2. The M2 has a much longer range than the M1 as more propellant can be used. The M2 was widely used during World War 2 and was produced in larger quantities than the M1.
- Specifications:
- M2 Chemical mortar
| Type | Mortar |
|---|---|
| Crew | 4 |
| Ordnance | 107mm rifled mortar, 1.22 m tube |
| Elevation | ? |
| Traverse | ? |
| Rate of fire | 20 rpm (max), 5 rpm (normal), 1 rpm (sustained) |
|---|---|
| Range | 515 m to 4.0 km |
| Carriage | - |
| Weight | 151 kg (firing position) |
| Length | ? |
| Width | 0.71 m |
|---|---|
| Height | ? |
| Towing vehicle | - |
| Speed | - |
| Remarks | - |
107mm M30
The M30 is a heavier but much more capable weapon that replaced the older M2 in US service.
