Little David

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Not to be confused with the Davidka ("Little David"), a homemade Israeli mortar used in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

Little David
Little David at the Aberdeen Proving Ground
Type	Heavy mortar
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	Testing only
Used by	USA
Wars	World War II
Specifications
Weight	40 tons (without carriage)
Barrel length	22 feet (6.7 m)

Shell	3,650 pounds (1,656 kg)
Caliber	36 inches (914 mm)
Barrels	1
Muzzle velocity	1250 ft/s (381 m/s)
Maximum firing range	6 miles (9.7 km)
Feed system	Muzzle loading

Little David was the nickname of an American 36 inches (910 mm) caliber mortar used for test firing aerial bombs during World War II, that is one of the largest caliber guns ever built, having a larger caliber than both of Germany's Dora and Gustav which were 31.5 inches (800 mm) railway guns. Great Britain's Mallet's Mortar had a caliber of the same size.^[1]

History

The mortar was originally used as the launching mechanism for test-firing aerial bombs at Aberdeen Proving Ground (during the war, bombs became larger and larger necessitating the construction of such a large caliber gun). Little David was therefore not intended as a combat weapon. The mortar's base was a large steel box. The base was placed below ground, with its top flush with the surrounding surface, allowing the mortar's muzzle to be lowered horizontal for loading at ground level.^[1]

By 1944, it was expected that the US forces would encounter extremely strong fortifications during the expected invasion of Japan. Studies began on using Little David as a siege mortar. The mortar was converted into a two piece mobile unit, consisting of the 80,000 pounds (36,000 kg) barrel and the 93,000 pounds (42,000 kg) base transported by two artillery tractors. In addition to the two main loads, the Little David unit would also include a bulldozer and crane with bucket to dig the emplacement for the mortar's base.^[2]

The huge mortar could be ready to fire in 12 hours, while the largest (800 mm) known German artillery weapons were hauled on 25 railway cars and required three weeks to put in firing position.^[2]

Little David was one of the largest artillery pieces ever produced, by caliber, although Dora fired a heavier shell. Little David's overall effectiveness would have been questionable because of its limited range and accuracy. When Japan surrendered the invasion became unnecessary, and Little David (still in its trial phase) never saw combat.

Little David currently resides in the outdoor collection of armor and artillery pieces at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland.

"Little David" 36 inch (914 mm) Mortar emplacement at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.

July 1945 film footage of mortar setup & firing

Ammunition

Shell at the United States Army Ordnance Museum, Maryland

References

Notes

↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Militaryfactory web site". www.militaryfactory.com. retrieved 2 February 2013
↑ 2.0 2.1 "Little David at Global Security". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 14 February 2012

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Little David mortar.

globalsecurity.org - 36-inch Little David
Little David Mortar Present day photos of the Little David Mortar at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD

v t e United States artillery of World War II

Tank guns	37 mm gun M5/M6 75 mm gun M2/M3/M6 76 mm gun M1 3 inch gun M7 90 mm gun M3 105 mm howitzer M4

Anti-tank guns	37 mm M3 57 mm M1 75 mm M1897 3 inch M5 90 mm T8 105mm T8

Field, medium and heavy guns	75 mm howitzer M1 105 mm howitzer M2 105 mm howitzer M3 4.5 inch gun M1 155 mm howitzer M1918 155 mm howitzer M1 155 mm gun M1918MI 155 mm gun M1/M2 "Long Tom" 8 inch howitzer M1/M2 8 inch gun M1 240 mm howitzer M1

Mortars	60 mm mortar M2 81 mm mortar M1 4.2 inch mortar M2 Little David

Other vehicle-mounted	75 mm howitzer M2/M3 75 mm gun M1897 105 mm howitzer M2 155 mm gun M1918MI 155 mm gun M2

Anti-aircraft guns	37 mm M1 40 mm M1 3 inch M3 90 mm M1 120 mm M1

Coast artillery guns	3-inch gun M1903 90 mm M1 6-inch gun M1903 155 mm gun M1918MI 8-inch Mk. VI 12-inch M1895 16-inch M1919 16-inch Howitzer M1920

Railway artillery	8-inch Mk. VI 8-inch M1888 14-inch M1920

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