List of heavy mortars

Heavy mortars are large-calibre mortars designed to fire a relatively heavy shell on a high angle trajectory. Such weapons have a relatively short range, but are usually less complex than similar calibre field artillery.

This category includes the "Trench Mortars" of World War I which were all too heavy and cumbersome, and hence lacked the mobility, to be classed as infantry mortars.

Muzzle-loading

Caliber (mm) Weapon name Country of origin Design
50.8 2 inch Medium Mortar "Toffee Apple"[1]  United Kingdom World War I
58.3 Mortier de 58 mm type 2 "Crapouillot"[2]  France World War I
90[3] 20 cm leLdgW  Nazi Germany World War II
105 10.5 cm Luftminenwerfer M15  Austria-Hungary World War I
105 10 cm Nebelwerfer 35  Nazi Germany World War II
140 14 cm Minenwerfer M 15  Austria-Hungary World War I
148 Coehorn mortar M. 1841  United States 1841
152 Newton 6 inch Mortar  United Kingdom World War I
160 160 mm IMI Mortar  Israel Cold War
160 Soltam M-66  Israel
160 Vafa mortar  Iran
160 Patria Vammas M58  Finland
169[4] 38 cm sLdgW  Nazi Germany World War II
170 17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer  German Empire World War I
203 8-inch siege mortar M.1841  United States 1841
203 Livens Projector  United Kingdom World War I
225 22.5 cm Minenwerfer M 15  Austria-Hungary World War I
240 Dumezil-Batignolles Mortier de 240 mm  France World War I
240 9.45 inch Heavy Mortar "Flying Pig"  United Kingdom World War I
250 25 cm schwere Minenwerfer  German Empire World War I
254 10-inch siege mortar M. 1841  United States 1841
254 10-inch seacoast mortar M. 1841  United States 1841
260 26 cm Minenwerfer M 17  Austria-Hungary World War I
320 320 mm Type 98 mortar  Japan World War II
325 Mortier de 12 Gribeauval  Kingdom of France 1781
330 13-inch seacoast mortar M. 1861  United States 1861
914 Little David  United States World War II
914 Mallet's Mortar  United Kingdom 1857

Breech-loading

Caliber (mm) Weapon name Country of origin Period
105 10 cm Nebelwerfer 40  Nazi Germany World War II
120 12 cm Luftminenwerfer M16  Austria-Hungary World War I
150 15 cm Luftminenwerfer M 15 M. E.  Austria-Hungary World War I
160 160mm Mortar M1943  Soviet Union World War II
200 20 cm Luftminenwerfer M 16  Austria-Hungary World War I
210 21 cm GrW 69  Nazi Germany World War II
240 M240 towed mortar  Soviet Union Cold War
280 Mortier de 280 Schneider  France World War I
305 12-inch coast defense mortar M1886, M1890, and M1908  United States WWI, WWII
420 2B1 Oka  Soviet Union Cold War

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Internal bore size not warhead size. Comparable to 6 inch mortars
  2. ↑ Bore size, not bomb size, which was much larger
  3. ↑ 90 mm spigot size. Bomb was 200 mm
  4. ↑ 169 mm spigot size. Bomb was 380 mm.

See also

Thor was a 600mm-caliber heavy mortar used by the German Army during World War II. This self-propelled artillery piece was one of a series of seven 60 cm mortars known as Karl Gerät (040). Designed and developed by Rheinmetall between 1937 and 1940, six of these seven powerful mortars were used during Operation Barbarossa, on the Eastern Front, taking part in the siege of Brest Fortress, the siege of Sevastopol, and the siege of Warsaw during the Polish uprising. They were called "Thor", "Loki", "Odin", "Ziu", "Adam", and "Eva".

Thor had a 5.07m-long barrel, a hydro-pneumatic recoil, and a horizontal sliding-wedge breech. It moved on tracks and was powered by a Daimler-Benz MB 507 C diesel engine, delivering 580 horsepower; for long distances it was transported by railways. Thor fired 2,170-kg concrete piercing shells to a range of 6.5 km (7 miles) with an elevation of 60º. These shells could penetrate 2.5m-thick reinforced concrete and 350mm-thick steel armor.

Specifications

Type: heavy siege mortar Country of origin: Germany Manufacturer: Rheinmetall Weight: 124 metric tons Caliber: 600mm (60cm) Barrel length: 5.02 m Breech: horizontal sliding-wedge Range: 6.5 km Rate of fire: six rounds per hour Engine: Daimler-Benz MB 507 C diesel, 580hp