When was the trench mortar invented?
1915
The 3-inch trench mortar is a smooth-bore, muzzle-loading weapon for high angles of fire. Although it is called a 3-inch mortar, its bore is actually 3.2 inches or 81 mm….Stokes mortar.
| 3 inch Stokes mortar | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Sir Wilfred Stokes KBE |
| Designed | 1915 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 104 lbs (47.17 kg) total |
Who used the trench mortar first?
Mortars were first used as early as 1453 by the Ottomans during the siege of Constantinople. Some were large devices that weighed 4,500 kg (5 tons) and were capable of firing projectiles in excess of 100 kg (220 pounds) through a tube roughly 1 metre (3 feet) in length.
How was a mortar used in ww1?
Mortars were among the very first gunpowder weapons, lobbing projectiles in arcs to fall down upon the enemy, as catapults and trebuchets did. This meant the gunners could hit targets who were out of sight and protected by terrain or defenses from the firepower of cannons and handguns.
What is trench mortar?
n. A mortar usually ranging from 3 to 9.45 inches in caliber, designed for use in forward positions, especially in trenches.
Is the trench mortar still used today?
It became the standard issue for the British army for several decades and was the most widely used mortar among the Allied armies. Indeed, most mortars in use today are direct descendants of the Stokes mortar.
Are mortars still used?
Smaller designs that were easier to move around were brought in during the First World War. Mortars are still used today.
Is a trench a hole?
A trench is a deep and narrow hole, or ditch, in the ground, like the kind soldiers on frontlines might dig to give themselves shelter from the enemy.
How does a trench mortar work?
It consisted chiefly of a smooth metal tube fixed to a base plate (to absorb recoil) with a light bi-pod mount. When a bomb was dropped into the tube an impact sensitive cartridge at the base of the bomb would make contact with a firing pin at the base of the tube, thereby ejecting the bomb.
Can you throw a mortar round?
This method of triggering, combined with the greater explosive force of a mortar, made them way more deadly than grenades. But a hand-thrown mortar round will usually explode as soon as it hits the ground or a solid object, making it nearly impossible to throw back.