107mm mortar M1938
107mm mortar M1938 in White Eagle Museum
TypeMortar
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1943–1975 (Soviet Union)
1938–present
WarsWorld War II
Korean War[1]
Vietnam War
Laotian Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
Afghan Wars
2011 Libyan civil war
Production history
Designed1936
Specifications
Mass170 kg (370 lb)
Barrel length1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Diameter107 mm
Crew5

Shell9.1 kg (20 lb) bomb
Caliber107 mm (4.2 in)
Breechmuzzle loaded
Elevation45° to 80°
Traverse
Rate of fire15 rpm
Muzzle velocity302 m/s (990 ft/s)
Effective firing range6.3 km (3.9 mi)
FillingTNT
Filling weight1.0 kg (2 lb 3 oz) (OF-841A)

The Soviet 107mm M1938 mortar was a scaled-down version of the 120mm M1938 mortar intended for use by mountain troops and light enough to be towed by animals on a cart.[2]

History

In World War II, the 107mm mortar saw service with Soviet mountain infantry as a divisional artillery weapon.[3] Weapons captured by the Germans were given the designation 10.7 cm Gebirgsgranatwerfer 328(r).[4] Its last significant use in battle was in the Vietnam War. The ability to break down the weapon made it particularly suited to the rugged terrain of Vietnam.[5]

The mortar fired a lighter high explosive round (OF-841) and a heavier HE round (OF-841A). The lighter HE round actually carried a larger bursting charge than the heavier round.[6] Both rounds used GVMZ-series point detonation fuzes.

Recently, the weapon has been seen in use by rebel forces during the 2011 Libyan civil war.[7]

Users

and many others

See also

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

Notes

  1. Rottman, Gordon L. (December 2002). Korean War Order of Battle: United States, United Nations, and Communist Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, 1950–1953. Praeger. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-275-97835-8.
  2. Ian Hogg (ed.), Jane's Infantry Weapons 1984-85, p. 636, London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1984
  3. Steven Zaloga and Leland Ness, Red Army Handbook 1939-1945, p. 47, Phoenix Mill: Sutton, 1998
  4. Chamberlain, Peter (1975). Mortars and rockets. Gander, Terry. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 31. ISBN 0668038179. OCLC 2067459.
  5. skysoldier17.com
  6. Defense Intelligence Agency, Projectile Fragment Identification Guide, pp. 201-202, Washington: GPO, 1973
  7. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: الثوارعلى مشارف البريقة (01) Ajdabiya 2011.07.17 .MP4. YouTube.
  8. Bhatia, Michael Vinai; Sedra, Mark (May 2008). Small Arms Survey (ed.). Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society. Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-415-45308-0.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Gander, Terry J. (4 June 2001). "107 mm M-38 mortar". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003. pp. 3685–3686.
  10. Gander, Terry J. (22 November 2000). "National inventories, Laos". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. p. 3085.
  11. Small Arms Survey (2012). "Blue Skies and Dark Clouds: Kazakhstan and Small Arms". Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-521-19714-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
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