240 mm Trench Mortar
| 240 mm Trench Mortar | |
|---|---|
240 mm Trench Mortar, side view
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| Type | Heavy trench mortar |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1915 - 1918 |
| Used by | France United States Italy Austria-Hungary |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Dumezil-Batignolles |
| Designed | 1915 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight |
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| Barrel length | 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) (including breech) |
| Crew | 7 |
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| Shell |
HE 81.6 kg (180 lb) (US & France) |
| Calibre | 240 mm (9.45 inch) |
| Breech | vertical sliding block |
| Elevation | 75° to 45° |
| Traverse | 18° left & right |
| Rate of fire | 1 per 6 min |
| Muzzle velocity | 145 m/s (475 ft/s) (max charge) |
| Effective firing range | 603 - 2,071 m (660 – 2,265 yd) |
| Filling | amatol or ammonal |
| Filling weight | 40 kg (90 lb) |
The 240 mm Trench Mortar, or Mortier de 240 mm, was a large calibre mortar of World War I. An original French design, it was developed by Batignolles Company of Paris and introduced in 1915.
The weapon was dismantled for transport, requiring four carts for the barrel, base, carriage and ammunition.
In action, a heavy timber platform was constructed embedded in the ground, on which the mortar base was immovably secured. The mortar carriage sat on the base and could traverse. The mortar barrel and breech were mounted on the carriage which provided elevation.
They were used in the "siege warfare" on the Western Front to destroy enemy strongpoints, bunkers and similar "hard" targets which were invulnerable to lighter mortars and field guns. The US Army handbook described it : "... the use for which it is primarily adapted is in the bombardment of strongly protected targets—dwellings, covered shelters, command posts, entrances to galleries, etc—or in the destruction of sectors of trenches, salients and the like.". Their effectiveness decreased late in the war as German policy changed to a lightly held frontline, hence decreasing available targets, and they became redundant when the war of movement resumed in mid-1918.
The mortar was first introduced in 1915 as the Mortier de 240 mm CT ("court de tranchee"). It was a short barreled version which fired a 192 lb (87 kg) bomb for 1,125 yards (1,030 m), using a propellant charge of 1 lb 9 oz (710 g).
Its first major use was in the Champagne offensive of September 25, 1915.
This was followed later by the Mortier de 240 mm LT ("long de tranchée") which was a long barreled version with improved firing arrangement and breech-loaded charge which fired a 179 lb (81 kg) bomb 2,265 yards (2,071 m), using a propellant charge of 2 lb 13 oz (1.3 kg). This appears to be the bomb configuration adopted by USA.
French estimates were 80 bombs needed to destroy a strong shelter with a roof of concrete or rails and concrete.
David Lupton's Sons Co manufactured the weapon in the United States during World War I. They were used by nine Trench Mortar Battalions of the Coast Artillery Corps.
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Wikipedia