120-PM-43 mortar

The M1943 Mortar also known as the SAMOVAR is a Soviet 120 millimeter calibre smoothbore mortar first introduced in 1943 as a modified version of the M1938 mortar.[5] It virtually replaced the M1938 as the standard weapon for mortar batteries in all Soviet infantry battalions by the late 1980s, though the armies of the Warsaw Pact utilised both in their forces.[6]

M1943 Mortar
120mm PM-43 mortar
TypeMortar
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
WarsEastern Front (World War II)
Korean War[1]
Vietnam War[2]
Lebanese Civil War
Soviet–Afghan War[3]
Gulf War
South Sudanese Civil War[4]
Specifications
Masscombat: 275 kg (606 lb)
Crew6
Caliber120 mm (4.7 in)
Breechmuzzle loaded
Elevation+45° to +80°
Rate of fire9 rpm maximum, 70 rds/hr sustained
Muzzle velocity272 m/s (890 ft/s) Frag-HE & HE
Effective firing range5,700 m (6,200 yd) maximum, 500 m (550 yd) minimum

Design

This muzzle-loading mortar can be easily broken down into three parts – barrel, bipod and baseplate – for movement over short distances or towed by a GAZ-66 truck on a two-wheel tubular carriage. The baseplate mounting permits all-azimuth firing, however as with most Soviet mortars it was difficult to turn rapidly over a wide traverse. It could accommodate small-angle shifts of up to 6 degrees without having to shift the baseplate though.[6]

Variants

It was copied in China as the Type 53 mortar.[7] A more robust but heavier version, the Type 55, was developed by Norinco.[8] Egypt also produced a locally modified variant, the Helwan Model UK 2.[9] An improved version called the 2B11 Sani was also produced by the Soviets and, in combination with the 2B9 Vasilek, was being used to phase out the M1943 from service.[6]

Users

References
  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. Archived from the original on 2018-12-09. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  2. Rottman, Gordon L. (10 Feb 2009). North Vietnamese Army Soldier 1958–75. Warrior 135. Osprey Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 9781846033711.
  3. Campbell, David (30 Nov 2017). Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89. Combat 29. Osprey Publishing. pp. 19, 77. ISBN 9781472817648.
  4. The Military Balance 2016, p. 492.
  5. "120-HM 38". Encyclopédie des armes : Les forces armées du monde (in French). IX. Atlas. 1986. pp. 2042–2043.
  6. US Army, FM 100-2-3 The Soviet Army: Troops, Organization and Equipment, 5–60
  7. "120 mm Type 53 mortar". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003. 15 March 1992. pp. 1295–1296.
  8. "NORINCO 120 mm Type 55 mortar". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003. 4 June 2001. pp. 1295–1296.
  9. "Helwan 120 mm Model UK 2 heavy mortar". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003. 4 June 2001. pp. 1617–1618.
  10. 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. Archived from the original on 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2019-06-01.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  11. "120 mm M-43 mortar". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003. 4 June 2001. pp. 3682–3683.
  12. The Military Balance 2016, p. 320.
  13. "National inventories, Bangladesh". Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001-2002. 22 November 2000. p. 819.
  14. The Military Balance 2016, p. 431.
  15. The Military Balance 2016, p. 239.
  16. The Military Balance 2016, p. 435.
  17. The Military Balance 2016, p. 436.
  18. The Military Balance 2016, p. 438.
  19. The Military Balance 2016, p. 393.
  20. The Military Balance 2016, p. 324.
  21. The Military Balance 2016, p. 449.
  22. The Military Balance 2016, p. 450.
  23. The Military Balance 2016, p. 400.
  24. The Military Balance 2016, p. 107.
  25. Rottman, Gordon L. (1993). Armies of the Gulf War. Elite 45. Osprey Publishing. p. 49. ISBN 9781855322776.
  26. 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 2019-06-01.
  27. US Department of Defense. "120mm M-1943 Mortar". North Korea Country Handbook 1997, Appendix A: Equipment Recognition (PDF). p. A-91. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  28. The Military Balance 2016, p. 265.
  29. The Military Balance 2016, p. 271.
  30. The Military Balance 2016, p. 454.
  31. The Military Balance 2016, p. 458.
  32. The Military Balance 2016, p. 276.
  33. The Military Balance 2016, p. 277.
  34. The Military Balance 2016, p. 406.
  35. The Military Balance 2016, p. 469.
  36. The Military Balance 2016, p. 471.
  37. The Military Balance 2016, p. 289.
  38. The Military Balance 2016, p. 354.
  39. The Military Balance 2016, p. 297.
  40. The Military Balance 2016, p. 478.
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