NationMaster - Encyclopedia: British 2 inch mortar

The Ordnance SBML 2-inch Mortar, or more commonly just 2-inch Mortar, was a British mortar issued to the British Army and the Commonwealth armies that saw use during the Second World War and later. US soldier firing an M224 60-mm mortar. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... // Definition and linguistics The original phrase common wealth or the common weal is a calque translation of the Latin term res publica (public matters), from which the word republic comes, which was itself used as a synonym for the greek politeia as well as for the republican (i. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

It had the advantages of being more portable than larger mortars which needed vehicles to be carried around, but gave greater range and firepower than rifle grenades. A rifle grenade is a form of grenade that can be fired from a rifle. ...

History

The 2 inch mortar was one of a number of small mortars brought into service by European nations between the two World Wars. Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ...

Due to its small size, and for simplicity the mortar had no forward strut or bipod like larger designs needed. The barrel would be held at the correct angle by one soldier while the other laoded and fired the round. The original design had a large base plate and sights for aiming which used spirit levels. As the design matured, the baseplate became smaller and the sights were omitted. Aiming was by eye and relied on the firer's judgment and experience. With such a short barrel the normal firing method, where the bomb was dropped down the tube and a pin in the base of the barrel struck the detonator in the tail of the bomb, would not work so firing was by a small trigger mechanism at the breech. A spirit level is an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is level. ...

The bombs were cylindrical with a (perforated) four finned tail. For the HE projectile an impact fuse was fitted in the nose of the bomb..

Post war, the 2-inch mortar was kept in service to fire smoke and illuminating rounds.

Specification

A smaller Mark 8 version was made for Airborne unit use, the barrel was only 14 inches (36 cm) long.

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Specification

History