C3 81mm Mortar
The C3 81mm
Mortar was a Battalion level indirect fire weapon which is capable of
providing accurate High Explosive, smoke and illuminating rounds out to a
maximum range of 5,650 metres.
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Since the
Second World War the mortar has been kept at the forefront of almost
every nation's armoury and fresh designs have appeared in all major
armies. The principal complaints of the war years - poor reliability and
worse accuracy - have been overcome by better manufacturing techniques,
though this has inevitably increased the cost. However, matters tend to
balance out; whereas a wartime 3-in (76-mm) might have had to fire 100
bombs to get 30 into the target area and do worthwhile damage, today's
(1978) 81-mm (3.2-in) mortar will put 30 bombs exactly where they are
wanted, without waste.1
The 81mm mortar
was introduced into the Canadian Army in 1967 and upgraded to C3 status
commencing in 1968. Mortars were issued on a scale of eight per Regular
Force Infantry Battalion.
Canada acquired
160 weapons, employing them in infantry battalions and mounting them on
Armoured Personnel Carriers.
From the DND
website:
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The 81-mm
mortar is an indirect fire support weapon used primarily by the
infantry. A mortar crew can carry the weapon and some ammunition by
backpack over short distances. A tactical advantage of the mortar is its
high trajectory, which allows it to be sited behind high cover, to
engage targets behind high cover, and to provide overhead support to
friendly troops. The weapon can fire 20 rounds per minute for short
periods and 15 rounds a minute for sustained periods. It can be used
against targets between 200 and 4500 metres away. The mortar can fire
high explosive rounds with a high degree of fragmentation in both ground
and air bursts. It can also use red phosphorus rounds that produce a
smoke screen and can also be used for signalling. Troops can also use
illuminating rounds to light up the battlefield or for signalling.
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Ammunition:
High Explosive, Illumination, and Smoke
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Caliber: 81.4
mm
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Rate of fire:
20 rounds per minute for short periods, 15 rounds per minute for a
sustained period, normmal rate 5 rounds per minute
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Weight: 36.3
kg
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Range: From
200 m to 4,500 m (depending on type of ammunition used)
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Mortar sight
unit: C2A1
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Max Range HE:
5,650m
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Min Range:
70m
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Muzzle
Velocity: 225m/s
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Length of
barrel: 1280mm
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Weight in
action: 35.3kg
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Bomb Weight
HE: 4.2kg
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Calibre:
81mm.
The C2 mortar
sight was also used on the Sustained Fire Kit of the C6 General Purpose
Machine Gun.
In Britain, the
81mm Mortar was called the L16, the US version was the M252. Canada
adopted the Bison as a mortar vehicle in the 1990s.
Notes
-
The Illustrated
Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (Columbia
House, New York, NY, 1978) p.2350
