Experience in the combat use of mortars. Survive under mortar fire Foreign experience Experience in the combat use of mortars
CLASSIFICATION OF MORTAR
Mortars are usually classified according to tactical, organizational and constructive features.
According to the experience of the Second World War, mortars are subdivided into mortars for direct escort of infantry in battle (company and battalion); direct infantry support (regimental); reinforcements (sometimes referred to as breakthrough or high power mortars).
In accordance with the organizational and staffing, mortars are divided into military (company, battalion, regimental, divisional) and reserve of the High Command (RVGK). According to the method of movement - portable, transportable, towed, pack and self-propelled.
Military mortars are organizationally part of motorized rifle (infantry), airborne and similar units and are intended for direct fire support and escort of troops in any terrain and situation. Military mortars, supplementing the fire of the units they are part of, make it more effective, since the steepness of the mine flight path allows you to hit closed targets that are inaccessible to fire small arms and artillery ground fire.
Company mortars (caliber 50-60 mm) are organizationally part of rifle and motorized rifle (infantry) companies and constantly accompany them in battle, hitting enemy manpower and fire weapons located behind shelters and inaccessible to company small arms fire.
Battalion mortars (caliber 81-82 mm) are organizationally part of motorized rifle (infantry), airborne and similar battalions, accompany them on any terrain and are designed to defeat enemy manpower located in shelters (ravines, hollows, etc.) .), fire weapons located behind shelters and inaccessible to small arms fire, as well as regimental and battalion artillery. These mortars are also used for making passages in barbed wire, for firing special mines (illumination, smoke), etc.
Regimental mortars (caliber 106-120 mm) are organizationally part of motorized rifle (infantry) and other regiments, constantly follow in their battle formations and perform tasks in the interests of rifle battalions and the regiment as a whole.
Divisional mortars were organizationally assigned to divisions, and RVGK mortars were at the disposal of the top military leadership and were intended to qualitatively increase the firepower of military artillery and perform specific tasks: for example, destroying powerful enemy fortifications (wood-and-earth firing structures, dugouts), field-type fortifications (trenches with ceilings , light dugouts).
Organizationally, RVGK mortars are reduced to units and units that are at the disposal of the Supreme High Command and are attached to combined arms formations operating in the decisive direction of formations and groupings of troops.
The design features of mortars are determined depending on the principles of the design of the main units, their layout scheme, methods of loading and igniting the charge.
For example, according to the principle of the barrel device, mortars can be smooth-bore and rifled.
The barrel of a rifled mortar is internally similar to the barrel of a conventional artillery gun. The rifling in the barrel causes the mine to twist, and it is stabilized in flight by rotation, similar to artillery shell. Today, rifled mortars are used relatively rarely. With rifled barrels, two types of mortars are known: firing mines with leading bands similar to rifled artillery shells and firing mines with ready-made ledges made in the shape of barrel rifling.
Smooth-bore mortars also exist in two types: firing over-caliber mines (the diameter of the mine is greater than the diameter of the bore) and firing caliber mines (the diameter of the mine is approximately equal to the diameter of the bore). The over-caliber mine has a tail rod (sometimes equipped with a stabilizing device) that fits into the bore of the mortar. When fired, the force of the powder gases, acting on this rod, throws the over-caliber mine forward. Such mines were widely used during the First World War. A caliber mine is placed inside the bore and ejected by the force of powder gases. The correct flight of the mine and its stability on the trajectory when firing from a smoothbore mortar is ensured by the use of special stabilizers in the form of feathers or wings. All modern mortars fire caliber mines.
According to the principle of recoil force absorption, there are rigid mortars and mortars with recoil devices. In rigid mortars, the recoil force when fired is transferred to the base plate and absorbed by the ground. In mortars with recoil devices, the recoil energy when fired is absorbed by the recoil brake, as in an artillery gun.
According to the principle of placement and connection of the main components and guidance mechanisms, three mortar schemes are distinguished: blind assembly (all mechanisms are assembled on one massive plate); a real triangle (the trunk is articulated with a biped resting on the ground and a slab also resting on the ground; at the bottom, the biped and the slab are pivotally connected by a special link); imaginary triangle. In the scheme of an imaginary triangle, the two sides of this triangle are the barrel and the two-legged carriage, and the third side is an imaginary line passing along the ground between the support points of the barrel and the two-legged carriage. The imaginary triangle scheme has received universal recognition and has become a classic for mortars.
According to the method of loading, mortars are muzzle-loading and breech-loading. Mortars of small and medium calibers (from 50 to 120 mm) are loaded from the muzzle. In this case, the ignition of the charge can occur from the pricking of the main charge primer on the hard firing pin or under the influence of the firing mechanism striker, which is released from the combat platoon by one of the calculation numbers. Large-caliber mortars (more than 120 mm) are loaded from the breech, and the charge is ignited using a firing mechanism.
Depending on the degree of automation of reloading operations, all modern mortars are divided into non-automatic (classical scheme) and automatic (for example, 82-mm automatic mortar 2B9M "Vasilek").
According to the principle of charge ignition, there are mortars with an expansion ignition scheme, gas-dynamic and with a Stokes-type ignition scheme.
The expansion charge ignition scheme used in mortars is similar to the charge ignition scheme in artillery pieces, when the powder charge is ignited in a chamber closed on one side by a bolt or the bottom of the bore, and on the other side by the bottom section of the projectile.
With a gas-dynamic ignition scheme, the charge is placed in a separate chamber connected to the bore by a hole called a nozzle. With this scheme, the combustion of gunpowder occurs in a constant and small volume, which ensures the same conditions for the combustion of gunpowder, and, consequently, good accuracy of fire.
The greatest application in mortars was found by the Stokes-type ignition scheme. According to this scheme, ignition and combustion of the main propellant charge occurs in a closed volume of the stabilizer tube. When a certain pressure is reached in the stabilizer tube, the powder gases break through the walls of the main charge cartridge, ignite additional charges located around the stabilizer tube in the mine space, and inform forward movement mine. In this case, the ignition of additional charges occurs instantly, and the burning of gunpowder is monotonous, which ensures sufficient accuracy of fire.
Depending on the method of movement, mortars can be: portable (transported disassembled by crews using special devices or packages), transportable (packed in the back of a car, tractor or armored personnel carrier for transportation), towed (transported in a trailer behind a tractor and supplied with detachable or inseparable when firing a wheel drive), pack (unassembled transported by pack animals in special packs).
Self-propelled mortars are mounted on a wheeled or tracked base of transport or combat vehicles and are armored, semi-armored and open.
In terms of effectiveness at the target, mortar mines are not inferior to conventional artillery shells of the corresponding caliber. The fragmentation action of mines in modern mortars even exceeds shrapnel action cannon and howitzer shells of the same caliber. Therefore, the appearance of mortars led to the partial replacement of relatively heavy and expensive classical artillery pieces with lighter and cheaper mortars.
All mortars, regardless of design, have some common combat properties that are highly valued by the troops. The high steepness of the flight path of mortar mines (muzzle elevation angles from 45 to 85 degrees) makes it possible to destroy closed targets that are not affected by flat fire from small arms, grenade launchers, recoilless rifles and cannons. Mortars can fire from deep shelters (ravines, ditches), through barriers (walls of a house, forest), over the head of their troops.
Mortars have great survivability (up to 10,000 rounds or more). This is due to the absence of rifling in the barrel and the relatively low pressures of the powder gases. The most valuable quality of any mortar is its low mass with high mine power. For example, a 120-mm mortar is 9 times lighter than a 122-mm howitzer close to it in caliber and almost 23 times lighter than a 122-mm gun. And if we take the ratio of the mass of the gun (mortar) to the mass of the projectile (mines), we get the following characteristic numbers: for guns 180/350, for howitzers 100/180, for mortars 15/30.
MORTAR DEVICE
The design of a classic muzzle-loading mortar is very simple. The main parts of the mortar: a barrel with a breech, a two-legged carriage, a base plate, a sight and a double-loading fuse.
The barrel gives the mortar mine the direction of flight and the initial speed. It is a steel pipe smooth inside and out, on the lower end of which a bottom is screwed, called a breech. If in modern guns the highest pressure of powder gases in the barrels is
3500-4000 kgf / sq. cm, then in mortars it does not exceed
1000-1200 kgf / sq. cm, so mortar barrels are made thin-walled and, therefore, light. To prevent the gases of a burning warhead from breaking through the breech thread when fired, a copper ring is inserted into the breech. When the breech is screwed on, the steel pipe rests against this copper ring, slightly flattening the soft copper, and this achieves a hermetic blockage of the lower, or, as it is commonly called, the breech breech.
A drummer is mounted at the bottom of the breech, on which a mine is pricked with its primer when it is lowered into the barrel.
In the simplest case, the percussion mechanism is a sting screwed into the lower part of the barrel, into the bottom of the breech. When loading, the mine is lowered into the barrel from the front, i.e. from the muzzle, its parts. The mine slides freely down the smooth surface of the barrel, and the primer of the charge placed in the tail of the mine immediately pricks on the sting. From this impalement, a shot immediately occurs. The rigid striker is simple in design and provides a high rate of fire.
Therefore, in heavy 107-120-mm mortars, a cocked percussion mechanism is more often used. It has two positions - rigid and cocked. In the latter case, the striker head in its original position, before the trigger lever is retracted, is recessed so that it does not protrude from the bottom of the breech. This eliminates the possibility of spontaneous pricking of the mine primer during loading. Shooting with a cocked striker is carried out when, after loading, it is necessary to check the aiming, and then take the combat crew away from the mortar into cover.
The base plate serves as a support for the barrel and distributes the pressure of the barrel when fired over a relatively large surface, ensures the stability of the mortar and prevents it from burrowing deep into the ground. It doesn't have any removable parts. It is a rigid structure and consists of a main sheet, to which linings are welded on top, and stiffeners are welded on the bottom, which at the same time are coulters.
The machine is a support for the mortar barrel in a combat position and provides it with vertical and horizontal aiming angles. In mortars of small and medium calibers, a two-legged gun carriage serves as a machine tool. For heavy mortars, the machine has a more complex design, including elements of the undercarriage.
At the moment of the shot, the mortar barrel settles and shudders. At this time, the mortar barrel, together with the base plate, under the action of the pressure force of powder gases, quickly and sharply moves along the axis by a certain amount within the limits of residual and elastic deformations of the soil. After the shot, under the action of soil elasticity forces, the barrel with the plate returns to its original position. Thus, a kind of rollback and rolling of the barrel occurs, just as it takes place in an artillery gun.
To ensure accurate aiming of the barrel, the two-legged carriage is equipped with three mechanisms: lifting, swivel and leveling. Each of these mechanisms is a screw that rotates in the uterus using a gear and a handle.
The lifting and turning mechanisms, with the help of which the vertical and horizontal guidance of the mortar is carried out, are usually of the screw type. Unscrewing the screw of the lifting mechanism from the uterus, raise the muzzle of the barrel; screwing the screw into the uterus, lower the muzzle and thereby change the range of the fall of the mine. The rotary mechanism allows you to accurately point the mortar to the right or left at a small angle: from 3 to 5 degrees at different systems mortars. To turn at a larger angle, the biped is rearranged.
Horizontal guidance is performed using a goniometer and a rotary mechanism. At large angles of rotation, the bipedal carriage is moved. Vertical aiming is carried out by the sight and the lifting mechanism of the mortar. Each mortar sight has a goniometer and a sight scale. The protractor is designed to measure horizontal angles, and the sight is designed to measure vertical angles.
The combat operation of muzzle-loading mortars revealed one of their most significant shortcomings - the possibility of double or reloading the mortar from the muzzle and firing a shot by pricking an igniter cap onto a hard firing pin. Such cases occurred during intensive firing in combat conditions, mainly due to the inattention of the combat crew, when the loader could not notice a shot from his mortar and send a second mine into the barrel after the first one. In this case, the first mine met the second, either somewhere near the muzzle of the barrel, or in the hands of the loader in front of the muzzle. This could also happen in a misfire; weak pricked primer of the first mine; a prolonged shot or a mine not reaching the striker due to contamination of the bore, mine body or foreign objects entering the bore. A shot fired from a mortar loaded with two mines inevitably led to very serious consequences - the death of the calculation, if it was not in cover, and the disabling of the mortar.
The most radical method of eliminating this phenomenon was the rejection of muzzle loading in more powerful mortars of 160-mm and 240-mm caliber, loaded from the treasury. This ruled out the possibility of double loading. However, the rejection of muzzle loading and the transition to breech-loading mortars of all calibers, starting with the smallest ones, was not the optimal solution to the problem of eliminating double loading, since in this case, in order to get rid of one drawback, a number of very valuable qualities of muzzle-loading mortars would have been sacrificed. Consequently, it was not about eliminating the very possibility of double loading, but only about protecting mortars from it.
Currently, all domestic muzzle-loading mortars are equipped with reliable automatic double-loading fuses that are worn on the muzzle of the barrel. The fuse blade prevents the second mine from being sent into the barrel after the first one, which, when fired, is sunk by powder gases overtaking the mine, flowing through the annular gap between the surface of the bore and the centering thickening of the mine.
The mortar can be transported disassembled or on wheels.
82-mm battalion mortars are transported in armored personnel carriers (BMP) or in car bodies. But when approaching the enemy, when in the zone of reach of his fire, the movement Vehicle becomes impossible, the mortar crew can carry the mortar and its ammunition in packs. Usually these are short distances - 5-10 km.
Human packs are essential when conducting combat operations in wooded and swampy and mountainous areas, in off-road conditions where vehicle traffic is limited, when overcoming water lines with the help of improvised means, when conducting combat in settlements. The packs are convenient in that they are fixed on the back of the soldier, so the hands remain free and the packs do not interfere with crawling.
Mortars for transportation in the mountains are disassembled into large units and placed on horse packs. These packs have special equipment for attaching to saddles.
The device of large-caliber mortars is much more complicated. But in principle, they have the same basic structural elements: a smooth-walled barrel, a wheeled carriage, a base plate, and a sight.
Separately, you need to dwell on a completely new design of the mortar, developed by domestic gunsmiths.
In the late 1960s, the 82-mm automatic mortar 2B9 "Vasilek" was created in the Soviet Union. Due to the design features and methods of hitting targets, it belongs to the class of so-called mortar guns. Designed to destroy enemy firepower and manpower by fire both along mounted and flat trajectories (direct fire).
Mortar 2B9 is a model of a self-loading automatic weapons, the shot from which is carried out with the shutter open. The work of automation is based on the return of a free shutter. The piercing of the primer of the main charge of the mine occurs at the final stage of the movement of the shutter forward.
Mortar 2B9 consists of a barrel, a bolt box, a bolt, a recoil mechanism, an upper machine, a lower machine with two chassis beds.
The smoothbore barrel is threaded to the bolt box. Part of the barrel is placed in a cooling chamber, which is filled with water during intensive shooting. This allows you to conduct long continuous fire with an allowable rate of fire of 300 shots in 30 minutes (without liquid cooling - 200 shots in 30 minutes).
Late generation mortars, designated 2B9M, use air-cooled barrels.
The spring-type recoil device has three piston rods with springs. One of them is installed on top, the other two - below the bolt box. The shutter and the piston rods of the recoil device attached to it constitute the movable part of the mortar. Its guidance in the vertical and horizontal planes is carried out manually.
In a combat position, especially when firing using the upper group of angles, the mortar rests on the central base plate (attached to the lower machine) and the coulters of the beds divorced to the sides. At the same time, the wheels are transferred to the front position and hung above the ground. For firing from a mortar, 82-mm mortar rounds are used.
MORTAR AMMUNITION
A MORTAR shot is a set of elements designed to produce one shot from a mortar. The main elements of a live mortar shot include: a mine, a fuse and a live charge.
By combat mission mines are divided into three groups: the main purpose - fragmentation, high-explosive fragmentation, high-explosive, incendiary. They serve to directly defeat the enemy's manpower or destroy his defensive structures; special purpose- smoke, lighting and propaganda mines; to perform combat missions of an auxiliary nature - educational and training. Designed for the training and education of personnel of mortar units.
The fully equipped mortar mine consists of a drop-shaped body with a bursting charge, stabilizer, fuse, main and additional charges. Mines of this type are used for firing from smoothbore mortars.
The body is a shell for a bursting charge of explosive or other type of equipment, depending on the purpose of the mine. A fuse is screwed into the head part of the body, and a stabilizer is screwed into the bottom part. On the cylindrical part of the mine body there is a centering thickening. It is necessary so that the mine does not beat in the bore, but adjoins it with only a small gap. There are centering projections on the wings of the stabilizer. These thickenings and protrusions ensure the correct movement of the mine along the bore.
An explosive charge, consisting of a blasting (crushing) explosive, is intended to break the mine body into fragments that affect the enemy’s manpower, or to destroy his structures.
The stability of the mine on the trajectory in flight is ensured by a stabilizer, which consists of a tube with holes and plumage (wings) welded to it.
There are stabilizers with drop-down plumage. AT office address and when loading, the diameter of such a stabilizer does not exceed the diameter of the mortar bore. During the shot, after the mine leaves the bore, the feathers open, and the plumage diameter becomes larger than the diameter of the bore - the stabilizing moment of the mine increases.
Fragmentation, high-explosive fragmentation, high-explosive and smoke mines have percussion fuses that are triggered when they come into contact with an obstacle. Remote fuses are also used in these mines, which provide detonation in the air at a certain height - at a predetermined trajectory point before meeting an obstacle.
Depending on the speed of action, percussion fuses are divided into instantaneous, inertial and delayed fuses.
The designs of fuses are extremely diverse, but in any fuse there are three mandatory elements that make up the firing chain: an igniter cap, a detonator cap and a detonator.
Lighting, incendiary and propaganda mines are equipped with remote fuses. There is no detonator cap or detonator here. They are not needed because these mines do not have a bursting charge. The firing chain of the remote fuse ends with a powder firecracker, which ignites an expelling charge of black powder, which, in turn, throws the contents of lighting, incendiary and propaganda mines into the air.
Mortar powder charges are divided into main and additional. To eject a mine from the bore and communicate its initial speed in modern mortars, a combat charge is used, consisting of an igniter (main) charge. The ignition charge is placed in the stabilizer tube and appearance resembles a hunting cartridge: paper sleeve, brass bottom with primer. The main charge is the smallest charge, it is constant. You can't shoot without it. The ignition charge of the 82 mm mortar consists of 8 grams of nitroglycerin powder, and the 120 mm mortar has the same tail cartridge, but the mass of gunpowder in it is larger - about 30 grams. However, an 82-mm mortar can also be fired with one main charge contained in the tail cartridge: this will be the so-called “main” (smallest) charge, which will send a mine with initial speed only 70 meters per second. At the same time, she will be able to fly no more than 475 meters.
To increase the firing range, additional charges are used, which are put on the mine stabilizer tube. For 82 mm mortar mines, the stabilizer wings have special sockets. Additional charges can be inserted into these sockets, each of which is placed in a transparent film case and has the shape of a boat.
Another kind of charges are charges in the form of rings. These are narrow long silk bags with nitroglycerine or pyroxylin gunpowder. There is a loop on one end of the bag, and a button on the other. The bag is wrapped around the mine stabilizer tube and fastened to it. Charges are usually designated by numbers. There are three such charges in an 82-mm mortar mine. The charge number corresponds to the number of rings added to the main charge; charge number 1 is the main charge plus one additional charge - the ring; charge number 2 is the main charge plus two rings; charge number 3 is the main charge plus three rings. The third ring charge is equal in strength to the sixth charge of the boats, the second - to the fourth, the first - to the second.
Shrapnel action mines character
30. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
The duration of the mortar's combat service and the failure-free operation of all its mechanisms depend on the correct handling and care of the mortar, as well as on the thorough preparation of the mortar for firing and marching.
Preparation of mortars for firing is carried out under the direction of the platoon commander. It consists of inspecting mortars, checking and adjusting the operation of mechanisms, as well as checking sights.
Inspection of the mortar is carried out in order to timely identify and eliminate malfunctions, as well as to prevent damage and the consequences of improper care for the material part of the mortar and handling it. AT military units the inspection is carried out by the chiefs of artillery weapons, artillery technicians and officers, to whom the material part is entrusted for service, within the time limits established by the Charter internal service, as well as persons appointed to conduct inspections of artillery weapons and ammunition.
The mortar must always be ready for combat use, but before each shooting, you must once again make sure that the mortar and all its mechanisms are in full working order. It should be remembered that even minor malfunctions that are not detected and eliminated in a timely manner can cause serious damage to the material part and lead to an accident, and poorly adjusted mortar mechanisms and misaligned sights reduce the accuracy of fire and, as a result, increase ammunition consumption.
During firing, it is necessary to continuously monitor the operation of the mortar and promptly eliminate all noticed malfunctions.
It is forbidden to shoot with long-range charges from the M-120 mortar.
31. INSPECTION OF THE MORTAR AND CHECKING THE OPERATION OF MECHANISMS
Inspection and preparation of the mortar for firing should be carried out in the following sequence:
1. Thoroughly clean the mortar from dust and dirt by turning Special attention on the condition of the breech and screws of the lifting and turning mechanisms.
2. Inspect the barrel and breech. On the outer surface of the barrel and breech there should be no cracks, swelling and dents that form bulges in the bore, visible to the naked eye.
Check the reliability of the fastening of the pipe in the holder 2 (see fig. 21) and basting 3 basting clamp; remove grease from the bore.
Note. Careful removal of grease from the bore is one of the main conditions for preparing a mortar for firing.
It is necessary to remove the lubricant not only because the lubricant slows down the movement of the mine when loading the mortar, which can cause misfires, but also because the lubricant has big influence for ignition and combustion of charges.
Oily and wetted charges ignite poorly and burn unevenly. Therefore, the presence of lubrication in the bore during firing, as a rule, leads to undershot mines and their large dispersion.
When removing lubricant from the bore, they are often limited to running a bannik with a breech screwed onto the pipe. In this case, the lubricant is not removed from the bore, but is driven into the breech, i.e., where the charge is located before the shot.
If the lubricant remains in the bore, then the powder grains get into the lubricant, are oiled and do not burn out. Therefore, special attention should be paid to removing grease from the bore and, whenever possible, before firing, when wiping the bore, screw the breech off the pipe and carefully wipe both the bore and the breech. Inspect the bore that has been wiped clean. At poor lighting obliquely place a sheet of white paper in front of the muzzle. When inspecting the channel, pay special attention to ensure that there are no cracks, swellings or dents in it. A barrel that has cracks, bulges or dents on the outer surface or in the channel is not allowed to fire.
Carefully check the condition of the channel, paying attention to the fact that there are no solid particles left in it, which, when fired, can damage the barrel. Inspect the obturation ring, check whether it has compression around the entire circumference in the form of imprints of the pipe and breech belts, indicating a tight fit of the obturation ring to the corresponding surfaces of the pipe and breech.
3. Check the operation of the firing mechanism.
To do this, release the impact mechanism several times, while the trigger lever must each time return to its original position under the action of the spring. Then, with the breech separated, check the output of the striker.
4. Check the fuse against double charging.
Remove grease from the parts by wiping them with a clean rag and check that the fuse is assembled correctly. Then check the reliability of the fuse on the barrel and put the safety mechanism in the "Open" position.
5. Check the operation of the lifting and turning mechanisms. The check is carried out on a mortar installed in a combat position. The handles of the lifting and turning mechanisms should rotate easily and smoothly, without jerking and sitting. If the effort on the handles is greater than normal (over 4 kg), then inspect the mechanisms, especially carefully inspect the screws of the lifting and turning mechanisms, and identify the cause of the tight movement of the handles of the mechanisms (dirt and nicks may be the cause).
The mortar guidance mechanisms (lifting and swivel) may have backlashes - pitching in the connections of the lead screws with their queens or with other landing parts of the biped-carriage.
There may be backlash in the rotary mechanism:
Axial (longitudinal) and radial (transverse) - in the connection of the screw with the eyes of the swivel;
Axial and radial - in the connection of the uterus with the screw.
To select the axial and radial play in the connection of the screw with the eyes of the swivel, it is necessary to use a wrench screwdriver ( 51–15 ) unscrew the plug 1 (see fig. 16), take out the washer 2 and bend the washer tooth; then the key ( 51–20 ) rotate the cone 4 to such an angle at which the screw will rotate smoothly and without pitching in the eyes of the swivel, then insert the washer, bend its tooth into the slot of the cone and screw in the plug.
In mortars with a variant shock absorber, only the axial play of the propeller can be selected. To do this, remove the washers 11 and 12 (see fig. 18), tighten the nut 13 and turn it to such an angle that there is no axial pitching of the screw in the eyes of the swivel and at the same time the screw rotates easily and smoothly.
To select the backlash of the uterus, you need a key ( 51–12 ) loosen the locknut 11 (see fig. 16) and tighten the adjusting nut 10 in the direction of the arrow marked on the uterus; tighten the nut so that the screw rotates easily and without play. If the uterus has two adjusting nuts, then they need to be tightened alternately. In mortars that do not have locknuts and nuts, and the uterus is made split (see Fig. 20), it is necessary to remove the wire and tighten the adjusting bolts, and then fix them again with wire.
In the lifting mechanism, only the axial (longitudinal) play of the screw is regulated. To do this, unscrew the screws that lock the cover on the body of the lifting mechanism, and with a key ( Sat51–20, see fig. 11) tighten the cover on the body of the lifting mechanism so that the screw rotates smoothly and easily, without axial pitching.
In other mechanisms, backlashes are selected by lining washers or replacing worn parts in repair shops.
It must be borne in mind that the gaps in the mortar mechanisms increase the overall instability of the mortar barrel, which worsens the accuracy of fire. The unsteadiness of the mortar barrel should not be more than ±0-20. If the shakiness of the barrel is greater and it is impossible to reduce it by adjustments, the mortar must be sent to the workshop for repair.
6. Inspect the bipedal carriage and check for breakage and damage on it, as well as cracks on the swivel. Check the operation of the sight leveling mechanism (where available), make sure that the shock absorber springs are in good condition and check for deflection of the shock absorber rods. The shock absorber should freely (without sitting) move forward by the amount of travel when pulled by the swivel and return to its original position when the force is removed from the swivel.
7. Inspect the base plate; on the plate, especially in welds, there should be no damage (cracks).
8. Check sights.
32. CHECKING SIGHTING DEVICES
Checking sights includes:
Quadrant check;
Preparing the sight for alignment;
Mortar preparation for checking the zero line of sight;
Reconciliation of the sight (alignment of the scales of elevation angles, the zero line of aiming and the level of the swivel according to the transverse level of the sight).
To reduce the amount of drift of the zero line of sight depending on the elevation angle, it is necessary to align the zero line of sight of the mortar at an angle of 63 ° (7-00).
Alignment of the control mortar quadrant KM-1
To reconcile a quadrant, you must:
Disconnect the barrel from the plate;
Put the breech of the barrel on some kind of rigid support (tragus, park boxes, etc.) with a height of 1200-1300 mm, while setting the biped approximately vertically;
Wipe dry the control pad on the trunk;
Level the control area of the shaft in the transverse direction using the leveling mechanism;
Remove the quadrant from the case and dry the bottom plane of its base;
Set the zero division of the quadrant scale against the pointer and place the quadrant on the control platform along the barrel along the longitudinal risk so that the point of the arrow of the quadrant is directed to the muzzle of the barrel; using the lifting mechanism of the biped, bring the bubble of the quadrant level to the middle;
Rotate the quadrant 180°, if the level bubble stays in the middle then the quadrant is correct.
If, after turning the quadrant, the level bubble does not retain its middle position, then it is necessary to select approximately half of the error by turning the quadrant disk relative to the pointer; then, turning the flywheel of the lifting mechanism, bring the quadrant level bubble to the middle and rotate the quadrant 180° again. If the level bubble is not in the middle, repeat the above procedure until the level bubble remains in the middle position when the quadrant is rotated 180°.
Note. It may be that when the quadrant is rotated 180° for the first time, the level bubble will shift so much that it does not. it will even be possible to roughly determine the magnitude of the error. In this case, it is recommended, by rotating the handle of the lifting mechanism, to bring the level bubble to the middle, noticing the exact number of turns of the handle (take into account the backlash), and then turn the handle to reverse side half the observed number of its revolutions. By turning the quadrant disk, bring the level bubble to the middle.
Rotate the quadrant 180°. If the level bubble remains in the middle, then the quadrant is correct. If, when turning the quadrant by 180 °, the level bubble slightly shifts from the middle position, then continue the check as indicated above; if the bubble again shifts so much that it will not be possible to determine the magnitude of the error by eye, then continue the test using the lifting mechanism, taking into account more precisely the number of revolutions of the handle.
Preparing sights for inspection
To prepare sights for testing, you must:
Remove the scope from the case and wipe it with a clean, dry cloth;
Inspect the sight and its mechanisms, test the smoothness of their movement and check the presence of all nuts and screws;
Install the sight with the axis into the socket of the bracket and secure it with the handle;
Set zero settings on the sight: goniometer 30-00, sight 7-00; using the fine leveling mechanism (or sight leveling mechanism, where available), bring the bubble of the transverse level of the sight to the middle.
Determination of dead moves of the goniometer
To determine the dead strokes of the protractor, you must:
Aim the crosshair of the reticle at any aiming point located no closer than 400 m from a mortar by rotating the goniometer drum in one direction; on the scale of the goniometer and the drum, read the setting of the goniometer and memorize it;
Knock down the tip by rotating the goniometer drum in the same direction;
Align the crosshairs of the sight with the same aiming point by rotating the goniometer drum in reverse direction, and read the setting of the goniometer.
The difference between the first and second settings is the backlash of the goniometer. The backlash must be determined three times and the arithmetic mean of the three determinations should be taken as its value. In addition, checking the backlash of the goniometer in the order indicated above should be carried out in three positions that differ from each other by about 10–00, for example, with goniometers 20–00, 30–00 and 40–00.
The backlash value of the goniometer should not exceed two thousandths (0-02). In case of greater backlash, at least in one position, the sight must be replaced.
Determination of dead moves of the mechanism of elevation angles
To determine the backlash of the elevation mechanism, you must:
Set the “50” division of the scale of the checked quadrant against the pointer, place the quadrant on the control platform along the barrel, as indicated above, and, turning the handle of the mortar lifting mechanism, bring the bubble of the quadrant level to the middle, i.e., give the mortar barrel an elevation angle of 50 ° ; remove the quadrant from the trunk;
Bring the bubble of the longitudinal level of the sight to the middle by rotating the drum of the elevation angle mechanism in one direction (in the direction of decreasing the installation of the sight); on a scale 27 (see fig. 31) and drum scale 4 read the setting of the sight and memorize it;
Remove the bubble of the longitudinal level from the middle position, continuing to rotate the drum in the same direction;
Bring the bubble of the longitudinal level back to the middle, rotating the drum in the opposite direction, and read the sight setting again.
The difference between the first and second sight settings is the backlash of the elevation mechanism.
The backlash must be determined three times in this way and the arithmetic mean should be taken as its value.
In the same order, check the backlash of the mechanism of elevation angles at an angle of 65 °. The value of the backlash of the mechanism of elevation angles should not exceed two thousandths (two divisions of the drum scale).
With a larger backlash, at least at one elevation angle, the sight must be replaced.
Preparation of the mortar for checking the zero line of sight
Before checking the zero line of sight, it is necessary to level the mortar in the transverse direction, for which you should:
Install the mortar, if possible, on a flat area, giving it an elevation angle of 63 °;
Wipe the control platform on the trunk and install on it (perpendicular to the axis of the bore along the transverse risk on the platform) a previously checked control quadrant; set the zero division of the quadrant scale against the pointer;
Bring the bubble of the quadrant to the middle using the clamp (see fig. 12) and the fine leveling mechanism (see fig. 13).
Alignment of the sight MPM-44 (MPM-44M)
Reconciliation of sight levels in the troops is not carried out, since they are not amenable to any adjustment in military conditions. Levels are adjusted at the factories that manufacture sights, or in workshops that have special adjustment devices.
To align the sight, you must select a pointing point (tree, pole, milestone, etc.) located at a distance of at least 400 from the mortar m.
If the aiming point is selected at a distance of at least 400 m is impossible in front of the mortar, then you can align the sight using a special shield, which should be placed in front of the mortar at a distance of at least 10 m without removing the mortar from the firing position. To do this, on a piece of plywood, a board, a wall or the bottom of a box, draw two prominent parallel lines 200–250 long. mm and a width of 3–5 mm each.
Distance between lines should be 136 mm. On a light background, the lines should be applied with dark paint (black, blue or charcoal). On a dark background, the lines should be applied with white paint or chalk.
Place the shield in front of the mortar so that the lines on the shield are vertical (check the installation of the shield by a plumb line).
After selecting the aiming point or setting the shield, point the mortar muzzle roughly at the eye to the aiming point or shield. At the same time, the slab and the biped must be placed on the ground in such a way that during further work at the mortar they do not change their position. Therefore, it is most expedient to align the sight without removing the mortar from the firing position; the barrel must be securely fixed in the shock absorber cage so that the white line on the barrel does not fall off to the side when looking at the rear of the barrel.
Check the sight in the following order.
Alignment of elevation scales
To give the mortar barrel with the greatest accuracy - an elevation angle of 63 "in the control quadrant, carefully installed on the control platform of the barrel.
Bring the bubble of the transverse level to the middle (using the sight leveling mechanism).
Then, turning the drum 4 (see fig. 31), remove the bubble of the longitudinal level 6 to the middle. In this case, the risk of the pointer 24 must match the division "10" on the scale 27 , and "0" of the drum scale 4 - with pointer risk 13 . If the position of the scales does not correspond to the specified, then it is necessary:
unscrew four screws 12 one turn and, holding the drum 4 with one hand, turn the scale with the other 5 1Z and tighten the four screws 12 ; at the MPM-44M sight, respectively, the blind nut is unscrewed and screwed, securing the drum;
Loosen the screw one turn 25 and two turns screw 14 , move the pointer until its risks coincide with the “10” division of the scale 27 , then tighten both screws until they stop.
To avoid friction, check the presence of an end gap between the pointer 24 and scale 27 ; clearance must be at least 0.15 mm.
Reconciliation of the zero line of sight
Behind the mortar, at a distance of 10–15 m from it, install the compass so that the line of sight from the compass to the aiming point (or the right line on the shield) passes approximately through the middle of the ball heel of the breech of the tested mortar.
Then, rotating the monocular of the compass and working with the rotary mechanism of the mortar, achieve the alignment of the white line on the barrel of the mortar and the aiming point (or the right line on the shield) with the vertical line of the crosshair in the monocular of the compass. The bubbles of the longitudinal and transverse levels should be in the middle.
Rotating drum 4 , combine the vertical line of the crosshair of the sight mounted on the mortar with the aiming point (or the left line on the shield). In this case, the risk of the pointer 19 must match the division "30" on the scale 18 large divisions of the goniometer, and the risk of the pointer 9 must match the division "0" on the scale 17 small divisions of the goniometer.
If the position of the scales does not correspond to the specified, then it is necessary to loosen the locking screws by half a turn. 3 , fixing the scale 18 large divisions of the protractor, and move this scale until division "30" is aligned with the stroke of the pointer 19 then tighten the screws until they stop.
Then loosen the four screws one turn. 7 on the drum 4 and holding the handwheel with one hand; another turn the scale 17 until the zero division is aligned with the pointer 9 , after which the screws 7 screw it all the way down (in the MPM-44M sight, unscrew and tighten the cap nut securing the drum, respectively). Check if the aiming of the mortar and sight has not gone astray.
Note. If there is no compass, then pointing the white line on the mortar barrel to the aiming point (or the right line on the shield) can be done using a sight mounted on the second mortar behind the tested mortar at a distance of 10–15 m, or a plumb line suspended behind the mortar at a distance of 3–5 m.
Check the level of the swivel in the following order: give the mortar an elevation angle of 63° (along the quadrant) and precisely orient the swivel using the precise leveling mechanism along the transverse level of the sight, while the level bubble of the swivel should be in the middle.
If the bubble of the swivel level is not in the middle, loosen the fixing screws, turn the level to one side or the other and bring the bubble to the middle, then fix the level again with the fixing screws.
Notes: 1. If the mortar has a swing mechanism, then before adjusting the level of the swivel, it is necessary to combine the marks on the clamp of the swing mechanism.
2. If the level of the swivel, consistent with the level of the sight at a mortar elevation angle of 63 °, leaves the middle when the mortar elevation angle changes (within the operation of the lifting mechanism by more than 0.5 level divisions), then this level of the swivel cannot be used; in this case, when pointing the mortar, use only the level of the sight.
Checking the sight stand
After checking the sights, it is necessary to check the rack attached to this mortar and determine the error of the rack. To determine the error of the stand, it is necessary, having noted at any aiming point with a sight mounted on a mortar without a stand, then mark at the same aiming point with a sight mounted on a mortar with a stand, and determine the difference in marks both by goniometer and by elevation. To determine the difference in elevation marks, you need to bring the bubble of the longitudinal level to the middle with the drum of the elevation angles of the sight and subtract its reading from the obtained indication of the elevation angle scale before installing the sight on the rack. This difference will be the stance error (excluding dead moves of the sight) in elevation.
The rack error is allowed no more than 0-05 (according to the goniometer and elevation angle). The actual rack error must always be taken into account when dealing with it. If the rack error exceeds 0-05, then the rack must be handed over to the workshop.
33. SELECTION AND PREPARATION OF A FIRE POSITION
It is necessary to select and prepare a firing position in such a way that it ensures the mortar's camouflage, its stability when firing, and the ability to quickly change the direction of fire.
It must be borne in mind that the safety of the material part of the mortar and the accuracy of fire depend on the choice and quality of the preparation of the firing position.
Camouflage is achieved by placing the mortar in closed firing positions (reverse slopes, hollows, full-profile trenches, etc.).
The installation of a mortar in open positions should be carried out only in exceptional cases when, according to the conditions of the situation, it is required to immediately open fire, and there are no natural shelters on the ground.
In order for mines not to burst prematurely on their flight path, mortars must be positioned so that the distance from the mortar to the shelter is one and a half times the height of the shelter (for example, if the height of the shelter is 10 m, then the mortar must be installed no closer than 15 m from shelter). The area in the direction of firing must be cleared of trees, branches of which the mine may touch during flight, as a result of which premature rupture may occur.
When preparing a firing position, it must be taken into account that, depending on the quality of the soil (soft, hard or medium hardness), preparing it for installation base plate should be different.
The best soil for installing the mortar base plate is medium-hard soil (alumina, black earth, turfed soil, etc.). Such a soil provides a slight draft of the base plate, sufficient stability of the mortar during firing and the safety of the material part.
Rice. 73. Strengthening the soil under the base plate by driving stakes
Before installing the base plate, the soil must be processed (depending on the conditions and condition of the soil). Installing the base plate on soft ground (loose sand, swamp, etc.) without treatment leads to an increased settling of the plate when fired, which is accompanied by a large pickup and can cause damage to the material. Installing the base plate on hard ground (frozen, rocky, etc.), as well as on medium hard ground without treatment, leads to poor stability of the mortar (bouncing) and breakage of the material part of the biped, sight or base plate.
Soft soil is processed in one of the following ways:
Bags of earth, turf, small branches mixed with the ground, crushed stone, etc. are placed under the base plate;
Stakes 5–8 thick are driven into the ground on which the slab rests. cm and length?-1 m(Fig. 73);
2–4 mats of branches are placed under the base plate (Fig. 74); between the mats and on top of them, the existing dense soil is poured (turf, small branches mixed with the ground, etc.);
The base plate is installed on the roots of the shrub;
The base plate is installed in a rectangular wooden frame (Fig. 75); log house is made of logs with a thickness of about 15 cm; inside the log house, the existing dense soil is poured (turf, small branches mixed with the ground, etc.); when installing the base plate in a log house, it is necessary to ensure that the sides of the plate do not rest against the walls of the log house; the emphasis of the sides of the slab against the walls of the log house can cause it to break during firing;
Rice. 74. Strengthening the soil under the base plate by lining mats from branches
Rice. 75. Installation of a base plate in a rectangular wooden frame
The soil is strengthened with stakes hammered into a cone (Fig. 76).
Solid soil under the slab is loosened by about? m. If it is impossible to loosen the soil with the available entrenching tool (crowbar, pickaxe), the soil is loosened by blasting with the help of sapper tools. 2-3 bags of earth are poured onto the top layer of loosened soil.
The preparation of soil of medium hardness comes down to loosening the soil and digging a ditch (trench) for the slab.
Rice. 76. Strengthening the soil with stakes driven in a cone
34. TRANSFER OF THE MORTAR FROM THE MOTOR POSITION TO THE BATTLE
To the prepared firing position, bring a wheeled move with a mortar and put it with a pivot paw towards the rear. Unfasten the straps that secure the biped to the walk. Raising the stroke by the front part, gradually lower the base plate to the place prepared for it, keeping the stroke from tipping over. Release the barrel from the clip securing it. Release the biped from fastening with clamp supports, unwind the chain of the bipod and unfasten the coupler connecting the plate with the move. Supporting the trunk, take the move back. Move the barrel over the plate (forward) and set it in firing position. At the same time, put the uterus of the rotary mechanism in the middle of the screw and, by rearranging the bipedal, direct the mortar barrel approximately at the intended target.
If the fuse was removed during the transportation of the mortar, then it must be put on the mortar barrel.
When transporting a mortar without a move (on a utility wagon, in a sleigh, etc.), transfer the mortar to a combat position in the following order: remove the base plate from the wagon and place it on the ground, remove the barrel and install the ball heel into the base cup of the plate, supporting trunk with hands at an elevation angle of 45–80 °. Then remove the shock absorber with the bipedal from the wagon, rest it against the ground with openers, and bring the shock absorber with the clip under the trunk, insert the shock absorber clip and the basting of the clip into the recess on the trunk and secure with a clamp.
Installing a mortar at a firing position
The correct placement of the mortar in the firing position is one of the important factors that ensure effective firing. Incorrect installation of the mortar in the firing position leads to the following;
To poor stability and, as a result, to frequent knocking down of aiming, which is accompanied by a deterioration in the accuracy of fire, and, consequently, an increase in ammunition consumption;
To damage to the material part of the mortar (settlement and breakage of the springs of the shock absorber and screws of the lifting and turning mechanisms, as well as the breakage of individual parts of the two-legged mortar and the breakage of the sight).
Base plate installation must be carried out so that the amount of departure or settlement of the plate from the shot is not more than the allowable shock absorber, i.e. not more than 150 mm.
If the deflection or settling of the plate is greater than the specified value, then the shock absorber springs are compressed until the coils come into contact, and further withdrawal of the plate leads to a hard blow, which is accompanied by an even greater settling of the plate, and then breakage of the springs and bending of the shock absorber rods, bending of the screws of the lifting and turning mechanisms, bending swivel and bipod, sight breakage, etc.
When installing the base plate, the following rules must be observed:
The inclination of the base plate to the horizon in the direction of the shooting direction should be 25–30 °,
The base plate must rest with its entire surface on solid ground and must be immersed in it for at least ? coulter heights;
Under the surface of the base plate, it is necessary to create a dense earthen cushion, on which the base plate should lie with all its recesses and recesses (Fig. 77), and not with individual points.
Setting up a biped. The openers of the bipedal must be sunk into the ground to the plates and be approximately at the same level with the ball heel of the breech (Fig. 78).
Rice. 77. Base plate installation
At the same time, if the elevation angles are less than 65 ° (sight 6-50 and more), the biped is moved forward by about 1600 mm from the center of the ball heel of the breech and connects to the upper groove of the barrel, and at elevation angles greater than 65 ° (sight 6-50 and less), the biped is moved forward by about 1000 mm and connects to the lower groove of the barrel.
Rice. 78. Installing a mortar at a firing position
When installing a mortar on a firing position, two grooves are made with radii equal to 1000 and 1600 mm, to bring the biped forward from the center of the base plate. Bipedal openers are installed in one or another groove, depending on the elevation angle attached to the mortar.
35. MORTAR POINTING
If, after installing the mortars on the firing position, a parallel fan was built, then the adapter posts of the sight must be removed. It should be remembered that it is impossible to fire from a mortar with a rack installed, since in this case the rack, swivel bracket and sight may break.
Target the mortar in the following order:
1. Check the leveling of the sight by its transverse level.
2. Set the commanded elevation angle on the sight by operating the sight elevation knob.
3. Bring the bubble of the longitudinal level of the sight to the middle, using the lifting mechanism of the mortar.
4. Install the commanded goniometer on the sight and, using the rotary mechanism of the mortar, align the vertical cross hairs on the reticle with the aiming point. If the angle to which the mortar needs to be rotated is greater than the angle selected by the rotary mechanism, but not more than 3-00, then the biped should be rearranged.
If the angle of rotation is greater than 3-00, then rearrange the biped and the base plate so that the cutout in the cup of the base plate is located in the direction of the trunk.
5. Bring the bubble of the transverse level of the sight to the middle by turning the adjusting screw of the sight swing mechanism (in mortars with a device for leveling the sight) or by operating the swivel leveling mechanism.
6. Check the aiming and, using the rotary mechanism, accurately align the vertical thread of the cross hairs of the reticle with the aiming point; if necessary, make additional leveling of the sight or swivel.
7. Check the position of the bubble of the longitudinal level and, using the lifting mechanism, bring it to the middle, then check again the leveling (according to the transverse level) and aiming.
8. When firing, do not remove the sight from the mortar swivel.
36. LOADING THE MORTAR, SHOT AND UNLOAD THE MORTAR
Before loading the mortar, set the firing device to the "hard" or "free" position of the striker.
To set the striker to the “Hard” position, you need a switch knob 12 (see fig. 4) turn, setting it against the letter "Ж", printed on the breech, and to set the striker to the "Free" position, set the switch knob against the letter "C", also printed on the breech.
After aiming and installing the firing device, loading and firing are performed on command. In order to fire a shot, you need a mine with additional charges put on it and the fuse crane installed according to the command, insert the stabilizer into the muzzle of the barrel and, having sunk it into the barrel approximately to the centering thickening, release it.
The fuse cap must be removed immediately before loading. After lowering the mine, the loader must quickly remove his hands from the barrel.
In the "Hard" position of the striker, a shot is fired by self-piercing the primer of the tail cartridge of the mine onto the striker when the mine is lowered into the bore of the mortar.
In the "Free" position of the striker, to fire a shot, after lowering the mine into the bore of the mortar, pull the trigger cord to failure, and after firing, release it again. When firing, it is necessary to carefully monitor the position of the double-loading fuse blade in order to prevent loading the barrel with two mines.
Note. It must be borne in mind that when switching from firing with the "Hard" position of the striker to firing with the "Free" position of the striker, the first shot due to soot or contamination of the striker may occur by self-piercing, as in the "Hard" position of the striker. Therefore, in order to prevent possible self-piercing of the primer of the tail cartridge of the mine in the “Free” position of the striker, before loading the mortar, perform 2–3 idle triggers of the firing mechanism.
37. UNLOADING THE MORTAR
In the event of a misfire when firing with the “Free” position of the striker, trigger another 2–3 times; if the shot does not occur, then, after waiting at least 2 minutes, go up to the mortar and sharply push the mortar barrel (with a banner, a shovel handle or some kind of pole) so that the mine falls into place (if it has not reached before), after what, after waiting at least a minute, to make another 2-3 times the descent; if the shot does not follow, then it is necessary to defuse the mortar.
In the event of a misfire when firing with a “hard” position of the striker, you should wait at least 2 minutes, then go up to the mortar and sharply push the mortar barrel (with a banner, shovel handle or some kind of pole) so that the mine sits in its place (if She hadn't gotten there before.)
If the shot does not follow, then, after waiting at least 1 minute, move the handle 12 switch (see Fig. 4) to position "C", and then unload the mortar.
In mortars of earlier manufacture, having a firing device with a switch stopper, before unloading the mortar, it is necessary, by rotating the stopper lamb, to drown the switch stopper. To unload the mortar, it is necessary to separate the trigger cord from the firing device and give the barrel the smallest elevation angle (about 45 °).
After that, loosen the basting of the shock absorber cage, carefully, without jerking, turn the barrel 90 ° in the ball bearing of the plate, separate the barrel from the plate and, holding the biped, raise the breech of the barrel. In this case, one number of the calculation should keep their hands near the muzzle so as to keep the mine from falling to the ground, while trying not to put pressure on the fuse head (hands must be kept near the muzzle after the barrel takes an approximately horizontal position).
When the mine touches the hands, carefully remove it from the barrel. In order to avoid a shot when unloading, it is strictly forbidden to lower the raised breech of the mortar barrel while the mine is in the bore.
A mine, the tail cartridge of which misfired, but the fuse and stabilizer were not damaged by the mine itself during discharge, can be used. To do this, after removing additional charges, remove the misfired tail cartridge with the help of an extractor, insert a new tail cartridge and equip the mine with additional charges.
38. OBSERVATION OF THE MORTAR WHEN SHOOTING, POSSIBLE FAULTS AND WAYS TO ELIMINATE THEM
When shooting, the following must be observed:
1. Check and correct aiming after each shot.
2. Monitor the operation of the shock absorber and the installation of the plate.
The plate should rest firmly on the ground and not give a large draft when fired. At the beginning of shooting, when the ground has not yet been compacted, the base plate from each shot should not go deeper into the ground by more than the amount allowed by the shock absorber. When the soil under the slab is compacted, the shrinkage of the slab should be greatly reduced. If shooting conditions allow, the first shot must be fired on the smallest or average charge.
With the correct installation of the plate on medium soil and the correct operation of the shock absorber (without meetings), after several shots, the mortar pickup almost does not go astray.
3. Follow the installation of the biped. In no case should the womb of the swivel mechanism rest against the swivel leg.
When the slab shrinks, it is necessary to dig in the bipedal coulters so that they are approximately at the same level with the ball heel of the breech. When the slab moves back, it is necessary to rearrange the biped periodically so that the normal protrusion of the bipod (1600 mm at elevation angles less than 65° and 1000 mm at elevation angles greater than 65°).
Failure to comply with this requirement may lead to the failure of the mortar. With a large shrinkage of the plate, the shooting should be stopped and the soil under the base plate should be compacted.
4. Make sure that all the time the bubbles of the transverse level of the sight and the level of the swivel (in mortars with a swivel leveling mechanism) are in the middle.
5. Check the mounting of the sight on the swivel and the clips of the shock absorber on the barrel after 8-10 shots.
Possible malfunctions mortar when firing and how to eliminate them
| Possible malfunctions | Causes of malfunctions | Troubleshooting |
|---|---|---|
| Misfires | 1. Pollution of the striker (soot, a cap or primer of an igniter charge remains) | 1. Clean the impact mechanism |
| 2. Breakage or wear of the striker | 2. Replace the striker | |
| 3. Pollution of the bore (soot from previous firing), as a result of which the mine is braked when it moves down after loading | 3. Clean the bore | |
| 4. Non-central (eccentric) pricking of the primer with a striker | 4. Reject the mine | |
| 5. Ignition charge primer failure | 5. Replace ignition charge | |
| 6. Broken or deformed striker spring | 6. Replace the striker spring | |
| Jamming and tight running of the screw of the lifting mechanism | 1. Pollution of the lifting mechanism | 1. Disassemble and clean the lifting mechanism from dirt, and then lubricate |
| 2. Nicks on the lifting screw | ||
| Jamming and tight running of the rotary mechanism | 1. Pollution of the rotary mechanism | 1. Disassemble and clean the rotary mechanism |
| 2. Knocks on the swivel screw | 2. Clean out the nicks with a personal file | |
| Shock absorber knock | Breakage or residual deformation of the shock absorber spring | Disassemble the shock absorber and install a spare spring |
| Jamming (tight running) shock absorber rods | Insufficient lubrication or contamination of shock absorber rods, springs and cylinders | Remove dirt from cylinders, rods, springs, add grease |
| Barrel fuse | Loosening the nut securing the safety to the barrel | Put a wooden gasket on the upper cut of the fuse body and push the fuse back with hammer blows on the gasket, then screw the nut to the stop |
| The safety mechanism slowly returns to the "Open" position. The mine lingers in the fuse when loading the mortar (tight movement of the safety mechanism in the axial direction) | 1. Contamination of the mechanism | 1. Disassemble and clean the safety mechanism |
| 2. Deformation or breakage of the spring | 2. Replace the spring | |
| After lowering the mine, the safety mechanism remained in the "Open" position | Lever wear or spring deformation | Replace lever or spring |
| The safety mechanism does not move to the "Closed" position | Contamination of the safety mechanism or nicks on the surface of the lever and body | Clean the safety mechanism and eliminate the existing nicks on the surface of the lever and body |
| Damage to parts of the safety mechanism | Combat or operational damage | Replace damaged parts with new ones from the spare parts kit |
39. TRANSFER OF THE MORTAR FROM THE BATTLE POSITION TO THE TRAVELING
The procedure for transferring the mortar from combat position on the march next:
1. Fix accessories (bannik, pickaxe, shovel, crowbar and milestone) on the wheeled course. Put covers on the muzzle and on the breech of the mortar barrel.
2. Raise the frame of the mortar stroke with the pivot paw up and in this position bring the mortar to the rear of the mortar so that it enters the hooks of the base plate with its U-shaped brackets (thickened parts of the brackets) (Fig. 79-81), then put on the coupler of the course on the plate bracket and tighten the tie.
3. After the base plate is laid and secured to the travel frame, the mortar barrel is carefully (without removing it from the base plate) using. overturn two or three people so that the muzzle of the barrel lies in the holder of the course, where it is fixed with a basting and a clamp.
Rice. 79. Mortar in the stowed position. Wheel travel arr. 1938 (the right wheel is conventionally not shown in the upper figure):
1 - wheel travel; 2 - mortar; 3 - a box for spare parts; 4 - banner and milestone; 5 - Sapper shovel; 6 - pickaxe; 7 - scrap
Rice. 80. Mortar in the stowed position. Wheel travel design of plant No. 702 (the right wheel is conventionally not shown in the upper figure):
1 - wheel travel; 2 - mortar; 3 - a box for spare parts; 4 - banner and milestone; 5 - Sapper shovel; 6 - pickaxe; 7 - scrap
Rice. 81. Mortar in the stowed position. Wheel travel design of factory No. 106 (the right wheel is conventionally not shown in the upper figure):
1 - wheel travel; 2 - mortar; 3 - a box for spare parts; 4 - banner and milestone; 5 - Sapper shovel; 6 - axe; 7 - park boxes with mines
4. Fold the biped, wrap the chain and secure the legs in the barrel yoke.
5. Lower the travel frame with the mortar and check whether the fastening of the plate with the barrel coupler in the travel clip and the biped in the barrel collar is secure. Attach the legs to the travel frame with two straps.
6. Close the stacked mortar on top with a cover of general coverage.
40. INSPECTION OF THE MORTAR BEFORE TRAVELING
Inspection of the mortar before marching should be carried out in the following order:
1. Check whether the fastening of the stowed barrel, bipedal and plate, as well as a box with spare parts and entrenching tools is secure.
2 Inspect the suspension of the B-20 stroke.
3. Inspect the wheels, make sure that the tires are intact and that they are securely fastened to the rims, check the condition of the discs (no cracks, deflection, etc.), check that all nuts are screwed onto the bolts to failure.
Check that the wheels rotate freely by lifting them off the ground. The wheels must turn freely.
4. Check the serviceability of the stoppers, as well as the presence of all bolts, nuts and cotter pins.
When transporting the mortar behind cars and tractors that have rear buffers, the latter must be removed, as they limit the rotation of the mortar and can lead to breakage of the pivot paw.
The rotating hook of the vehicle (tractor) must be fixed, as the pivot foot of the B-20 travel rotates.
41. MORTAR OBSERVATION ON THE TRIP
During movement, it is necessary to observe the marching mount of the trunk, bipedal and base plate. When driving on bad roads and rough terrain, make sure that the plate does not touch the ground, as this may break the parts of the marching mount.
At halts and stops, check whether the box with spare parts and accessories and trenching tools are securely fixed; make sure that the wheel hubs do not heat up and grease does not leak out of them. If the hub becomes very hot, remove the wheel as soon as possible, inspect the roller bearings and change the grease. Replace defective roller bearing. Check if the nuts securing the wheels to the axle shafts have loosened; fasten loose nuts.
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PROJECTS
General information
Mortar (Fig. 77) is light weapons mounted infantry fire. Mortar weight 14 kg, mine weight 900 g, firing range 60-520 m.
The mortar crew consists of three people.
On the march, the mortar is carried on two packs: 1) a barrel with a lifting mechanism and 2) a base plate with leveling and turning mechanisms. For short distances, the mortar is carried assembled - by the handle.
In addition, the calculation simultaneously transfers 5 trays with mines, 10 mines in each tray, and a box with accessories.
The mortar consists of two main parts (Fig. 78 and 79): 1) a barrel with a lifting mechanism and 2) a base plate with leveling and turning mechanisms.
The German mortar, unlike our mortar, has a firing device. Therefore, in order to shoot, it is necessary, after lowering the mine into the barrel, to lower the firing device.
The lifting mechanism is used for the production of rough and precise vertical guidance of the mortar.
Coarse pickup is carried out by moving the sleeve 5 (Fig. 78) along the tube 4, while pressing the latch; fine aiming - by rotating the turnbuckle 6 of the lifting mechanism.
The rotary mechanism (Fig. 79) is used for precise aiming of the mortar in a horizontal plane, for which it is necessary to rotate the handle 5 of the mechanism in one direction or another.
Leveling(alignment) of the mortar is achieved by rotating the handles 5 of the leveling mechanism.
fragmentation mine(Fig. 80) consists of a cast-iron body 1 and a stabilizer 2. The combat charge of a mine consists of a tail cartridge 4, which is held in the stabilizer tube with a locking screw. The explosive charge of the mine is TNT. The weight of the finally equipped mine is 900 g. The mine is equipped with a fuse 3 of instantaneous action. Before firing, the fuse does not require any setting.
Installing a mortar on a firing position
1. Having chosen a firing position, place the mortar on the ground so that the base plate is slightly tilted forward. If necessary, dig the soil with a shovel.
2. Direct the mortar at the target along the white stripe on the barrel by moving the base plate; while the mortar barrel in relation to the base plate should be in the middle position.
3. By hitting the shovel handle on the slab, push the slab into the ground so that its ribs (on the underside) go deep into the ground.
4. Set the sector 10 scale pointer and the goniometer pointer to "O" (the latter is not shown in the figure).
5. By rotating the handles 8 of the leveling mechanism (see Fig. 79) and following the ball level 16, level (align) the mortar; the bubble of the ball level should be in the middle.
The handles must be rotated both at the same time as follows:
a) the bubble deviated back - turn both handles to the left.
b) the bubble deviated forward - turn both handles to the right.
c) the bubble deviated to the right - rotate both handles outward.
d) the bubble deviated to the left - rotate both handles inward.
Aiming a mortar at a target and firing a shot
1. Having installed the mortar on the firing position (OP), aim it at the target. If the target is visible from the OP, then the mortar is first roughly oriented - along the white line on the barrel, then aimed accurately - along the sight by rotating the handle 3 (Fig. 77) of the rotary mechanism.
2. Give the mortar an elevation angle corresponding to the distance to the target, for which purpose combine the pointer 11 with the corresponding number on the scale of sector 10 (Fig. 77).
The numbers on the scale - 0, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 - correspond to the distance to the target in meters. For example, if the range to the target is 300 m, then the pointer should be against the number 300 on the sector scale.
The elevation angle is given by the lifting mechanism roughly - by moving the sleeve 5 along the tube 4 (Fig. 78), precisely - by rotating the turnbuckle 6.
3. In order to fire a mortar, it is necessary to lower the mine with the tail cartridge inserted (tail down) into the barrel and press the trigger handle (pulling it towards you) of the firing device.
Notes:
- A shot from a mortar should be done lying down, tilting your head as close to the ground as possible.
- When shooting, make sure that the bubble of the ball level is in the middle. If the bubble is knocked down, it must be adjusted to the middle.
Shooting and transferring fire
1. In case of overshoot or undershoot, rotate the turnbuckle of the lifting mechanism to change the range setting accordingly on the scale of its sector. Range changes less than 10 m are not made.
2. In the case of lateral deviations of the mine from the target, the setting is changed according to the scale on the transverse bar 14 (Fig. 79) by rotating the handle of the rotary mechanism.
Note. The scale on the transverse bar (Fig. 81) is applied double (front and back). The distances between two lines of each scale are equal to 20 divisions of the goniometer (0-20). But the dashes of the back scale are shifted to the side in relation to the dashes of the front scale by half the division value. Therefore, the distance from the bottom line to the adjacent top line is 10 protractor divisions (0-10). This means that the horizontal installation of the mortar on this scale can be done with an accuracy of 10 divisions (0-10).
Changing the horizontal aiming at a certain angle can also be done using the sight sight with a mark on the aiming point.
3. When transferring fire to a new target, it is necessary to determine the range to it and, accordingly, set the elevation angle on the scale on the sector with the lifting mechanism.
The mortar barrel in relation to the base plate rotates 3-00 in each direction. Therefore, when transferring fire to another target at an angle greater than 3-00, the change in the installation of the mortar must be done roughly by turning the base plate and then refining it by turning the handle of the rotary mechanism.
Aiming a mortar when the target with the OP is not visible
When the target is not visible from the firing position, the mortar is guided along two milestones. Milestones and mortar in this case are installed as follows:
1. Go out covertly, without revealing yourself to the enemy, to the line that covers the target, so that the target is visible. Place the first milestone vertically (Fig. 82).
2. Without losing sight of the target or an object located in the direction of the target, move back to the mortar along the continuation of the line target - the first milestone. Put the second milestone vertically.
3. Put a mortar on the OP, observing the following:
1) both milestones must be visible from the OP;
2) the mortar must stand on a straight line, mentally drawn through two milestones; at the same time, the white line on the barrel (or the sight on the sight when set to “0”) must be pointed in the direction through two milestones.
Disassembly and assembly of the mortar
Assembly is in reverse order. When assembling the leveling mechanism, it is necessary to adjust the thickness of the ring gaskets so that the ball bushing after screwing the nut rotates freely, but without pitching
Mortar Handling
1. In the event of a misfire during firing, you still need to try, by operating the trigger handle (3-5 times) of the firing device, to fire a shot.
If at the same time the shot does not follow, then, after waiting one minute, defuse the mortar.
2. To defuse a mortar, you must:
a) squeezing cup 17 (Fig. 78), separate the base of the lifting mechanism from the frame;
b) tilt the lifting mechanism forward;
c) one person carefully tilt the mortar barrel forward, the other grab the muzzle of the barrel with his hand, take the mine falling out from there by the centering thickening and put it in the tray.
3. After firing, the mortar barrel and parts of the mechanisms must be cleaned and lubricated with a thin layer of gun grease, in winter time at temperatures up to - 30 ° lubricate the rubbing parts with winter gun grease and below 30 ° with grease No. 21.
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HOW TO USE TROPHY WEAPONS IN COMBAT |
left entirely. highlighted in red .
the most important
1) mine flies from subsonic speed along a steep path. It means that you can hear a shot and a characteristic whistling sound from a mine to its explosion.
mine 82mm flies for 6km 30-60 sec (initial speed 100-200m/s) from here
mine 120mm flies for 6km 22-50 sec (initial speed 119 - 270 m/s) from here and from here
the sound of a shot at 6 km will reach in 18 seconds (sound speed 330 m / s).
total reaction time 4-12-32-42 seconds (inaccurate, because the speed depends on the charge). TOTAL seconds 5-10 is.
2) you can determine where they shot from
3) DK Kuibyshev, apparently, was fired with a mine 82 mm(or less)
4) the maximum firing range of a mortar is no more than 6-7 km (regardless of caliber). Real (sighting) 4-6 km.
SURVIVE UNDER MORTAR FIRE.
Characteristics of mortars and mines, rules of conduct under fire.
82 mm mine: Effective damage radius lying targets of 82-mm fragmentation mine, not less than 18 m. At the same time, the grass on the affected area is completely mowed. The radius of the capital destruction of growth targets - 30 m
with the obligatory defeat of the target by 2-3 fragments. The spread of individual fragments can be up to 100-150 meters.
82 mm mine able to destroy only a light overlap
, for example, a visor made of poles over a trench.
The funnel, when it breaks, even if the mine goes into the ground to the most favorable depth, will be small: 1 meter in diameter and about 50-60 centimeters deep. But usually such a funnel does not work, because the 82 mm mine is not designed for destructive shooting, but designed only for fragmentation
, and it breaks before it penetrates the ground ...
82mm mortars are not particularly long-range weapons, but very common. Maximum firing range up to 4 kilometers. The minimum firing range is 85-100 meters. Therefore, for the purpose of camouflage, the mortar and ammunition are usually carried by hand. The mortar weighs more than 40 kilograms, a standard box with 10 mines weighs more than 30 (total 70 kg !!!)
. Therefore, mortar attacks are usually sudden and short-lived: an experienced crew fires ten shots in a matter of seconds, and the last mine exits the barrel before the first one explodes. After that, the mortars immediately disassemble the mortar (up to a minute) and change their position in order to get away from return fire.
A 120 mm mortar can hit 7.2 km. Effective on range up to 7 km. Minimum range (dead zone) - 480 meters. Rate of fire - 10-15 shots. Portable ammunition - 80 min.
Towed or self-propelled 120mm rifled mortar type " Nona"(in service with 25 VBR) Rate of fire - up to 11 rounds per minute. It is used against manpower located on open area, in trenches or light shelters.
Ammunition "Nona": The main ammunition of the gun includes high-explosive shells 3OF49 with contact fuse and radio fuse. The projectiles have an initial velocity at full charge of 367 m/s and a maximum firing range of 8,855 km. When a contact fuse is set to a fragmentation action during the break, the 3OF49 projectile forms about 3500 lethal fragments weighing from 0.5 to 15 g, with an initial velocity of about 1800 m / s. The reduced area of destruction of openly located manpower in the "standing" position is 2200 m², the armor penetration of homogeneous steel armor is 12 mm at a distance of 7 to 10 m from the epicenter of the projectile burst. When using the AP-5 radio fuse, the effectiveness of defeating openly located manpower increases from 2 to 3 times. When installing a contact fuse for high-explosive action, the 3OF49 projectile is capable of forming funnels up to 5 m in diameter and up to 2 meters deep. Also, “Nona” hits with all types of 120-mm mortar mines.
The mortar has several features that you must know. In-First, the mine flies at subsonic speed along a steep trajectory. This means that you can hear a shot and a characteristic whistling sound from the mine to its explosion. Experienced fighters determine by the sound in which direction it flies, approaches (the sound changes from low frequencies to high) or already removed during the flight. In combat conditions, such skills need to be acquired as quickly as possible.
Secondly, the mine explodes on impact with the ground, and fragments fly up and to the sides. So a car or standing man is a very vulnerable target. If the fighter is lying at the time of the mine explosion, the probability of falling into him with fragments decreases sharply. Therefore, when you hear the sound of an approaching mine (or the warning cry of an experienced comrade), immediately fall to the ground and press yourself into it harder, covering your head with your hands.
Fragments of 82-mm mines are light and very "bad". When a three-kilogram mine explodes, 400-600 fragments are formed. Any obstacle - a brick, a tree, a concrete pillar - can unpredictably change the direction of their flight. For the same reason, mine fragments do not penetrate more or less serious obstacles. A stone wall, a parapet, a sandbag, a fallen tree trunk, a hard hat, body armor can all help.
If the enemy is not targeting the area, then it is advisable not to stick out for 5-10 minutes, the destruction package is usually 60-80 minutes per square.
Sometimes mortars release one sighting mine (smoke or incendiary) towards the target and at the place of its rupture, introduce amendments and turn on rapid fire with the entire battery to kill. So after the first gap in the side, there is a little time to find cover and lie down.
According to experience, they fire from a mortar in "series": 6-8 shots, a pause of several minutes, then again 6-8 shots to finish off. Usually there were no more than three such series. It is possible to fire from one, two or three mortars (three mortar crews are part of a platoon).
During the shelling, do not even think about getting up. Lie down where you fell. During a pause, you can inspect the area, move to a slot, pit, funnel. The lower you lie, the more likely you are to survive the shelling without consequences. Trenches, dugouts, structures made of concrete blocks, solid brick walls - quite reliable protection against a mortar. Even in an open field, you can come up with a shelter.
Not good good idea sit out shelling in a rare landing or bushes. The mine fuse will work when it hits branches and an air explosion of the mine will result, which will increase the area affected by fragments.
In a pause, be ready for the next "series" of shelling, the approach of which will warn you all the same whistling sound.
So, the basic rules for survival during a mortar attack:
1. Listen to the sounds of flying mines, learn to recognize and analyze them.
2. When firing, immediately fall and press into the ground. Learn to do this before the mines start to fall - it's to your advantage.
4. Don't forget to open your mouth, this will save your eardrums.
5. No matter what happens, in no case should you rise, let alone stand up. Do not try to run away from the firing zone - mines and fragments are still faster than you. Wait for an example of 8-10 breaks, then wait at least three minutes, then quickly change position and go into cover. Even if someone nearby needs help, provide it after shelling and in cover, otherwise you will most likely need help soon.
6. Use artificial and natural shelters and terrain folds. You can hide in them in between series of shots.
7. Move only by crawling. If you come under fire in the field and wait it out, crawl out of the fire zone so as not to be noticed and not cause a second fire.
8. If you are in a zone where mortar shelling is possible, do not take off your body armor and helmet - if you have them, of course. Bulletproof vests of the third or fourth class stop mortar fragments quite reliably. Even a simple second-class vest and an old Soviet-style helmet will not be superfluous.
9. It happens that some of the mines do not burst (soft ground, the fuse did not work) and brazenly stick out of the ground with their tails. In no case do not touch them, do not take them out and do not beat them. The probability of an explosion is extremely high.
10. Dig trenches and build dugouts with strong ceilings. The message paths should be zigzag. In the event of a mine hitting a trench, the fragmentation will be limited to a straight segment only.
11. Feel free to train and work out your actions in case of shelling in advance. Remember: hard in teaching, easy in the affected area.
12. If you come under mortar fire during the march on the “armor”, dive inside. The task of the APC driver is to get out of the fire zone at full speed. Stopping and dismounting, you turn into a perfect, motionless target for mortars.
13. Keep snipers on the ground where a mortar spotter might be. These are usually ruins, tall houses and trees in the line of sight from your location, which offer a good overview of the area. A man with binoculars and a walkie-talkie (telephone) is goal number 1.
How to determine where the mortar or gun was fired from?
By the nature of the crater from a projectile or mine, you can determine where the shooting was carried out from. The fact is that the projectile falls at an angle, and not strictly vertically, it breaks, as if on its side, so the funnel is uneven. The side facing the point of the shot will be flatter than the opposite. There are more fragments in the ground on the side from which the projectile came, since most of shell fragments from the opposite side went into the air during the explosion. Usually, after removing loose soil, you can find the trace of the projectile in the ground and determine the general direction of fire.
To determine the range to the place where the shot was fired from, you can be much more accurate if you determine which ammunition formed the funnel. By measuring the angle of incidence of the projectile, it is possible, using the firing tables, to determine from what range the shot was fired. The angle is measured as follows: the earth loosened by the explosion is carefully removed, the center of its deepening (hole) is found. A stick is taken, which is placed on the edges of the funnel, freed from the soil poured by the explosion (this is how the ground plane is determined). After that, in the middle of the sloping slope of the funnel (the one on the side of the shot), a peg is driven in, reaching the ground plane. Thus, we determine the average point of contact of the projectile with the ground, after which we draw a straight line from the hole to this point - the easiest way is to put a stick or rail, getting the “trajectory” of the projectile on the last meter of flight. By measuring the angle of incidence, we can determine the angle of departure, and, consequently, the range according to the tables for firing.
When you first come under fire from a mortar, it may seem that nothing could be worse. Actually - maybe. After a week of shelling with Grads, mortar fire seems more annoying than intimidating.