The M-1939 Mortar
in Pictures

This section has many high detail pictures of the M-1939 mortar. Virtually every part of the weapon is photographed and described.  Some disassembly and maintenance tips can be found in the last few sections.  To go to a specific part of the weapon simply click on the desired section below.  I should warn you that these pages are very graphics intensive and can take some time to load.

  

The Baseplate

The M-1939 mortar has an integral baseplate that can be seen in the upper right picture.  When the weapon is being transported the baseplate can be folded forward to lock onto the lower barrel.  The bottom right picture shows this.

To help the mortar remain in place during firing, the underside of the baseplate is made to grip the ground.  The photo below shows this part of the weapon. 

Another interesting detail in the photo above is the chain used to keep the bipod from slipping away from the baseplate.  This is especially true on smooth surfaces.

The baseplate is also where a large number of markings are located.  In the picture to the left you can see the year of manufacture date just below the exhaust port.  Elsewhere on the baseplate is marked the type of ammunition that the weapon uses.  These markings are very difficult to see, and even harder to photograph.

 

Traversing Assembly

The traversing assembly is used to shift the weapon left or right.  The traversing bar can be seen in the upper right picture as the threaded bar.  The bar is moved by using the traversing knob shown below.  The little screw on the traversing knob is VERY important and is used to loosen the whole assembly for cleaning or repair.

The center right picture shows a close up of the upper right section of the traversing mount.  One of the recoil springs and several markings can be seen here, as can the knob for locking in the sighting system.

A closer view of the optics mount is seen in the bottom right photograph.  The sight mount has two settings depending on the slot that is used.  The top slot is used when the weapon is at 45 degrees, while the bottom slot is used when the weapon is at 75 degrees elevation.  These numbers can be seen in the picture within small circles.

 

Barrel and Recoil Springs

This section will cover the upper part of the barrel and the recoil springs.  We start in the upper right picture by taking a look down the barrel.  The two recoil springs can be found on either side of the barrel connected to the traversing bar.  They are fixed to the weapon by a metal band seen in the bottom right.  A black leather strap can be seen below.  It is to keep a soldier from being burned by a hot barrel when the weapon must be moved from one location to another in combat.

  

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