A short report on German use of captured 120-mm mortars during WWII, from Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 39, December 2, 1943. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

GERMAN USE OF CAPTURED 120-MM MORTARS It has been established that certain German units are being equipped with 120-mm mortars. In one instance the mortars are known to be Russian. It is possible, however, that the Germans will also use the French "Brandt" or the Finnish "Tampella" mortars. Brief data on the Russian, French (Brandt) and Finnish (Tampella) mortars are as follows:      Russian    Finnish    French Weight in action 588 lbs 560 lbs 1,792 lbs Mounting Bipod and baseplate Bipod and baseplate Fired from 2-wheeled carriage and baseplate Method of firing ML, percussion fired ML, percussion fired ML, trigger fired Weight of bomb 35 lbs 27 1/2 and 47 1/2 lbs 37 lbs Types of bomb H.E. H.E. and Smoke H.E. and Smoke Maximum rate of fire - 12 rpm 6 rpm Maximum range 6,500 yards 7,550 yards 8,000 yards Carriage 2-wheeled, rubber tired 2-wheeled, rubber tired -

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