The M1943 Mortar or 120-PM-43 () or the 120-mm mortar Model 1943 (), also known as the SAMOVAR, is a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

120 millimeter calibre smoothbore mortar first introduced in 1943 as a modified version of the

M1938 mortar The 120-PM-38 or M1938 was a 120 mm Soviet mortar that was used in large numbers by the Red Army during World War II. Although a conventional design its combination of light weight, mobility, heavy firepower and range saw its features widely ...

. It virtually replaced the M1938 as the standard weapon for mortar batteries in all Soviet infantry battalions by the late 1980s, though the armies of the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

utilised both in their forces.US Army, ''FM 100-2-3 The Soviet Army: Troops, Organization and Equipment'', 5–60

Design

This muzzle-loading mortar can be easily broken down into three parts – barrel, bipod and baseplate – for movement over short distances or towed by a

GAZ-66 The GAZ-66 is a Soviet Union, Soviet and later Russian four wheel drive, 4x4 all-road (off-road) military truck produced by GAZ. It was one of the main cargo vehicles for motorized infantry of the Soviet Army and is still employed in former Sovi ...

truck on a two-wheel tubular carriage. The baseplate mounting permits all-azimuth firing, however as with most Soviet mortars it was difficult to turn rapidly over a wide traverse. It could accommodate small-angle shifts of up to 6 degrees without having to shift the baseplate though.

Variants

It was copied in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

as the Type 53 mortar. A more robust but heavier version, the Type 55, was developed by

Norinco China North Industries Group Corporation Limited, doing business internationally as Norinco Group (an abbreviation of "North Industries Corporation"), and known within China as China Ordnance Industries Group Corporation Limited (), is a Chinese ...

. Egypt also produced a locally modified variant, the Helwan Model UK 2. An improved version called the

2B11 Sani The 2B11 is a 120 mm mortar developed by the Soviet Union in 1981 and subsequently fielded in the Soviet Army. The basic design for the 2B11 was taken from the classic 120-PM-43 mortar, Model 1943 120 mm mortar, and incorporated changes ...

was also produced by the Soviets and, in combination with the 2B9 Vasilek, was being used to phase out the M1943 from service.

Users

* * * * : Type 53 variant * : 6 * : 12 * * : 6 * : 12 in store * : Manufactured as ''Type 53'' and ''Type 55'' * : 28 * * * : PM-43 and Helwan Model UK 2 * * : 8 * : 18 * : 1 * * * * * * : 8 * : 12 * : Type 53 variant * * : 24 * : Type 53 variant * * * * : Type 55 * * * * : Type 53 variant * : PM-43, Type 53 and Type 55 * : 6

Former users

* *

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eela ...

* * *

References

External links

M-43 120 mm mortar (Russian Federation), Mortars
– Jane's Infantry Weapons {{SovMortarsGPW World War II infantry mortars of the Soviet Union Cold War artillery of the Soviet Union 120 mm mortars Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1943