The mortar is a basic infantry carried support weapon used at relatively short range and with a high angle of fire. Those of 60mm and 81mm were used extensively by American infantry units during World War II. Such weapons were also fielded generally by all armies engaged in the war. The mortar is serviced by a crew of several soldiers and is fired by dropping a high explosive projectile down the barrel to strike a firing pin that in turn detonates a charge and fires the projectile.
•March 22, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
By John W. Osborn, Jr.
When world war engulfed Europe for the second time in a generation, the Netherlands placed its faith in the diplomatic delusion that it could remain neutral like it had during World War I. When that failed it counted on a military miracle that turned out to More »
•March 21, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
By Pat McTaggart
The smell of victory was in the air as the forces of Field Marshal Fedor von Bock’s Army Group Center continued to drive deep into the Ukraine during the final week of June 1941. To most of the young soldiers of the army group it seemed that this More »
•February 11, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
By Scott A. Bryan
Late in the evening on D-Day two German soldiers patrolled the outskirts of Colleville-sur-Mer, about one mile from Omaha Beach, and spotted Company C, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division resting in a hedgerow field. Standing on opposite corners, the enemy unleashed machine-gun fire and killed seven Americans. More »
•February 11, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
By Pat McTaggart
Colonel General Walter Model was a rising star in the German Army in early 1943. The son of a music teacher, Model was born on January 24, 1891, in Genthin, Saxony-Anhalt. In 1909, he joined the Kaiser’s army as an officer candidate, but the harsh training almost made More »
•February 7, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
With weapons at the ready, the American squad advanced cautiously on both sides of the tree-lined boulevard toward the German strongpoint in Aachen. Buildings pummeled by Allied shells had toppled to the ground, sending concrete and bricks spilling into the street. Hardly a structure remained intact as a result of More »
•February 6, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
During the highly destructive Battle of Aschaffenburg, American soldiers reported seeing civilians fighting alongside German troops. More »
•January 24, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
Spaniard Bernardo de Galvez besieged British-held Pensacola in 1781. It fell to Scotsman John Campbell to defend the remote outpost. More »
•January 24, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
Ethan Allen’s capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 was little more than a sharp skirmish, but it had strategic consequences on Revolutionary War. More »
•January 24, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
The bolt-action British Lee-Enfield rifle proved to be robust, reliable, and effective during the global conflicts of the 20th century. More »
•January 23, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
In the autumn of 1944, the U.S. First Army was chewed up in the Hürtgen Forest where it had to contend with counterattacks by the Germans. More »
