Stokes Mortar cartridge colours

[jay dubaya]

Having just read through the 29th Divisional TMB diaries for July 1916 I find that the crews substituted their 'green cartridges' for 'red cartridges, which have just arrived'. I'm sure kind soul knows the difference and can quell my curiosity.

 

cheers, J

[Mike_H]

Jay

 

The green cartridge has a charge of 125 grains of ballistite for ranges 190 to 300 yards, the red had 175 grains for 270 to 430 yards - this from the Handbook of the Stokes Mortar 1916.

 

Mike

[jay dubaya]

Great stuff, thanks Mike. No targets are mentioned so it gives some suggestion it was not the front line some 120 yards forward of the guns position.

 

J

[Chasemuseum]

The 3-inch stokes also used booster charges that clipped externally to the cartridge spigot at the base of the round. By very poor memory (too lazy to look up the references) up to 3 booster charges could be used to increase range up to 800 yards.

 

The booster charges look like horseshoe shaped donuts. Totally different to the boosters on a WW2 3-inch mortar (cylinders held between the tail fins by a coil spring passing all the way around the tail through the holes in the tail fins) or the post WW2 81mm mortar (a series of bags located immediately above the tail fin, running in line with the central axis of the bomb and retained top and bottom by two metal clips)

 

 

[jay dubaya]

Thanks for the continued input, something new to learn everyday. Such additions to the ammunition may explain why two sections spent two days retrieving their ammunition from the saps even though they did manage to fire 1200 rounds between 7.20am and 9am

 

J

[Chasemuseum]

Two sections (about 20 men) x 2 days to move 1200 rounds forward is impressive. The ammo gets very heavy. At approx. 10 lb / round loose and about 15 lb per round in the crate, that's about 8 ton of ammo to carry forward. With the comparatively short range it all has to be carried into the front line and stored.

[jay dubaya]

That weight is mind blowing and really puts some context into the amount of labour employed in feeding just 8 guns for a short period of time

 

J

 

[Chasemuseum]

I consider the weight in the 3-round wood crate as important. The stokes round is vulnerable to water damage once removed from the crate. The fuse pistol is fiddly, easily contaminated by mud and not very waterproof. The booster charges are very vulnerable to moisture. The WW2 3-inch mortar round for most of the war used celluloid cylinders for the boosters. These were notorious for not igniting in the tube if damp. If the boosters do not ignite correctly in the tube then you get a drop short. My mortar platoon used to use WW2 3-inch ammo in the 81mm mortar (the Australian Army is cheap !!) Part of the live fire range drill was to have a WO behind the firing line with a whistle. Any round coming out of the tube too slowly and a long whistle blast and everybody to the ground and take cover.

 

Anyway carrying a full crate (say 45 lbs) forward, with rifle and light order equipment, from a forward supply dump through comms trench to a front line firing position is solid work. For 20 men x 1200rds that's 20 round trips per man over 2 days. Really solid, exhausting work.

 

Then the hate. It all fired off in 100 minutes. That part is pretty easy and is actually a bit of fun. Followed by the mortars leaving the front line to redeploy to a new position before that firing point is demolished by counter battery fire (the hate). Why mortars were not very popular with the infantry and given names like "the shoot and scoot mob" or "duck board harriers".