Little David
Little David was the name of an experimental American heavy mortar from the time of the Second World War .
history
Little David was originally developed under the name Bomb Testing Device T1 as a launching device for heavy aerial bombs to test their effectiveness. Little David had the enormous caliber of 914 mm (36 in ). Little David was developed because an aircraft drop seemed too imprecise. The bombs were shot down by igniting a propellant charge and hit the targeted area. At the end of the war - as part of the planned occupation of the heavily fortified Japanese mainland - the idea of using Little David to bombard Japanese fortresses was born . In order to be able to fire a 914 mm mortar shell , the mortar had to be modified. Since the test series was not yet completed by the end of the war, Little David was no longer used. Only one prototype was built. In addition to the Mallet mortar , Little David has the largest caliber ever used.
technology
To get the mortar into the firing position, a large steel box was dug into the ground. Otherwise the recoil could not be absorbed. Twelve hours were estimated for all work to get the mortar ready to fire after a transport. The mortar was loaded from the front with a special crane, whereby the tube had to be completely lowered for loading. Because of the loading process, it is one of the muzzle-loaders . The projectiles had twist guide rings adapted to the lines of the tube . The return pipe had no retractor; After the shot, the pipe was returned to its original position by hydraulic pumps. The complex loading process as well as the weight of the projectiles and the mortar would have had a very unfavorable effect under combat conditions. The firing range was also too small. In the event of a breakthrough by enemy forces, Little David would have fallen into the hands of the enemy with practically no resistance. But the impact of the mortar was enormous.
Technical specifications
- Caliber: 914 mm
- Combat weight: 82,808 kg
- Elevation range: + 45 °… + 65 °
- Total bullet weight: 1678 kg
- Mass of the explosive charge: 726 kg
- Range: 8700 m
literature
- Ian Hogg : 20th Century Artillery . 1st edition. Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach, 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1878-6 .
- Chris Bishop (Ed.): Weapons of the Second World War . 1st edition. Bechtermünz, 2000, ISBN 3-8289-5385-9 .
