107mm M1938 mortar

107mm mortar M1938
107mm mortar M1938 in White Eagle Museum
Type	Mortar
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
Wars	World War II Vietnam War 2011 Libyan civil war
Specifications
Weight	combat: 170 kg (370 lb)
Barrel length	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Diameter	107mm
Crew	5
Shell	9.1 kg (20 lb) bomb
Caliber	107 mm (4.2 in)
Breech	muzzle loaded
Elevation	45° to 80°
Traverse	3°
Rate of fire	15 rpm
Muzzle velocity	302 m/s (990 ft/s)
Effective firing range	6,300 m (6,900 yd)
Filling	TNT
Filling weight	1.0 kg (2 lb 3 oz) (OF-841A)

The Soviet 107mm M1938 mortar was a scaled-down version of the 120mm M1938 mortar intended for use by mountain troops and light enough to be towed by animals on a trolley.

In World War II, the 107mm mortar saw service with Soviet mountain infantry as a divisional artillery weapon. Its last significant use in battle was in the Vietnam War. The ability to break down the weapon made it particularly suited to the rugged terrain of Vietnam.

The mortar fired a lighter high explosive round (OF-841) and a heavier HE round (OF-841A). The lighter HE round actually carried a larger bursting charge than the heavier round. Both rounds used GVMZ-series point detonation fuzes.

Recently, the weapon has been seen in use by rebel forces during the 2011 Libyan civil war.