In Their Words

Newton Trench Mortar

Reminiscent of the medieval era of siege warfare, trench mortars were another form of artillery employed by both sides during World War 1. Trench mortars fired heavy shells over short ranges at low velocities with high-arcing trajectories. The Newton was a British design, but produced and adopted by American forces upon their entry into the war. The Newton trench mortar was a smooth bore, muzzle-loading weapon with a 6 inch diameter tube.

Aiming the weapon was performed through the adjustment of three cables that controlled both barrel elevation and traversed direction. The Newton mortar could fire a 52 pound shell out to an effective range of 1400 yards. The shells were stabilized in flight by 4 fins attached to the base of the shell. To fire the weapon, the gun crew would drop a shell down the barrel tube, causing the shell to strike a pin at the bottom of the barrel. This would ignite the propellant charge in the base of the bomb, sending the bomb out of the tube and towards its target.

Images (Click to Enlarge)