M1938 mortar vs M2 mortar: Specs Compared

FORCETALLY

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AMortars

M1938 mortar

Mortar

BMortars

M2 mortar

Infantry mortar

Credit

Curiosandrelics · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗ · Modified

First system

Second system

At a glance

Side by side

M1938 mortarlarger figure on 2 of 3

Calibre+100%
Muzzle velocity+72%

M2 mortarlarger figure on 1 of 3

Rate of fire+80%

Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.

Measured figures

Head to head

14 of 50 rows sourced on both sides

477kgtravel

19kg

Mass

All recorded figures & sources

280 kg

combat

Single source

477 kg

travel

Single source

Configuration

Details

M1938 mortar and M2 mortar configuration
Specification	M1938 mortar	M2 mortar
Type	Mortar^[source]	Infantry mortar^[source]
Place of origin	Soviet Union^[source]	United States^[source]
Wars	World War II Chinese Civil War Korean War First Indochina War Vietnam War Suez Crisis Six-Day War Lebanese Civil War Iran–Iraq War^[source]	World War II Chinese Civil War First Indochina War Korean War Algerian War Portuguese Colonial War Rhodesian Bush War Vietnam War Soviet–Afghan War Iran–Iraq War Lebanese Civil War Nicaraguan Revolution Guatemalan Civil War^[source]
Designed	1938^[source]

Produced	1939^[source]	—

Variants	Reșița Model 1942 (Romania)^[source]	Type 31^[source]

Shell	16 kg (35 lb)^[source]	3 lb (1.4 kg)^[source]

Breech	muzzle loaded^[source]	—

Elevation	+45° to +80°^[source]	+40° to +85°^[source]

Traverse	6°^[source]	7°^[source]

Used by	—	United States France Israel South Korea Republic of China China Turkey North Vietnam South Vietnam Vietnam^[source]

Designer	—	Edgar Brandt^[source]

Manufacturer	—	Read Machinery Company^[source]M2 mortar · original production contract, January 1940 Kennedy-Van Saun Engineering Company^[source]M2 mortar · wartime production contractor Firestone Tire and Rubber Company^[source]M2 mortar · wartime production contractor, 1945 Pakistan Machine Tool Factory Limited^[source]M2-derived Type 63-1 · licensed variant production in Pakistan Helwan Machine Tools Company^[source]M2-derived Type 63-1 · licensed variant production in Egypt

Manufacturer

—

Read Machinery Company^[source]M2 mortar · original production contract, January 1940

Kennedy-Van Saun Engineering Company^[source]M2 mortar · wartime production contractor

Firestone Tire and Rubber Company^[source]M2 mortar · wartime production contractor, 1945

Pakistan Machine Tool Factory Limited^[source]M2-derived Type 63-1 · licensed variant production in Pakistan

Helwan Machine Tools Company^[source]M2-derived Type 63-1 · licensed variant production in Egypt

Reported operators	—	Reported operator · Albania Reported operator · Austria Reported operator · Australia Reported operator · Bangladesh Reported operator · Republic of China Reported operator · China Reported operator · Denmark Reported operator · Egypt Reported operator · Ethiopian Empire Reported operator · France Reported operator · Greece Reported operator · Guatemala Reported operator · Haiti Reported operator · Indonesia Reported operator · Iraq Reported operator · Japan Reported operator · North Korea Reported operator · South Korea Reported operator · Lebanon Reported operator · Mexico Reported operator · Morocco Reported operator · Pakistan Reported operator · Portugal Reported operator · Turkey Reported operator · Thailand Reported operator · United States Reported operator · South Vietnam Reported operator · North Vietnam Reported operator · Republic of South Vietnam Reported operator · Vietnam