The PM-37 was a light mortar that was used by the Soviet Union during World War II.
Description[]
The mortar fired 82 millimetre shells at a range of up to 3,000 metres and it only required a crew of at least three to four men in order to operate effectively.[1] The design itself was based upon earlier French designs such as the Brandt mortar.
It consisted mainly of a round baseplate and the standard bipod for infantry mortars. The total weight of the PM-37 was around 44.9 kilograms while its total length was 1.2 metres. The Standard rate of fire was thirty rounds per minute with a well trained crew and the muzzle velocity was around 200 metres per second.
The elevation could be adjusted from forty-five to seventy-five degrees and the traverse range was nine degrees. Compared to designs originating from other countries, Soviet mortars were generally far heavier and more reliable. They were also typically quite strong and could take heavy punishment. The design of the PM-37 was simplistic but it still required a vehicle for long distance travel. During its service history, no variants were ever produced of the original PM-37 model.
History[]
The PM-37 mortar along with the other mortars made by the Soviet Union were initially developed with the designs of other countries heavily taken in mind. They were created to bridge the gap in the Soviet's own technology as well as fulfill the basic principles of heavy use of artillery in warfare as noted in Deep Battle Theory, one of the leading Soviet strategies during the war.[2]
Prototypes of the PM-37 were made in the late 1930s, after the Soviet Union received large numbers of French Brandt mortars as samples. By 1937, the PM-37 began production as a standard Soviet weapon. It used a lighter baseplate than its predecessor as well as recoil springs to alleviate the stress of firing. Captured examples were designated 8.2 cm Granatwerfer 274(r).
References[]
- ↑ Lüdeke, Alexander. Weapons of World War II. Parragon Books (2007), Page 31)
- ↑ http://www.weaponwar.net.ru/sovetskij-soyuz/82-mm-minomety/