Davidka.

This is coolbert:

From the wiki entry on the Israeli spigot mortar Davidka, here are some interesting extracts:

[my comments in BOLD!! Please note that a grand total of only six Davidka were ever manufactured. The number actually used in military operations is even less than that?]

"Its shells were reported to be extremely loud, but otherwise of little value, besides that of using fear tactics against the Arab forces. Due to their extreme noise and horrific explosions, they proved particularly useful in scaring away Arab forces, despite the fact that they were very inaccurate."

"the blast effects of the weapon were completely random, and of dubious efficacy as an anti-personnel weapon and of no practical value for siege combat or other light artillery purposes. It did make a loud bang, though."

"completely random - - dubious efficacy - - no practical value - -"! But DID MAKE A LOUD BANG!! THAT IS ALL THAT WAS NEEDED.

"Small pieces of metal and tubes were welded onto the outside of casing, reducing the weapon's accuracy even further . . . but contributing greatly to the whistles and shrieks which it made when in flight. The noise was its most important effect, so that anyone near a Davidka mortar would hear the shell seeming to fall very near to them before bursting very loudly, increasing the fear factor."

A deliberate effort was made to increase the noise made by the mortar "bomb" as it flew through the air. As a consequence, accuracy was reduced even further. But of no significance to the Israeli. The INTENT was to scare and intimidate!

"According to Walid Khalidi:

The unsuspecting reader might think that here was some harmless and rather quaint engine. But the fact is that the Davidka tossed a shell containing 60 lbs. of TNT usually into crowded built-up civilian quarters where the noise and blast maddened women and children into a frenzy of fear and panic"

"There is no actual evidence that the Davidka was ever used deliberately against concentrations of civilians."

It DID NOT have to be used in a deliberate manner against concentrations of civilians. The noise and blast, even if totally ineffective militarily, had a profound psychological effect. NOT totally even appreciated or anticipated at the time the "bombs" were fired?

Hamas NOW has their own "Davidka". Called, however, the Qassam?

coolbert.

Mortars.

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Hamas now has a capability, [and has had for some time?], to manufacture and field their OWN mortars?

This is addition to the Qassam rocket artillery of which Hamas has become famous for?

I would imagine that these are smooth bore, cast-iron mortars firing a cast-iron mortar round [mortar rounds are called the world-over, except for in the U.S., a “bomb”!]!

Mortars [and “bombs”] of this most simple and elementary variety can be easily built and in profusion? All you need is a basic foundry and machine shop and you are ready to go?

"Various Palestinian terror groups manufacture mortars in workshops and factories throughout the Gaza Strip . . . the Palestinian Sariya-1 is a 240 mm mortar with a 15 kilometer range."

Hamas also appreciates that “size does matter”? Mortars of 240 mm are being built and are going to be [are already?] deployed! Again, as with the Qassam rockets, effectiveness from the military standpoint is not a consideration. The accuracy of these homemade mortars will be poor? But this - - AGAIN - - is not of importance to Hamas? Rather, a mortar round of prodigious size, creating a lot of dust and noise AND APPREHENSIVENESS IN THE MINDS OF TARGETED ISRAELI CIVILIANS is of paramount concern in this instance!

"'This is not an exceptionally accurate weapon, but that is not important to us. Even if the mortar does not hit the target, we want to cause confusion and panic.'" - - Abu Jemal - - Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)

Is Hamas fielding a spigot type mortar? Big-bore mortar of unusual variety as used by the Japanese at Iwo Jima! How could anyone ever imagine the resurrection and use of such a weapon?

During their War of Independence [1948], the Israeli military employed with effectiveness the “Davidka” spigot type mortar! Mentioned with a degree of glee [?] by Leon Uris in his book, “Exodus”!!

Now - - the Israeli - - finds themselves - - on the receiving end??!!

coolbert.

Mortars II. [Conclusion]

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In my previous blog entry, I mentioned how the trend is for developing precision-guided-munition [PGM] mortar rounds. Being developed, manufactured, and deployed by militaries the world over.

Even by the Russians.

This is contrary to what the prior Soviet [Russian] approach to the mortar has been.

According to Suvorov, mortars were a particular "favorite weapon" of Soviet [Russian] military commanders.

[Inside the book by Suvorov "Inside the Soviet Army" is a chapter titled "The Favourite Weapon" [British spelling]].

The Soviet [Russian] approach was to employ masses of mortars, cast iron and smooth bore, crudely made by western standards. And firing a cast iron mortar bomb, probably also crudely made by western standards.

[again, in the U.S., the projectile fired from a mortar is called a round. In the rest of the world that same projectile is called a BOMB!]

Prodigious numbers of mortars were manufactured in the Soviet Union during World War Two [WW2].

"In three and a half years of war, the Soviet Union produced 348,000 mortars. In the same period, Germany produced 68,000. All the remaining countries put together considerably less than Germany."

Quantity, not quality, was the approach adopted by the Soviet, accuracy was not even a consideration??

Using a cast iron mortar, smooth bore, firing a cast iron mortar bomb, has some singular advantages:

* Simplicity and cheapness.

* A cast iron mortar bomb is more deadly than one made of steel.

"when a cast iron bomb [mortar] bursts it shatters into very small splinters, which form a dense fragment pattern."

And, as for the accuracy issue, the Soviet did decide that quantity rather than quality was the way to go. This is somewhat intuitive. More mortars in abundance firing larger mortar bombs that create more splinters negates the lack of accuracy. More noise and dust and explosions also have a marked psychological effect on the target.

Accuracy - - "It is of no significance."

"Quantity is the better way to exert pressure."

"The more noise you produce, the higher the morale of your troops and the lower that of the enemy."

Of course, this was all before the time when technology allowed for PGM to even be contemplated. "Things" can now be done that sixty years ago were not even dreamt of.

Now, the Russian does develop PGM rounds for mortars. Russian military technology has not slackened. Doctrine as how to employ the mortars changes as does technological advancement.

coolbert.

Mortar I.

This is coolbert:

This was somewhat of a surprise to me. The degree to which so many nations have developed and adopted precision-guided-munitions [PGM], to be fired from a mortar.

"Some impressive technological gains have enhanced accuracy, lethality and combat safety for the modern mortar systems."

I was aware that the British for some time. DID have such a round, a PGM to be fired from a mortar, but was NOT aware that so many other forms of this PGM had been developed and were being currently fielded.

[in the United State military, the projectile fired from a mortar is called a ROUND. The rest of the world refers to that same projectile as a mortar BOMB!]

We do NOT ordinarily think of the mortar as being a hi-tech weapon. On the contrary, is considered to be a lo-tech but very valuable weapons system. Allows infantry company and battalion commanders to possess their own organic indirect fire support.

That PGM mortar rounds of various types and guidance have proliferated in such numbers is again an indication of how military technology has changed over the many decades since the end of World War Two. Technology ONCE ONLY WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF A FEW SELECT NATIONS IS MORE OR LESS NOW AVAILABLE TO ANYONE THAT HAS THE MONEY TO PAY!!

"Projectile guidance technology has already been used since 1994 in 120 mm mortars, with the IR homing Bofors/Saab Strix (picture below) and the Eastern Block 120 mm Gran (picture at left) mortar rounds."

It used to be that mortars operated only on the registration and adjust for fire concept as would any other indirect fire weapon. Lo-tech mortars firing lo-tech rounds was not only the rule, but what was desired. NOT any more. One shot, one hit, target destroyed??!!

"A 'semi-smart' mortar munition is under development . . . the new design implements laser homing technique . . . The idea is to fire a single mortar round on target to neutralize it, thus saving the costly ammunition spent in traditional ranging process."

coolbert.