×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Scale (2024) Special Forces

Mortar, 60mm M19


Light Infantry Mortar


United States | 1942



"The handy M19 60mm mortar was intended to replace the M2 60mm but suffered from weak range and accuracy issues."

Performance
Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Mortar, 60mm M19. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.
5,872 ft
1,789.8 m | 1,957.3 yds
Max.Eff.Range
18
Rounds-Per-Minute
Rate-of-Fire
550 ft/sec
168 m/sec
Muzzle Velocity
Physical
The physical qualities of the Mortar, 60mm M19. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.
819 mm
32.24 in
O/A Length
819 mm
32.24 in
Barrel Length
65.70 lb
29.80 kg
Weight
Muzzle Loading; Primer Impact
Action
60mm
Caliber(s)
Single-Shot, Repeating
Feed
None.
Sights
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Mortar, 60mm M19 Light Infantry Mortar family line.
Mortar, 60mm M19 - Base Series Designation
KM-19 - South Korean Army designation
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/17/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The M19 60mm mortar (the US equivalent to the British 2-inch) was developed during World War 2 for infantry-level support actions to provide for a reusable, lightweight, high-angle of fire weapon system to replace the M2 mortars then in use. The M19 could be called upon to lay down "fire from above" and utilize a variety of conventional high-explosive and specialty munitions as the situation required. However, the light M19 suffered from being highly inaccurate when not fitted to a standard baseplate and, when fitted as such, became heavier than the M2 it was intending to replace - suffering shorter effective ranges as a result. Despite the intent, the M19 failed to live up to expectations and was ultimately replaced in the US Army inventory by the M224 system. The few M19s in use were mostly delivered to airborne elements that could make use of such a light weapon system and many were further exported to American-friendly nations of the time.

The M19, unveiled in 1942, was of a conventional mortar design by most respects and closely resembled the British 2-inch mortar family. The launch tube could accept projectiles of 60mm caliber with warheads to include high-explosive (HE), illumination and smoke rounds. The mortar crew was often charged with engaging dug-in enemies by raining munitions on or around them in an attempt to kill or dislodge. Beyond its lethal intent, the M19 could be called upon to "light up" the immediate battlefield at night or deliver protective "walls" of moving smoke to help conceal allied movements during the day. The crew actuated the M19 by dropping an armed projectile down the smoothbore muzzle (the M19 was a "muzzle loaded" weapon). The projectile's base would then contact the awaiting firing pin and enact the projectile's propellant, sending it across a pre-determined trajectory based on the elevation angle and traverse set by the mortar crew, eventually impacting in the target area. Muzzle velocity was rated at 550 feet per second while effective range was out to 5,870 feet (1,790 meters).

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.


To help keep the system lightweight, a simplified spade baseplate was fitted as part of the M1 mount. This allowed the operating crew complete freedom when addressing elevation and traverse angles. While well-intentioned, this made the M19 inaccurate for the needs of experienced mortar crews and a general dislike of the new weapon was made known. Thusly, a more conventional mount - the M5 - was developed to compensate and help improve accuracy though at the expense of lesser range and additional weight. The elevation arc - when using the M5 mount - were set between +40 and +85 degrees while traverse was limited to 14 degrees.

Due to the inherent limitations with and without the M5 mount, the M19 was replaced by the longer-range M224 series mortar (this also replacing the aged M2 series) beginning in 1982 while stocks of M19s were exported to the armies of Belgium, Canada, Lithuania and Turkey. As of this writing, it is believed that the Canadian Army still makes use of the M19 mortar.

It is of note that the M19 did live a long enough life within the American inventory to see some use in both the Korean and the Vietnam wars by the Army and Marine Corps.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Mortar, 60mm M19. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national small arms listing.

Contractor(s): State Factories - USA / South Korea
National flag of Belgium National flag of Canada National flag of Greece National flag of modern Japan National flag of Lithuania National flag of Luxembourg National flag of the Philippines National flag of South Korea National flag of Thailand National flag of Turkey National flag of the United States

[ Belgium; Canada; Greece; Japan; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Philippines; South Korea; Thailand; Turkey; United States ]
1 / 4
Image of the Mortar, 60mm M19
Front left side view of an M19 60mm mortar; complete system with bipod and baseplate
2 / 4
Image of the Mortar, 60mm M19
Detailed view of the base handheld M19 60mm system; sans bipod and heavy baseplate
3 / 4
Image of the Mortar, 60mm M19
Labeled diagram view of the M19 60mm launch tube barrel assembly
4 / 4
Image of the Mortar, 60mm M19
Detailed labeled diagram of the M19 60mm mortar M5 bipod mount

Going Further...
The Mortar, 60mm M19 Light Infantry Mortar appears in the following collections:
HOME
SMALL ARMS INDEX
SPECIAL FORCES
ARMS BY COUNTRY
ARMS MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE ARMS
ARMS BY CONFLICT
ARMS BY TYPE
ARMS BY DECADE
COLD WAR ARMS
KOREAN WAR ARMS
VIETNAM WAR ARMS
WWII SMALL ARMS
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country World War Next

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)