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The Mortar Generally the mortar was just a metal cylinder attached to a bipod mount. There was a projecting pin inside the base of the tube so that when the mortar bomb was slid down the tube a detonating charge was set off that flung the bomb into the air. The bomb itself was usually made of cast iron and varied somewhat in size and design. They were originally equipped with timed fuses but these …

…of the bomb would make contact with a firing pin at the base of the tube, thereby ejecting the bomb. This soon became British army standard issue as well as to their allies. It was used effectively for over a decade. Most of the modern mortars are the descendants of the Stokes. The mortars of the Germans and the Allies were of around even effectiveness and played a big part in the outcome of WWI.