Belgian 142mm Mortar Delattre
 

At the end of 1915 the Belgian Army, like most armies entangled in the new and troublesome type of trench warfare had aquired three types of Trench Mortars. One of these - beside the French Schneider F75 Type A and the so called Van Deuren Mortar - was the 142mm Delattre Mortar.

It is a pretty typical product of this first experimental phase of mortar design. It had a number of novel features. Firstly, it was fired electrically (as can also be deduced by the extensive wiring). Secondly, although its calibre technically speaking was 142mm, in reality it was a multi-projectile weapon, firing in rapid succession (circa 1 minute) seven 1kg shells to a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 260 meters. The spread of the shells seems to have been pretty big, making it less of a precision weapon than often required. It was very light: the mortar itself weighed only some 40kg. It was first employed by special mortar platoons outside Dixmunde in late 1915, and it was phased out of service in 1917.

The gun here can be seen in the fantastic Armed Forces Museum in Brussels, certainly worth a visit for anyone interested in the Great War.