| 29-mm Spigot Mortar (Blacker Bombard) | |
|---|---|
 Men of the Saxmundham Home Guard prepare to fire a Blacker Bombard during training with War Office instructors, 30 July 1941. | |
| Type | Anti-tank mortar |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1941–1942 |
| Used by | British Army Home Guard |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Blacker |
| Designed | 1940 |
| No. built | c. 22,000[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 112–407 lb (51–185 kg)[2] |
| Crew | 3–5 |
| Calibre | 29 mm (1.1 in) (nominal calibre – diameter of spigot) |
| Breech | Spigot mortar |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 6–12 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 245 ft/s (75 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 100 yd (91 m) 20lb bomb |
| Maximum firing range | 450 yd (410 m) 20lb bomb 785 yd (718 m) 14lb bomb[3] |
The Blacker Bombard, also known as the 29-mm Spigot Mortar,[1] was an infantry anti-tank weapon devised by Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart Blacker in the early years of the Second World War.
Intended as a means to equip Home Guard units with an anti-tank weapon in case of German invasion, at a time of grave shortage of weapons, it was accepted only after the intervention of Churchill. Although there were doubts about the effectiveness of the Bombard, many were issued. Few, if any, saw combat.
- ^ a b Clifford, Phillip (2003). "Pillbox Study Group: Spigot Mortar". Pillbox Study Group. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
- ^ "BOOK OF THE BLACKER BOMBARD". Gale and Polden Limited. 1944. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Pamphlet No. 23 "The 29-mm. Spigot Mortar", Small Arms Training, Volume I, HMSO, 7 November 1942, p. 1