Little David

Little David
Little David at the Aberdeen Proving Ground
TypeHeavy mortar
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In serviceTesting only
Used byUnited States
WarsWorld War II
Specifications
Mass173,000 pounds (77 long tons; 87 short tons)
Barrel length22 feet (6.7 m)

Shell3,650 pounds (1,656 kg)
Caliber36 inches (914 mm)
Barrels1
Muzzle velocity1,250 feet per second (381 m/s)
Maximum firing range6 miles (9.7 km)
Feed systemMuzzle loading

Little David was the nickname of an American 36-inch (910 mm) caliber mortar designed to breach the Siegfried Line and then used for test-firing aerial bombs during World War II. With the same calibre as the British Mallet's Mortar, constructed in May 1857, it is one of the largest-calibre guns ever built, having a larger calibre than both of Germany's Schwerer Gustav and Dora which were 31.5-inch (800 mm) railway guns.[1]

  1. ^ "Little David Heavy Siege Mortar". MilitaryFactory. Retrieved 22 February 2013.