I was surprised a few weeks ago to see this mortar shell turn up on eBay and even more surprised to win the auction. I have had information on this round in my files for almost 30 years but had never seen a surviving example.
As can be seen in the page from a 1943 document on Jungle Weapons, the T19 shell was designed to be used with the T1 clamp-on muzzle extension attached to the M1 81mm mortar. The body was a re-machined 90mm M71 HE artillery projectile that produced much thicker walls than the normal M56 high capacity HE shell. This round was specifically designed for better penetration in the destruction of Japanese palm log bunkers. The M53E1 fuze had a longer delay element than the normal M53 to assist in that goal.
The body is quite heavy, about 10 pounds more than an M56 without any filler. Without fuze, the body is exactly the same length as an M71 projectile but a few details lead me to believe they were made from raw forgings, rather than modifying complete projectiles. The outside shape could have been re-contoured to achieve the desired profile but the machined inside radius at the bottom is smaller than the M71. The threaded tracer pocket at the rear of the artillery shell also conflicts with dimensions of the T19.
One of the images from G.M. Barnes 1947 book "Weapons of WWII" shows a T19 fitted with the M77 fuze so I though it might help to add a photo of one next to a couple M56 shells with M53 and M77 fuzes.
I found several accounts Online describing the need for a more effective fortification destroying shell for troops in the Pacific and the T19 was obviously developed to meet that need. But I have never seen any operational information or details on manufacture or use. Has anyone seen the test report on this round? I'm sure one was written and it might contain information on any field trials attempted. I also mentioned to a friend the maker lot was "OD-1". He had seen other projectiles made by OD but didn't know who that was. Is there a good list of WWII manufacturers codes out there? Thanks for any additional info or comments.
Rick
As can be seen in the page from a 1943 document on Jungle Weapons, the T19 shell was designed to be used with the T1 clamp-on muzzle extension attached to the M1 81mm mortar. The body was a re-machined 90mm M71 HE artillery projectile that produced much thicker walls than the normal M56 high capacity HE shell. This round was specifically designed for better penetration in the destruction of Japanese palm log bunkers. The M53E1 fuze had a longer delay element than the normal M53 to assist in that goal.
The body is quite heavy, about 10 pounds more than an M56 without any filler. Without fuze, the body is exactly the same length as an M71 projectile but a few details lead me to believe they were made from raw forgings, rather than modifying complete projectiles. The outside shape could have been re-contoured to achieve the desired profile but the machined inside radius at the bottom is smaller than the M71. The threaded tracer pocket at the rear of the artillery shell also conflicts with dimensions of the T19.
One of the images from G.M. Barnes 1947 book "Weapons of WWII" shows a T19 fitted with the M77 fuze so I though it might help to add a photo of one next to a couple M56 shells with M53 and M77 fuzes.
I found several accounts Online describing the need for a more effective fortification destroying shell for troops in the Pacific and the T19 was obviously developed to meet that need. But I have never seen any operational information or details on manufacture or use. Has anyone seen the test report on this round? I'm sure one was written and it might contain information on any field trials attempted. I also mentioned to a friend the maker lot was "OD-1". He had seen other projectiles made by OD but didn't know who that was. Is there a good list of WWII manufacturers codes out there? Thanks for any additional info or comments.
Rick