Historic context :

The use of the Austrian 9cm trench mortars on the front demonstrated the need, in specific circumstances, for more powerful mortars, but remaining more transportable than heavy mortars. This 'middle mortars' concept had already been created by Germany with the 17cm mMW inside the RheinMetall minenwerfers family. Austro-Hungaria experts considered to buy this weapon, but wisely thinking that their needs would be taken as non prioritary in the German factory orderbook, they eventually decided to look for a domestic solution.

This is how a prototype being developped in Skoda works was selected in May 1915, and ordered. The first weapons arrived on the front line from May 1916. That '14 cm M15 MW' was based on rifled bore steel barrel and a characteristic carriage with a triangular stand for the vertical aiming. It had no recoil recuperation system.

An improved version named '14 cm M16 MW' arrived on the frontline in 1917, with a tube ring around the barrel holding the attachment to the vertical aiming mechanism, window-like cuts in the lateral walls of the carriage, and modified tube grooves in order to improve the weapon precision.

This mortar was produced in 705 items (totalizing both versions).

Technical data :

• Complete description : 14cm trench mortar M 1915 and 1916
• Design year : 1915
• Calibre : 140.00 mm
• Weight in firing position : 220 kg (M15) - 240 kg (M16)
• Weight for transportation :
• Tube length in calibres : 0.00
• Grooves : 0 unknown
• Projectile weight : 16 kg
• Initial speed :
• Fire rate :
• Range : 480 to 1080 m (M15) - 480 to 1080 m (M16)
• Elevation range : 75 degrees max
• Direction range :