The 3 zinch mortar (81.2 mm) entered service in the British Army in 1917. It was then renovated in the early 1930s, taking its inspiration from the French mortar of 81 mm model 27/31 to create to the 3-inch Mk II model.

When the Second World War broke out in Europe, it equiped all the regiments of the British army.

Reliable and simple to use, it comes in three transportable man-back packs: an all-round base plate, a bipod and a smooth core tube.

The first commitments of the 3-inch mortar on the western front show that it does not have the same scope as its German counterpart, the 8 cm GrW 34, which reaches 2,400 meters.

British engineers improved this mortar in 1942 to make it fire new shells with propellant charges installed on the jibe which increase the range up to 2,560 meters.

This new version is called “Mk II LR” (for long range) and has been improved during the year 1943.

The 81.2 mm mortar was used by British troops on all battlefields of the Second World War.

The Australians used it extensively in the New Guinea and Borneo campaigns, preferring it to the 2″ mortar which tended to explode in the tree canopy.

The 3″ mortar was able to penetrate the tree canopy and often because of the terrain was the only form of HE that was available, because often even the modified version of the 25pdr was too difficult to transport along the steep muddy track.

This is the last of the Australian Tank Platoon’s infantry supports.