This unusual weapon was developed by the ever-ingenious Provos for use in Northern Ireland. It was used in several attacks on barracks and police stations throughout the North. While a very handy area weapon, it is usually grossly inaccurate against point targets such as small buildings. Against targets such as tank farms, military bases, or ammunition dumps, is where it excels, raining large canisters of high explosive all over the area. There is no recorded use of any mortar truck during WW2, and I have not been able to obtain any contemporaneous evidence.

They were certainly used in the post-war conflict in Ireland with their last recorded use that I can find was in 1991.

The vehicle cab of this truck looks decidedly more modern.

The barrels of the mortars themselves were made of steel tube, with the diameter varying with what tubing was available and could vary in size with the type of projectile used.They were mounted on a flat-bed truck and supported with anything that came to hand. They were normally set at a 45-degree angle. Any number of barrels may be fitted, though most versions used from four to eight.

A modern diagram showing the location of the timing unit.

The IRA did not have the same access to conventional military assets. Instead, they relied primarily on guerrilla tactics and small arms. Captured enemy equipment (British) was not as readily available as it was to European Partizans. As a result their operations often involved ambushes, raids, and sabotage, utilizing light weapons that were more readily available to them.

Another more modern version.

The model version depicted here was designed from these photos by Drew from Wargames Holiday Centre Australia and 3D printed. On handing them to me on Tuesday night he said, “Here you have two of the only three in the world, and I have the other”!

Given that Drew printed off two for me I painted up the other one as well!

I thought I had better be “even-handed” with the truck colours!

I wonder if “David Anthony” is driver for both vehicles?

You know him – he is the one that “his father calls him William while his mother calls him Pat”!

The model(s) will be fun to use in Bolt Action as they are a very unreliable weapon that can explode destroying the truck! Then again I wouldn’t be using an IRA army if I was playing competitively would I?

The truck has six improvised mortars, with each individual mortar a one shot weapon.
The lorry may fire one or two shots per turn, and the ‘To Hit’ number is always 6+.

Aim cannot be adjusted between shots. A double 1 when rolling to hit means that one of the bombs has exploded in the barrel; the lorry is destroyed and becomes a wreck.

Tomorrow I will start on the last two vehicles to complete the IRA project.

PS Apologies to the “Irish Rovers”!