Type 53 Chinese 120mm Mortar

The Type 53 120mm Mortar is a Chinese version of the Russian M1943 120mm Mortar The M1943 Mortar also known as the SAMOVAR is a Soviet 120-millimeter caliber smoothbore mortar first introduced in 1943 as a modified version of the M1938 mortar. It virtually replaced the M1938 as the standard weapon for mortar batteries in all Soviet infantry battalions by the late 1980s, though the armies of the Warsaw Pact utilized both in their forces. This muzzle-loading mortar can be easily broken down into three parts – barrel, bipod, and baseplate – for movement over short distances or towed by a GAZ-66 truck on a two-wheel tubular carriage. The baseplate mounting permits all-azimuth firing, however as with most Soviet mortars, it was difficult to turn rapidly over a wide traverse. It could accommodate small-angle shifts of up to 6 degrees without having to shift the baseplate though.