Original Item: Only One Available. Totally inert and demilitarized according to BATF guidelines with hollow body and inert fuse. This mortar round cannot be converted to an explosive device and is not available for export.

This is a totally genuine United States military WWII produced SHELL, M43A1, with a inert aluminum and bakelite fuze. Unfortunately the top part of the bakelite is broken off and missing. The fuse base unscrews to allow the explosive chamber to be inspected.

The shell body itself is marked on the side with LOT 16-23143-23-42 KVS 81MM M43A1-D.N.H, while the fuse is marked as P.D.F. M52B2 and is dated 1942. The body no longer has any original paint left. There is a bit of rust and corrosion on the shell, giving it a lovely aged patina.

Perfect for any WWII ordnance display!

The SHELL, H.E., M43 was originally adapted as the light shell for the 81-mm mortar. It is designed for use against light targets such as machine gun nests, barbed wire entanglements and personnel in the open.

Shell body. The body of this shell is constructed of forged steel. It is tear-dropped in shape; that is, blunt nose and tapered tail. It has a bourrelet machined near the nose of the shell consisting of several annular grooves which serves to act as a forward bearing surface and a gas check. The action of the propelling charge gasses expanding in the grooves and contracting to pass the raised portions tends to slow the gasses and prevent their passing the bourrelet. The nose is machined and threaded to receive an adapter. The adapter is threaded and acts as a bushing for bakelite fuse well cup and the fuse. The bakelite fuse well cup is fitted to the adapter before it is assembled to the shell body and prevents the entrance of foreign material into the fuse cavity prior to the assembly of the fuse to the round. The fuse used is the Point-detonating Fuse M45. This fuse has a selective element and can be set for either super quick or delay action. (For details, see pages 295 to 298.) To the rear of the bourrelet is a curved taper reducing the base of the shell to approximately 1 1/Z inches. The base is closed and machined so as to receive a stabilizer assembly. The shell filler is 1.22 pounds of TNT. The total weight of completely assembled round is 7.05 pounds. Entire length of the fused shell is 13 1/4 inches.

Fin assembly. The fin assembly consists of a machined cartridge container to which are attached six stationary fins. One end is closed and threaded so as to be screwed on to the body of the shell. The other end is machined and hollow inside so as to receive the ignition cartridge. Several holes leading from the interior to the exterior periphery of the cartridge container serve to conduct the flames from the ignition cartridge to the propellant increments which are seated in the fins.

The propellant increments are in the form of small half-round celluloid increments. These increments are often referred to as "chocolate drops" due to their similar shape. Each of these increments contains 100 grains of finely granulated double base powder. Note, in the figure below, the “chocolate drops” are labeled as M45.

A total of one ignition cartridge and a set of increments comprise the full propelling charge (720 grains of ballistite). The increments are held in the stabilizer assembly by small flanges on the fins and may be removed to adjust the propelling charge.