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[ 0 => '{{About|the World War I Stokes 3-inch mortar|the World War II mortar|Ordnance ML 3 inch mortar}}', 1 => '{{Infobox weapon', 2 => '|name=3 inch Stokes mortar', 3 => '|origin=United Kingdom', 4 => '|type=[[Mortar (weapon)|Light mortar]]', 5 => '|is_UK=yes', 6 => '|image=Image:WilfredStokeswithMortar.jpg', 7 => '|image_size = ', 8 => '|caption=Sir [[Wilfred Stokes]] with example of his mortar and bombs. Typical 3-inch bombs used are 2nd and 6th from left', 9 => '<!-- Type selection -->', 10 => '|is_ranged=yes', 11 => '|is_bladed=', 12 => '|is_explosive=yes', 13 => '|is_artillery=yes', 14 => '|is_vehicle=', 15 => '|is UK=yes', 16 => '<!-- Service history -->', 17 => '|service=', 18 => '|used_by={{plainlist|', 19 => '*[[British Empire]]', 20 => '*Belgium', 21 => '*[[French Third Republic]]', 22 => '*[[Kingdom of Greece]]', 23 => '*[[Kingdom of Italy]]', 24 => '*[[Paraguay]]', 25 => '*Netherlands<ref name=br>[http://generalyegros.com/index.php/guerra-del-chaco/41-blog/80-mortero-stokes-brandt-de-81mm-el-mortero-del-chaco ''Mortero Stokes Brandt de 81mm- El mortero del Chaco''] {{in lang|es}}</ref><ref name=bos>Boselli Cantero, Cristina and Casabianca, Angel-Francois (2000). ''Una guerra desconocida: la campaña del Chaco Boreal, 1932–1935''. Volumes 4 and 5. Lector, p. 176. {{ISBN|99925-51-91-7}} {{in lang|es}}</ref>', 26 => '*[[Second Polish Republic]]', 27 => '*Portugal', 28 => '*[[Commonwealth of the Philippines]] ', 29 => '*United States}}', 30 => '|wars={{plainlist|', 31 => '*[[World War I]]', 32 => '*[[World War II]]', 33 => '*[[Banana Wars]]', 34 => '*[[Chaco War]]<ref name=br/><ref name=bos/>}}', 35 => '<!-- Production history -->', 36 => '|designer=[[Wilfred Stokes|Sir Wilfred Stokes]] [[Order of the British Empire|KBE]]', 37 => '|design_date=1915', 38 => '|manufacturer=', 39 => '|production_date=', 40 => '|number=', 41 => '<!-- General specifications -->', 42 => '|weight=104 lbs (47.17 kg) total<ref>"Appendix D. Details of Trench Mortars" in "Field Artillery Notes No. 7". Mortar=48 lb; Elevating Stand=28 lb; Base Plate=28 lb; Total Weight for Transport = 104 lbs</ref>', 43 => '|length=', 44 => '|width=', 45 => '|height=', 46 => '|part_length=', 47 => '|diameter=', 48 => '|crew=2', 49 => '<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->', 50 => '|cartridge=[[Shell (projectile)#High-explosive|HE]] 10 lb 11 oz<br>(4.84 kg)<ref>"Appendix E. Details of Ammunition" in "Field Artillery Notes No. 7". This figure is for the unstabilised cylindrical bomb used in World War I.</ref>', 51 => '|caliber=3.2 in (81 mm)<ref name="War Dept. Technical Manual TM9-2005">War Dept. Technical Manual TM9-2005, Volume 3, Ordnance Materiel - General, Page 17, December 1942</ref>', 52 => '|action=Trip', 53 => '|rate=25&nbsp;rpm (maximum)<ref>"Appendix D. Details of Trench Mortars" in "Field Artillery Notes No. 7"</ref><br>6-8&nbsp;rpm (sustained)', 54 => '|velocity=', 55 => '|range=750 yards (686 m)', 56 => '|max_range=800 yards (731 m){{sfn|Range Table For 3-Inch Stokes Mortar|1917|loc=A|ps=: "At 45° using 4 Rings of propellant. This figure is for the unstabilised cylindrical bomb used in World War I."}}', 57 => '|feed=', 58 => '|sights=', 59 => '<!-- Artillery specifications -->', 60 => '|breech=', 61 => '|recoil=', 62 => '|carriage=', 63 => '|elevation=45°-75°{{sfn|Range Table For 3-Inch Stokes Mortar|1917|loc=B|ps=: "45° gave maximum range with any particular propellant amount e.g. 420 yards with 1 ring. 75° gave the most vertical descent for the shell and the shortest range with any particular propellant amount e.g. 197 yards with 1 ring."}}', 64 => '|traverse=', 65 => '<!-- Explosive specifications -->', 66 => '|filling=[[amatol]]', 67 => '|filling_weight=2lb 4 oz (1 kg)<ref>"Appendix E. Details of Ammunition" in "Field Artillery Notes No. 7"</ref>', 68 => '|detonation=', 69 => '|yield=', 70 => '}}', 71 => '', 72 => 'The '''Stokes mortar''' was a British [[mortar (weapon)|trench mortar]] designed by [[Wilfred Stokes|Sir Wilfred Stokes]] [[Order of the British Empire|KBE]] that was issued to the [[British Army|British]] and [[American Expeditionary Forces|U.S. armies]], as well as the [[Portuguese Expeditionary Corps]], during the latter half of the [[First World War]]. The 3-inch trench mortar is a smooth-bore, muzzle-loading weapon for high angles of fire. Although it is called a 3-inch mortar, its bore is actually 3.2 inches or 81&nbsp;mm.<ref name="War Dept. Technical Manual TM9-2005"/>', 73 => '', 74 => '==Design==', 75 => '', 76 => 'Frederick Wilfred Scott Stokes – who later became Sir Wilfred Stokes KBE – designed the mortar in January 1915. The British Army was at the time trying to develop a weapon that would be a match for the [[German Army (German Empire)|Imperial German Army's]] [[Minenwerfer]] mortar, which was in use on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]].', 77 => '', 78 => 'Stokes's design was initially rejected in June 1915 because it was unable to use existing stocks of British mortar ammunition. It took the intervention of [[David Lloyd George]] (at that time [[Minister of Munitions]]) and Lieutenant-Colonel [[J. C. Matheson]] of the [[Trench Warfare Supply Department]] (who reported to Lloyd George) to expedite manufacture of the Stokes mortar.', 79 => '', 80 => 'The Stokes mortar was a simple weapon, consisting of a [[smoothbore]] metal tube fixed to a base plate (to absorb recoil) with a lightweight [[bipod]] mount. When a mortar bomb was dropped into the tube, an impact sensitive [[Percussion cap#Primers|primer]] in the base of the bomb would make contact with a firing pin at the base of the tube, and ignite the propellant charge in the base, launching the bomb towards the target. The warhead itself was detonated by an impact fuse on reaching the target. ', 81 => '', 82 => 'The barrel is a seamless drawn-steel tube necked down at the breech or base end. To the breech end is fitted a base cap, within which is secured a firing pin protruding into the barrel. The caps at each end of the bomb cylinder were 81&nbsp;mm diameter. The bomb was fitted with a modified [[hand grenade]] [[fuze]] on the front, with a perforated tube containing a propellant charge and an impact-sensitive cap at the rear.', 83 => '', 84 => 'Range was determined by the amount of propellant charge used and the angle of the barrel. A basic propellant cartridge was used for all firing, and covered short ranges. Up to four additional "rings" of propellant were used for incrementally greater ranges. The four rings were supplied with the cartridge and gunners discarded the rings that were not needed.', 85 => '', 86 => 'One potential problem was the recoil, which was "exceptionally severe, because the barrel is only about 3 times the weight of the projectile, instead of about one hundred times the weight as in artillery. Unless the legs are properly set up they are liable to injury".<ref>Stokes's Trench Howitzer 3" Mark I, page 15</ref>', 87 => '', 88 => 'A modified version of the mortar, which fired a modern fin-stabilised streamlined projectile and had a booster charge for longer range, was developed after World War I;{{sfn|Ruffell}} this was in effect a new weapon.', 89 => '', 90 => '==History==', 91 => '', 92 => 'Although the Stokes popularized the concept of a man portable mortar, the mortar was in no sense a new weapon, although it had fallen out of general usage since the [[Napoleonic era]]. In fact, while the British and French worked on developing new mortars, they resorted to issuing century-old mortars for use in action.', 93 => '', 94 => 'The Stokes mortar remained in service into the Second World War, when it was superseded by the [[Ordnance ML 3 inch mortar]], and some remained in use by New Zealand forces until after the [[Second World War]].', 95 => '', 96 => 'As well as receiving a [[knighthood]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30250 |supp=y| date=24 August 1917|page=8795}}</ref> for inventing the modern mortar, Stokes was given several forms of monetary reward by the [[Ministry of Munitions]] for his invention.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}', 97 => '', 98 => 'The French developed an improved version of the Stokes mortar as the [[Brandt Mle 27/31|Brandt Mle 27]], further refined as the [[Brandt Mle 27/31|Brandt Mle 31]]; this design was widely copied with and without license.<ref name="Bishop2002">{{cite book|author=Chris Bishop|title=The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MuGsf0psjvcC&pg=PA202 |year=2002 |publisher=Sterling Publishing Company|isbn=978-1-58663-762-0|page=202}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=483|title=Brandt mle 27 (Mortier Brandt de 81mm modele 27) Infantry Mortar - France}}</ref> Despite their indigenous production, out of 8,000 81&nbsp;mm mortars in service with the French in 1939, 2,000 were of the original Mk. I build purchased from Great Britain.<ref name="Norris2002">{{cite book |author=John Norris |title=Infantry Mortars of World War II |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x4Imr80itp0C&pg=PA42 |year=2002 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=978-1-84176-414-6 |pages=42–43}}</ref>', 99 => '', 100 => '==Combat use==', 101 => '', 102 => '[[File:PortugueseLoadingStokesMortarWesternFront.jpg|thumb|[[Portuguese Expeditionary Corps]] soldiers loading a Stokes mortar, on the Western Front during World War I.]]', 103 => 'In World War I, the Stokes mortar could fire as many as 25 bombs per minute and had a maximum range of {{convert|800|yd|m|0}} firing the original cylindrical un-stabilised projectile. British Empire units had 1,636 Stokes mortars in service on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] at the Armistice.{{sfn|Farndale |1986 |page=342}} By World War II, it could fire as many as 30 bombs per minute and had a range of over {{convert|2500|yd|m|0||abbr=on}} with some shell types.<ref name="War Dept. Technical Manual TM9-2005"/> A {{convert|4|in|mm|0|adj=on}} version was used to fire smoke, poison gas, and [[thermite]] (incendiary) rounds but this should be considered a separate weapon from the standard "3-inch" version — with an actual bore of {{convert|3.2|in|mm|0}} — firing high explosive rounds described in this article. The Stokes mortar was used in the [[Banana Wars]] and helped American forces defeat [[Sandinista]] rebels during the [[Battle of Las Cruces (1928)|Second Battle of Las Cruces]] on 1 January 1928.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sandinorebellion.com/PCDocs/1928a/PC280104b-Brown.html|title=The Sandino Rebellion, 1927-1934|website=www.sandinorebellion.com}}</ref> The [[Paraguayan army|Paraguayan Army]] made extensive use of the Stokes mortar during the [[Chaco War]], especially as a [[Siege warfare|siege weapon]] in the [[Battle of Boquerón]] in September 1932.<ref name=br/><ref name=bos/> Stokes mortars were widely used by the [[Spanish Republican Army|Republican Army]] during the [[Spanish Civil War]], [[Polish arms sales to Republican Spain|sold mostly by Poland]]. In September 1936, 44,000 Stokes rounds arrived in Spain.<ref>Howson, G. (2000). ''Armas para España: la historia no contada de la Guerra Civil Española''. Península, Madrid, p. 394</ref>', 104 => '', 105 => '==Image gallery==', 106 => '<gallery>', 107 => 'Image:3inchStokesHERound.JPG|{{center|High explosive bomb}}', 108 => 'Image:No145MkIPercussionFuzeDiagram.jpg|{{center|No. 145 percussion fuze}}', 109 => 'Image:KOYLIfusingStokesMortarShellsWieltjie1October1917.jpg|{{center|Men of the [[KOYLI]] fusing Stokes shells near Wieltje, 1 October 1917}}', 110 => 'File:World-war-one-belgium-iron-harvest-telegraphpole.redvers.jpg|An intact Stokes shell found during the [[iron harvest]] in 2004 near [[Ypres]] and placed on a telegraph pole for collection and disposal', 111 => '</gallery>', 112 => '', 113 => '==See also==', 114 => '* [[Ordnance ML 3 inch mortar]] : British 1930s successor', 115 => '', 116 => '===Weapons of comparable role, performance and era===', 117 => '*[[7.58 cm Minenwerfer]] : approximate German equivalent', 118 => '', 119 => '==Surviving examples==', 120 => '*[http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/2008/04/01/trench-mortar/ Australian War Memorial, Canberra]', 121 => '*An example with bombs is displayed at l'hotel de ville d'Arras, France.<br>Bernard Plumier : [http://canonspgmww1guns.canalblog.com/archives/03__lance_mines_allies__allied_mine_throwers_/p60-0.html Link to his web page which has details and photograph] [http://canonspgmww1guns.canalblog.com/images/canon05.jpg Direct link to photograph]', 122 => '', 123 => '==See also==', 124 => '*[[Mortar (weapon)]]', 125 => '*[[List of infantry mortars]]', 126 => '', 127 => '==Notes and references==', 128 => '<references/>', 129 => '', 130 => '==Bibliography==', 131 => '* {{cite document |ref={{sfnref|Range Table For 3-Inch Stokes Mortar|1917}} |title=Range Table For 3-Inch Stokes Mortar |date=September 1917 |publisher=United Kingdom War Office}}', 132 => '* [http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p4013coll9&CISOPTR=198&CISOBOX=1&REC=1 "Stokes' trench howitzer, 3", mark I". US Army War College, January 1918.] Made available online by Combined Arms Research Library', 133 => '* [http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/u?/p4013coll9,89 Field Artillery Notes No. 7. US Army War College August 1917.] Provided online by Combined Arms Research Library', 134 => '* {{cite book |first=Bruce N. |last=Canfield |chapter-url=http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/smortar.htm |chapter=The Three Inch Stokes Mortar |title=U.S. Infantry Weapons of the First World War |date=2000 |publisher=Andrew Mowbray Pub. |isbn=978-0917218903}}', 135 => '* {{cite book |series=History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery |title=Western Front 1914–18 |last=Farndale |first=M. |author-link=Martin Farndale |year=1986 |publisher=Royal Artillery Institution |location=London |isbn=978-1-870114-00-4}}', 136 => '* {{cite book |first=W. L. |last=Ruffell |chapter-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115122833/http://www.riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/mortar/mort7.htm |chapter=The Stokes Mortar |url=http://www.riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/mortar/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114075938/http://www.riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/mortar/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-01-14 |title=The Mortar}}', 137 => '', 138 => '==External links==', 139 => '{{Commons category|3 inch Stokes Mortar}}', 140 => '* [http://www.lexpev.nl/downloads/handbook3instokesmortar1919.pdf "Handbook of the M.L. Stokes 3-Inch Trench Mortar Equipments. 1919." Published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1920.]', 141 => '* [http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p4013coll9&CISOPTR=1&CISOBOX=1&REC=8 "Basic Field Manual. Volume III, Basic Weapons. Part Four, Howitzer Company. 3-inch Trench Mortar". United States War Department, 1932. Made available online by Combined Arms Research Library]', 142 => '', 143 => '{{WWI British Empire small arms}}', 144 => '{{GreatWarBritishWeapons}}', 145 => '', 146 => '[[Category:Infantry mortars]]', 147 => '[[Category:World War I British infantry weapons]]', 148 => '[[Category:World War I mortars of the United Kingdom]]', 149 => '[[Category:World War I infantry weapons of Australia]]', 150 => '[[Category:World War II infantry weapons of Australia]]', 151 => '[[Category:81mm mortars]]', 152 => '[[Category:Weapons of the Philippine Army]]' ]