Little David
| Little David | |
|---|---|
Little David at the Aberdeen Proving Ground | |
| Type | Heavy mortar |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | Testing only |
| Used by | United States |
| Wars | World War II |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 173,000 pounds (77 long tons; 87 short tons) |
| Barrel length | 22 feet (6.7 m) |
| Shell | 3,650 pounds (1,656 kg) |
| Caliber | 36 inches (914 mm) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,250 feet per second (381 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 9,500 yards (8.7 km) |
| Feed system | Muzzle loading |
Little David was the nickname of an American 36-inch (910 mm) caliber mortar designed and tested between 1944 and 1945 to breach the Siegfried Line. It was also used for test-firing aerial bombs during the final years of World War II. With the same calibre as the British Mallet's Mortar which was constructed in May 1857, it is one of the largest-calibre guns ever built, having a larger calibre than both of Germany's Schwerer Gustav and Dora which were 31.5-inch (800 mm) railway guns.