Word: mortaring
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...remember a bricklayer who never spoke more than two words. One was "bricks," the other "mortar." Once after a long layoff he fell down a well. When he hollered "Help!" a moth flew out of his mouth...
...Italy a unit of 4.2s knocked out a battery of German 88s which weigh several tons. The 4.2 mortar weighs about 300 lb. Broken down into base plate, spade, barrel and standard, it can be manhandled into position by its own crew...
...automatic howitzer" is a 4.2-in. mortar which can slam out an 8-lb. shell every three seconds. Developed before the war by the Chemical Warfare Service to throw gas shells, it can also handle high explosive shells for use against tanks, pillboxes and troop concentrations. Unlike other mortars, which are smoothbores, the 4.2 is rifled, has a range of two miles. Yet the shells slide straight in, without engaging the rifling. The sliding shell hits a pin in the mortar which sets it off. A disk at the base of the shell expands under pressure of the gases, engaging...
...Sicily two CWS mortar platoons maintained a smoke screen for 14 hours. Another unit switched to high explosive when attacked by Italian tanks, disabled three before the others retreated. Last month, the 4.2 showed its usefulness at the crossing of the Volturno. Firing smoke shells, one unit screened infantrymen as they slid down the bank, waded and swam to the German side of the river. Another outfit smoked up the area where Engineers were building a bridge under fire, kept them well screened until the job was done...
...pursued. Meanwhile, LCIs (Landing Craft, Infantry) had filed in and were unloading. At sea bigger and clumsier LSTs (Landing Ships, Tanks, affectionately interpreted as "Large, Slow Targets"), their bellies heavy with mechanical equipment and troops, lumbered toward the harbor mouth. They suffered the indignity of being attacked by Jap mortar fire from the hillside, and a destroyer had to go to their rescue with an offshore barrage. At this point task forces had a look over the horizon to see how we were getting on. We were doing all right...