RM-38 Mortar

Soviet 50-mm RM-38 Mortar

Soviet 50-mm RM-40 Mortar

RM-38 (known also under the names M-38 and 50-RM-38) is a Soviet 50mm mortar. The index "RM" means "rotny minomet" - the mortar for company service. The mortar was designed in 1936-1938 and put into service in Summer 1938. Slightly modified RM-39 and RM-40 versions appeared in two following years. More than 24,000 mortars of all three versions were produced. In 1941 they were replaced by RM-41, inspired by German Granatwerfer 36 Mortar. In 1943 50-mm mortars of all versions were removed from service of Red Army due to the low efficiency.

Specifications

(1938 - 1941)

Type: Light mortar

Length: 30.7 inch (780 mm)

Barrel Length: 21.8 inch (553 mm)

Weight: 26.4 lb (12.1 kg)

Rate of fire: 30 - 32 rpm

Maximum range: 875 yd (800 m)

Shell: 1 lb 14 oz (0.85 kg)

The RM-38 Mortar and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Notation	Date
Sixty Days (Shestdesyat dney)		Red Army soldiers		1940
Fighting Film Collection No. 9 (Boyevoy kinosbornik No. 9)		A Red Army soldier		1942
Native Shores (Rodnye berega)	Daniil Sagal	Sgt. Vasiliy Kustov		1943
The Road Home (Synovya)		German soldiers, Soviet partisans	RM-40	1946
Poem of Kovpak: Snow-Storm (Duma o Kovpake: Buran)		Soviet partisans	Documentary footage	1975