Original Item: 81mm Leather Head Cover for Mortar Bipod in used but solid condition.

The M1 81mm mortar was the largest weapon in the arsenal of the U.S. WWII infantry battalion. It provided the battalion commander with a powerful and flexible indirect fire capability. Sometimes called "infantry artillery," or "hip pocket artillery," mortars were capable of quickly laying down heavy barrages. These could stop enemy attacks under the worst conditions. Able to fire at high angles, mortars could fire at targets in defilade, either under direction of an forward observer, or firing off map coordinates. In the WW2 Pacific campaigns, these weapons became an important part of the battalion's firepower, especially since they could be man-packed into positions that were inaccessible to artillery.