Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent original U.S. WWII 81mm M43A1 High Explosive mortar round retaining much of its early yellow HE paint and fitted with an inert M52 point-detonating fuze dated March 1942. The round is completely inert and has been demilitarized in accordance with current BATF guidelines, with a hollow projectile body and inert fuze. This mortar round cannot be converted to an explosive device and is not available for export.

This is a totally genuine United States military WWII produced SHELL, M43A1, with an inert aluminum fuze. The fuse base unscrews to allow the explosive chamber to be inspected. The fuze is marked as being a P.D.F.-M52 point detonating fuze and is dated 3-42 at the end of the bottom line of markings for March 1942 manufacture. The internals of the fuze have been removed, but it still retains the spring loaded "button" on the top, rare to see! This example is absolutely fantastic.

The body still retains most of the yellow paint, designating it as a "High Explosive" round, and it shows some great patination on the exposed areas. The body is ink-stamped in black:

81M & 3M
TNT
SHELL M43A1
AMM. LOT 1-22566-25 L.O.P.

The body is also stamped directly into the metal LOT 6810 34 1942 M.M.C. 81MM. M43A1 (ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT STAMP).

The M52 point-detonating fuze is also a significant component of the round. Its surviving 3-42 marking places manufacture in March 1942, while the projectile body itself is likewise dated 1942, giving the assembled example excellent chronological consistency. The fuze has been completely rendered inert internally, but the survival of the spring-loaded upper button preserves the external configuration of the original mechanism.

The U.S. 81mm mortar was one of the principal infantry support weapons of WWII, providing battalion-level units with high-angle fire against targets that could be difficult to engage with rifles, machine guns, or direct-fire weapons. High-explosive rounds such as the M43 and M43A1 formed the core of its wartime ammunition supply and were used in every major theater in which American ground forces fought.

This example is particularly noteworthy for its combination of 1942-dated M43A1 projectile body, March 1942 M52 fuze, extensive surviving early yellow HE paint, clearly legible ammunition markings, and complete inert configuration. The hollow body and removable fuze base make the demilitarization readily inspectable, while the retained spring-loaded fuze button and original finish preserve much of the appearance of the wartime round.