Bernard Plumier, who runs the website passioncompassion1418.com, recently sent me an image of a Bombarda da 400mm mortar which he saw in a museum in Rio de Janiero. I have no idea how it got there. The carriage looks somewhat different from images of the Bombarda da 400 in WW1 - perhaps it was intended as a coastal defence mortar. Anyway, I was curious whether there are any other surviving 400mm mortars and a search turned up one in what looks like a museum but there was no indication where it was. Anyone know?
The Bombarda da 400mm deserves a Landships II article but there seems to be very little information on the mortar. It seems to have been a cheap solution to the problem of delivering a large projectile over moderate distances (the 400mm had a max. range of 4100m).
Regards,
Charlie
-- Edited by CharlieC on Wednesday 1st of November 2023 11:24:14 PM
