When Japan surrendered, the invasion became unnecessary, and Little David (still in its trial phase) never saw combat. Little David's overall effectiveness would have been questionable because of its limited range and accuracy. Little David was by calibre one of the largest artillery pieces ever produced, although Dora fired a heavier shell. The largest (800 mm) known German artillery weapons were hauled on 25 railway cars and required three weeks to put in firing position, but had a longer range of 47 km (29 mi) compared to the 9.7 km (6.0 mi) of Little David. The huge mortar could be ready to fire in 12 hours. In addition to the two main loads, the Little David unit would also include a bulldozer and crane with bucket to dig the emplacement for the mortar's base. The mortar was able to be transported as a two-piece mobile unit, consisting of the 80,000-pound (36,000 kg) barrel and the 93,000-pound (42,000 kg) base transported by two M25 tractors. The decision was made to test for this purpose, but the end of the war also removed all need for Little David to be deployed. "Little David" 36 inch (914 mm) mortar emplacement at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.Īfter the Siegfried Line was breached with conventional forces, Little David was instead considered for use against the extremely strong fortifications during the expected invasion of Japan. The mortar's base was a large steel box that was placed below ground, with its top flush with the surrounding surface, allowing the mortar's muzzle to be lowered horizontal for loading at ground level.
Development began of a 914 mm siege mortar firing a 3,600 lb shell. During a discussion between representatives of the Ballistic Research Laboratory and the Office of the Chief of Ordnance it was suggested that instead of dropping such a charge from an airplane, it could be fired from a mortar. The mortar was developed as an extension of a previous proposal to destroy heavy concrete fortifications such as the Siegfried Line with massive plastic explosive charges delivered by rocket or bomb. With the same calibre as the British Mallet's Mortar, constructed in May 1857, it is one of the largest-calibre guns ever built, having a larger calibre than both of Germany's Schwerer Gustav and Dora which were 31.5-inch (800 mm) railway guns. Little David was the nickname of an American 36-inch (914 mm) caliber mortar designed to breach the Siegfried Line and then used for test-firing aerial bombs during World War II. Little David at the Aberdeen Proving Groundġ73,000 pounds (77 long tons 87 short tons)
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