Knee Mortar
1.James Winterbottom remembers other men joking about where he would put the bayonet on his knee mortar. They teased him about that in part, because he was so aggressive when carrying that weapon. .mp4 version for iPad and iPhone
2. Video interview in which Sgt. Tustin Ellison talks about the knee mortar. .m4v version for iPad and iPhone
3. Letter and sketch from James Winterbottom describing his knee mortar.
4. Additional sketches from James Winterbottom to clarify the size and function of his knee mortar.
a. Sketch 1
b. Sketch 2
c. Sketch 3
5. Apparently near the end of the war, some people from the home town of James Winterbottom did not believe his accounts of his knee mortar. Mr. Winterbottom asked several men from F-85 to write letters verifying that he did indeed use a knee mortar in combat in Italy.
a. Verification letter from Lieutenant Albert Twomey.
b. Verification letter from 1st Sergeant Willam Ballek.
c. Verification letter from Sgt. Deede.
6. Web page with photos of various mortars, including a short Type 99 81mm mortar that is similar to the mortar used by James Winterbottom.
7. Web site about the Japanese knee mortar, the most well-known mortar of this type.
Copyright 2007 by Dan Oja