Mattress (rocket)

{{Short description|British multiple launcher}} {{More citations needed|date=February 2022}} {{Infobox weapon |name=Land Mattress | image= Nebelwerfer and Land Mattress.jpg | image_size = 300 |caption=Land Mattress (right) and German [[Nebelwerfer]] (left) at the [[Canadian War Museum]]. The brass registration plaque on the Mattress reads ''Proj., Rocket 3in, No. 8 MK-1. [[AC Cars|A.C. Cars]]. 1945. Reg. No. 108'' |origin=United Kingdom |type= [[Multiple rocket launcher]]  |is_ranged=yes |is_bladed= |is_explosive= |is_artillery=yes |is_vehicle= |is_UK=  |service= |used_by= |wars= [[World War II]]  |designer= |design_date= |manufacturer= |production_date= |number= |variants=  |weight={{convert|1118|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |length= |part_length= |width= |height= |crew=  |cartridge=Rocket length: {{convert|1.77|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<br>Rocket weight: {{convert|30.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<br>Warhead: {{convert|3.18|kg|lb|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} |caliber={{convert|76.2|mm|in|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} |action= |rate= |velocity={{convert|353|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}} |range= |max_range= {{convert|7230|m|yd|abbr=on}} |feed= |sights=  |breech= |recoil= |carriage= |elevation= |traverse= }}

'''Mattress''' was the term applied to ground-based British-devised [[multiple rocket launcher]]s during [[World War II]]. Compared with the German and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] counterparts (the ''[[Nebelwerfer]]'' and ''[[Katyusha rocket launcher|Katyusha]]'' launchers respectively), the western Allies deployed these weapons late in the war. Nevertheless, they did see useful service as [[artillery]] support during the crossings of the [[Rhine]] and the [[Scheldt]] rivers.

==Sea Mattress== The first multiple [[rocket]] launch system developed by the British was designed to be deployed on warships and landing craft and fired in support of troops in a landing action. The rockets were 5-inch [[cordite]] sticks and the launching system, known as a "mattress projector", was capable of projecting a salvo of 16 to 30 rockets {{convert|3000|yd|km}} in around 45 seconds. The weapon was also known as the "Stickleback".

For naval assault on beaches, the specially-outfitted [[Landing Craft Tank (Rocket)]] - LCT(R) was devised, each of which carried over a thousand rockets intended to be fired [[en masse]] against targets on the invasion beaches and intended for saturating the defenders' positions with rockets. They were used in the [[Allied invasion of Italy]] and in the [[Battle of Normandy]].

==Land Mattress== The so-called land mattress was a ground weapon named after its naval equivalent. It was originally developed by Lt. Col. [[Michael Wardell (publisher)|Michael Wardell]] of the British army in 1944.<ref>{{cite web |title=Land Mattress |url=https://friends-amis.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FS04_land_mattress_E.pdf |website=Canadian War Museum Fact Sheet No. 4 |publisher=Friends of the Canadian War Museum |accessdate=29 January 2020 |format=PDF}}</ref> Based on the British [[Z battery|Z gun anti-aircraft rockets]], it was tested in the summer of 1944 and saw some action with British and Canadian troops, with mixed results. The Land Mattress was based on the {{convert|3|in|mm|adj=mid|-diameter}} tube of the [[RP-3]] or "60-lb" rocket used as an air-to-ground weapon with naval 5-inch shells as warheads and consisted of a 16- or 30-tube launchering system mounted on a towed carriage. The land version had an operational range of {{cvt|8000|yd|mi+km}}. Rounds were fired at a rate of 4 per second. At the crossing of the [[Scheldt]], over a thousand rockets were fired in six hours.

==See also== *[[Landing Craft Tank (Rocket)]] *[[Hedgehog (weapon)]] *[[List of U.S. Army rocket launchers]]

==References== {{Reflist}} * {{cite book |last=Knight |first=Doug |series=Weapons of war |title=The Land Mattress in Canadian Service |year=2003 |publisher=[[Service Publications]] |location=Ottawa, ON |isbn=978-1-894581-18-9}}

==External links== * {{Commons category-inline|Land Mattress}}

[[Category:Rocket artillery]] [[Category:World War II artillery of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:World War II military equipment of Canada]] [[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1944]]