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T21-M "Little David" / Project DAVIDSON – Experimental Heavy Siege Walker In the final frantic months of 1945, as the conventional war effort strained under mounting logistical collapse and the first hints of a broader strategic breakdown (the “collapse of the WW2 world”), the U.S. Ordnance Department and a handful of experimental engineering teams rushed a desperate mobile platform into limited prototype form. The result was a single-digit production run of roughly 65-foot-tall bipedal siege walkers that mounted a heavily modified T21 “Little David” 36-inch (914 mm) mortar as their primary armament. Officially designated under Project DAVIDSON (sometimes still referred to by the mortar’s nickname), these machines were intended as highly mobile bunker-busting and fortification-cracking systems for the expected final assaults on the Japanese home islands or any residual Axis strongpoints that conventional artillery and air power could not quickly reduce . Primary Armament – Modified Little David Mortar The core weapon remained a 36-inch rifled muzzle-loading mortar derived directly from the Aberdeen Proving Ground test piece. Original specifications carried over with platform-specific adaptations:
Caliber: 914 mm (36 in)
Shell: Modified T1-series high-explosive projectiles (approx. 3,650–3,700 lb / 1,656–1,678 kg total weight), carrying roughly 1,600 lb of explosive filler. Shells retained the pre-engraved rotating bands for obturation in the rifled barrel. Wartime modifications for the walker included improved fuzing options (instantaneous, delay, and limited proximity experiments) and slight casing reinforcements to better survive the stresses of elevated, mobile firing. Propellant charges were standard bagged charges, though some experimental “enhanced” loads were tested to squeeze additional velocity.
Muzzle velocity: ~1,250 ft/s (381 m/s) with standard charges
Maximum range (original static system): 9,500 yards (~8.7 km / 5.4 miles)
Effective combat range on the walker: Typically 7–9 km under combat conditions. The 65 ft height and advanced stabilization gave a modest practical improvement in usable range and flexibility compared with the dug-in original (which required hours of emplacement). Extreme elevation angles remained limited by the mortar’s design heritage (roughly 45–65° original), though the walker mount allowed faster traverse and elevation changes and the ability to fire from less-prepared positions. Crater effects on soft ground were catastrophic—roughly 35–40 ft diameter and 13–15 ft deep with significant secondary soil displacement; reinforced concrete penetration remained in the 2+ meter class against the heaviest fortifications of the era.
Loading was still muzzle-oriented and slow by modern standards (crane-assisted or internal hoist systems on the walker), making sustained fire rates low—perhaps one round every several minutes under ideal conditions. The walker absorbed residual recoil through its hydraulic leg and torso systems; the original mortar lacked a full recuperator and relied heavily on mass and base design. Secondary ArmamentTwo 20 mm automatic guns (most likely AN-M2 Hispano-derived or Oerlikon-pattern aircraft/AA weapons adapted for ground use) mounted on each side of the upper hull/torso for a total of four. These provided close-in defense against infantry, light vehicles, and low-flying aircraft. Rate of fire per gun was in the 600–750 rpm class with standard 20×110 mm ammunition. They were primarily useful for local security rather than primary fire Control – Peak American WWII TechnologyThe walker received the most advanced fire-control suite the United States could field at the very end of the war. This included refined optical rangefinders, gyro-stabilized sights, analog ballistic computers (descended from late-war AA directors and naval fire-control systems), and experimental radar ranging/spotting elements where available. The combination allowed relatively rapid target acquisition and correction for a weapon of this size and type—far better than the original static Little David’s rudimentary setup. In practice it still demanded skilled crews and good spotting, but it represented the high-water mark of American WWII aiming technology applied to a heavy siege system.Role and FateIntended as a “last-ditch” mobile siege asset capable of walking into position, delivering a handful of devastating bunker- or port-destroying rounds, then relocating before counter-battery or air attack could concentrate. The machines were mechanically complex, fuel-hungry, and logistically nightmarish. Only a handful were completed or partially completed before the broader collapse rendered further production and deployment irrelevant. Surviving examples (if any) would have been left as abandoned experimental relics—towering, pale or olive-drab bipedal silhouettes mounting an absurdly oversized mortar tube, a final expression of late-war American industrial desperation.Approximate key stats summary
Height: ~65 ft
Primary: 914 mm modified Little David mortar, ~3,650+ lb HE shells, ~8.7 km max range (practical 7–9 km)
Secondary: 4 × 20 mm autocannons (2 per side)
Fire control: Best available late-WWII U.S. optical + analog computer + limited radar assistance
Role: Mobile heavy siege / fortification reduction
The design embodies the absolute outer edge of what late-war American engineering could force into a walking chassis before the world that produced it fell apart.