Bulgarian O-832DU 82 mm high-explosive fragmentation mortar rounds were photographed in a Baghdad weapons cache during Operation Iraqi Freedom; the source supports recovery of cached ammunition, not a specific firing incident.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| Bulgarian O-832DU 82 mm HE fragmentation mortar rounds were present in a Baghdad weapons cache during Operation Iraqi Freedom. | Sources: NARA O-832DU Cache Image |
| The record supports cache recovery and public-domain image provenance, not a specific mortar firing incident. | Sources: NARA O-832DU Cache Image |
| The VO-832DU is an 82 mm high-explosive mortar bomb for compatible 82 mm smooth-bore mortars. | Sources: Arcus VO-832DU Product Page |
Timeline
NARA/DVIDS cataloged Bulgarian O-832DU 82 mm HE fragmentation mortar rounds as part of a weapons cache found in a Baghdad sports arena during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sources: NARA O-832DU Cache Image
A U.S. National Archives/DVIDS image record documents Bulgarian O-832DU 82 mm high-explosive fragmentation mortar rounds in Baghdad on April 12, 2003, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The original finding-aid text describes the rounds as part of a weapons cache found in a sports arena that U.S. Marines secured and used as a camp.
The evidence places O-832DU-family mortar ammunition in the 2003 Iraq War as recovered conflict materiel. It does not identify a firing unit, a launch event, or a target, so the supported role is captured or recovered ammunition rather than a confirmed mortar-fire incident.
Sources: NARA O-832DU Cache Image
On April 12, 2003, the NARA/DVIDS record places the photographed O-832DU rounds at Baghdad, Iraq, under the Operation Iraqi Freedom subject heading. The record attributes the scene to the 5th Marines and names the camera operator as Gunnery Sergeant Matthew M. Smith, USMC.
The date is useful for documenting the cache recovery, but it should not be read as the date the rounds were manufactured, transferred, fired, or originally stored at the site.
Sources: NARA O-832DU Cache Image
The VO-832DU/O-832DU family is 82 mm high-explosive fragmentation mortar ammunition for compatible smooth-bore mortars. Arcus describes the VO-832DU as an 82 mm high-explosive mortar bomb for 82 mm mortars including the 2B9 Vasilek, 2B14 Podnos, M82, and Soviet-pattern 1937, 1941, and 1943 mortar models.
For the 2003 Iraq War record, the direct conflict source is the Baghdad cache image. The side attribution remains broad because the image documents rounds recovered by U.S. Marines from a cache, while the record does not state whether the ammunition belonged to Iraqi state forces, an irregular group, or another custodian before recovery.
Sources: NARA O-832DU Cache Image, Arcus VO-832DU Product Page
