| Mortar | |
|---|---|
| |
| General Historical Information | |
| Used by: |
Various |
| Calibre: | 81mm |
| Artillery battery: | Yes, two controlled simultaneously |
| Historical Picture | |
| [[File:{{{History Picture}}}|300px]] | |
The 81 mm mortar is often just called a mortar, it is found both in kits to pick up or already deployed. It is the most common form of artillery and is used by all armies. The Mortar model represents the common models of mortars that were used during the war that had a caliber of around 81mm. There are also 107 mm and 120 mm mortars which are more powerful but can are only in fixed positions. Often there is a constant supply of ammo for the mortar but sometimes kits with 81mm shells are in the vicinity of a mortar position to manually stock up on ammunition. For example on Pegasus and Fall of Berlin, on the latter map mortar shells can be used as hand grenades which detonate on impact.
The 81 mm Mortar was also set up in vehicles. For the Allies there is the 81 mm Mortar Motor Carriage M4A1 based on the M3 Half-track and the Axis have the Sd.Kfz. 251/2 though for the Japanese there is no equivalent vehicle, though their infantry is the only to have access to light mortars in the Type 89 Grenade Discharger. In the M4A1 the mortar is facing backwards in the vehicle while in Sd.Kfz. 251 it is set up in the forward direction of the vehicle.
The Brandt mortar became the international standard design at the time before the war, the standard mortar of the French army was copied, produced under license or slightly modified by all of the major militaries. The one exception was Great Britain that had their own ML 3 inch Mortar which like the Brandt was a modification of the British Stokes mortar from the tail end of WWI.
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