Mortarman

From Battleground Europe Wiki

Using the Mortar

British

Unit: Light Mortarman
Weapon: Ordnance SBML 2 Inch Mortar
Ammo:

• Mk I Mortar Bomb (HE)
• Mk II Smoke Mortar Bomb (Smoke)

Effective Range: 50 m - 500 m
Other Weapons and Equipment:

• Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk I Rifle
• Combat Knife

The British Army began producing the 2 Inch mortar in 1938. Small, simple, and relatively easy to use, it was very portable. It also had greater range and firepower over hand and rifle grenades, enhancing the ability of infantry platoons to screen their movements with smoke grenades, or attack targets behind cover with high explosive rounds.

The mortar had a short barrel making it necessary for a soldier to aim it by hand, rather than using a bipod or support, but this contributed to its portability. The short barrel made it necessary to be fired by trigger, rather than simply dropping mortar rounds into the barrel.

Although it originally had collimating and cross-level bubbles to aim it, these were determined to be unnecessary and were dropped in favor of a white aiming line painted on the barrel, which did not affect the accuracy of the mortar in trained hands.

Because of the simple and straightforward design of this light mortar, it was kept in service until the 1970s.

French

French Mortarman

Unit: Tireur Lance-Grenade (Light Mortarman)
Weapon: Lance-grenades de 50 mm mle 37
Ammo:

• Grenade de 50 mm 3NT (HE)
• Grenade fumigène de 50 mm (Smoke)

Effective Range: 50 m - 500 m
Other Weapons and Equipment:

• Fusil MAS mle 1936
• Combat Knife

This very light mortar was designed as a replacement for the rifle grenades used in infantry platoons. The German army later used it with the designation 5 cm Granatwerfer 203(f).

Like the German and British light mortars, this short-barreled mortar was fired by trigger.

German

Unit: Leichter Granatwerferschütze
Weapon: 5 cm leGrW 36 (Granatwerfer 36)
Ammo:

• Wurf Granat 36 (HE)
• Wurf Granat 36 Nebel FS (Smoke)

Effective Range: 50 m - 500 m
Other Weapons and Equipment:

• Mauser Karabiner 98k
• Combat Knife

Originally produced with a complicated telescopic sight, these light mortars were quickly simplified to a simple white aiming line in 1938. Although over 25,000 of these were made by 1943 and they were used to some extent throughout the war, after 1941, the German infantry had a preference for captured French and Russian 50 mm light mortars, which relegated the Granatwerfer 36 to use in secondary units and the Italian army.

Because of its short barrel, this mortar was fired by trigger. It had a support arm that limited its elevation range to between 40 and 80 degrees, support its purpose of attacking at high angles.