60mm Mortars

[MarDet]

Guys,
I have read with great interest your comments on the 60mm mortars but I think you need to get some factual info on the gun before you start trying to apply gaming rules to their use. As far as the 60 being short ranged, yes it is compaired to 8in gun! The 60 has a max range of 1800 meters and can drop them in ontop of its self if need be. 1800 meters is not what I would call short and one 60 mortar can hang 12 roungs in the air at 900 meters before the first one hits. A three gun section was standard for an infanty company and three guns hanging 36 rounds can bring a whole lot of hurt on just about anything when they all hit the same target. You can traverse and elevate to the point where a section can cover a football field with one round every square yard and do it in a few minutes. One 60mm mortar can lay a smoke screen for an entire tank battalion at 1200 meters and a good mortar section can keep a place lit up all night long hanging illumination on que, when one goes out one pops on. Many of the comments on the forum seem to indicate that the feeling is a 60mm mortar is a toy and the 81's are real guns. You can take a 60 mortar section, get in blow a targe and get out before the stinking trucks hauling the 81's even get to the firing point. They may be small but don't underestimate their ability. A 60 mortar section and a whole bunch of HE and Willy Pete I can guarantee will mess up anyone weekend plans!
KF

[scJazz]

Ya OK none of what you wrote appears wrong. You haven't provided any cites but OK. Now on the other hand... This conversation is taking place in the context of the game I'll continue in that light. 81mm mortars are significantly more effective than 60mm mortars and the whole point of the conversation was to check to see if there was some sort of bug preventing the AI from using them. There is not. It is just the rules that the AI uses for firing artillery/mortars tends to negate the use of a very short range mortar.

[Double_Deuce]

scJazz is correct. The issue brought up was that the AI was not employing some of the 60mm mortars during games. For some reason they seemed to just sit there and never be called on by the Ai to fire or something to that effect.

[desh44]

I just finished working on a scenario which will be out soon. The computer has 4 60mm mortars and they worked fine. All the game testers reported that the mortars were a real nuisance to them throughout the game. They caused few casualties (though the player has troops dug in) but they worked to supress the troops they were shooting at. As soon as we get done testing this scenario will be out..It is a Korean War scenario
Tom

[Alby]

which 60mm are we talking here?
The M2 or M19?
The ranges on these differ. there were actually even 2 types of the M2.
the earliest version M19 was the M2 60mm tube with an M1 lightweight baseplate attached and no bipod, designated as the T18E6 Mortar, and standardized as the M19 AFTER WW2,
and the post-war version M19, still in use today by various armies, which can be used both with the lightweight M1 baseplate and the M5 baseplate/bipod mounting.

By all accounts I've read, the WWII-era M19 experimental mortar was developed for use by airborne and other infantry types that needed to have the weight of the M2 mortar reduced, like the Rangers. This model had one major difference from the M2 60mm mortar: its effective range was reduced to 816 yards from the nearly 2,000 of the M2; this was due to the weapon being capable of only firing fixed charge bombs, as opposed to the variable charge bombs of the M2.
The first M19 was very much like the 2in British or Japanese Knee morters. It still firerd a much better bomb at longer ranges but was aimed by eye and hand.

The other M19 had a bit longer tube and could be used with both the simple base plate as on the 2in mortar, or with both the large base plate and bi-pod. A modern version of this weapon is still being used by the special forces of the United States.