Mortarmen having the ability to throw mortar rounds at their Target like a Grenade

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1

While working to level up my Squads, including the Mortar Squad (called the 56th Infantry Division’s 64th Field Regiment), a thought came to mind involving Grenades. I remember that from the game called “Call of Duty: World at War,” the player could throw a Mortar round as if it were a Grenade. So I asked an AI if “During World War II, does throwing a mortar shell like a grenade at the target work as effectively as firing a mortar shell out of the launcher at the target?”, And this is the answer that it gave me:

Effectiveness:

  • Thrown Mortar Shell: Throwing a mortar shell by hand can be more deadly than traditional grenades due to its greater explosive force. This method was sometimes employed by US soldiers during World War II, particularly in close combat situations when other options were limited.
  • Fired Mortar Shell: Mortars are considered extremely deadly weapons, causing a significant number of casualties and injuries in conflicts. An 81mm mortar round, for instance, can cover approximately three times the area with lethal fragments compared to other munitions. The effectiveness of fired mortar shells depends heavily on factors such as fuze settings, target type, and terrain. For example, mortar fire against standing enemy forces is nearly twice as effective as against prone targets.

Usage:

  • Thrown Mortar Shell: To use a mortar round as a hand grenade, a soldier would typically remove the safety pin and then strike the tail of the mortar round to initiate an impact detonation. This manual activation enabled its use as a field-expedient hand grenade.
  • Fired Mortar Shell: Modern mortars are typically muzzle-loaded weapons consisting of a smooth-bore metal tube, a base plate, a lightweight bipod mount, and a sight. The round is dropped into the barrel, and an impact-sensitive primer at its base contacts a firing pin, causing it to detonate and launch towards the target. Various fuze settings, such as impact, near-surface burst (NSB), proximity (PRX), and delay (DLY), are used depending on the enemy’s position and cover.

Safety and Arming:

  • Thrown Mortar Shell: To prevent premature explosions when mortar rounds were used as hand grenades, designers in WWII incorporated a two-step arming process for impact fuzes. This measure was crucial for the safe, albeit unconventional, manual deployment of mortar rounds.
  • Fired Mortar Shell: When a mortar bomb is dropped into the tube of a launcher, an impact-sensitive primer in the base of the bomb contacts a firing pin at the base of the tube, initiating detonation.

Historical Context:

  • Thrown Mortar Shell: The use of activated mortar rounds as hand grenades by US soldiers during WWII is documented, often occurring in close combat when other explosive devices were unavailable. Historical accounts of courageous soldiers have influenced debates and discussions about this practice.
  • Fired Mortar Shell: Mortars were extensively used by both sides during World War II. The German army, for example, increased its reliance on mortars throughout the war to compensate for artillery shortages, often deploying them to achieve specific tactical advantages.

So what do you think: Would you like Mortarmen to be able to not only launch mortars at their target using their launchers, but also to be able to throw them at their target like a grenade as well in the game Enlisted?

  • Yes
  • No
0 voters

Sources:

[1] 81mm Mortar Effectiveness - Combat Mission Archive #4 (2002), https://community.battlefront.com/topic/51609-81mm-mortar-effectiveness/
[2] [PDF] FM 23-90 W CH 1 MORTARS - Marines.mil, https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/FM%2023-90%20W%20CH%201.pdf
[3] Mortar (weapon) - Wikipedia
[4] Mortar Fire in WW2 | Wargames
[5] FM 7-90: Tactical Employment of Mortars - Appendix B
[6] The 4.2 Chemical Mortar
[7] Yes, WWII soldiers could throw mortar rounds like grenades, https://www.sandboxx.us/news/yes-wwii-soldiers-could-throw-mortar-rounds-like-grenades/
[8] Fact or Fiction: Can You Really Use A Mortar Round As A Grenade? | SOFREP
[9] Mortar Grenades: How Two Medals of Honor Altered “Saving Private Ryan” - The Armory Life
[10] Best Grenades and Mortar tactics of the war. - WWII Forums, https://ww2f.com/posts/277746/
[11] Fun with knee mortars! | alternatehistory.com, https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/fun-with-knee-mortars.84099/
[12] Best support weapon between hand grenade and 81mm - Page 2, https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=25566&start=15
[13] Hand mortar - Wikipedia
[14] How effective/viable is mortar use in a direct-fire role, given that they …, https://www.reddit.com/r/WarCollege/comments/xijiuq/how_effectiveviable_is_mortar_use_in_a_directfire/
[15] How effective is mortar fire? - Quora, https://www.quora.com/How-effective-is-mortar-fire
[16] Can modern mortar rounds be activated and thrown by hand like the …, https://www.reddit.com/r/WarCollege/comments/t2cse0/can_modern_mortar_rounds_be_activated_and_thrown/
[17] Is it possible to use mortar rounds as hand grenades? - Quora, https://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-to-use-mortar-rounds-as-hand-grenades

2

Here’s some additional Information from the AI:

Thrown Mortar Shell Fired Mortar Shell
Effectiveness ​• More deadly than grenadescitationSourceIndex7​• Possible in close combat when out of other optionscitationSourceIndex16 ​• Extremely deadly weaponcitationSourceIndex15​• Covers a wider area with lethal fragmentscitationSourceIndex1
Usage ​• Activated and thrown by handcitationSourceIndex16​• Remove safety pin and slam tail for impact detonationcitationSourceIndex17 ​• Launched from a mortar tube with a base plate and bipod mountcitationSourceIndex3​• Requires specific fuze settings for target conditionscitationSourceIndex5
Safety and Arming ​• Designers added a two-step arming process on impact fuzes to prevent premature explosionscitationSourceIndex8 ​• Muzzle-loaded, impact-sensitive primer in base of bomb detonates upon contact with firing pincitationSourceIndex3
Historical Context ​• Used by US soldiers during WWIIcitationSourceIndex16​• Subject of historical accounts and argumentscitationSourceIndex9 ​• Heavily used by both sides in WWIIcitationSourceIndex3
3

ew

5 Likes
4

So pretty much like that scene in SPR.

what-we-really-need-now-that-flasks-are-useless-if-someone-v0-pd7wusgxx71e1

1 Like
5

I remember watching old Yugoslav war movies where Partisans slammed their improvised grenades just like that mortar shell - I believe the Yugoslav army later invented their own “slam activated grenades” after the war because thats what the old veterans were used to.

Could actually be something to make the mortar class finally be more than just a gimmick.

1 Like
6

Reminds me of the Shuri Castle mission from WaW

3 Likes
7

If the gimmick would be 20 explosives per person to spam then yes… but do you really want people to carry 20 explosives on them?

In the past explosive spam with only 3 packs per soldier were already cancer but now you want soldiers equiped with up to 20 impact fuzed 81mm mortar shells spamming them 24/7 ?

If cancer is supposed to be a gimmick then maybe I do not need that gimmick to exist.

8

You nerd, totally forgot about that one!

9

If you’re referring to Call of Duty: World at War, that’s where I got the idea and/or inspiration from.

1 Like
10

Only Mortarmen would have the ability to throw Mortar Shells like a Grenade

11

If done it should have friendly fire enabled, a much shorter thrown range than a regular grenade, plus a larger frag radius…

12

And the ability to destroy enemy vehicles too @Josephs_Piano

13

No more so than regular mortar rounds.

14

Great cited post, AI was busy there whilst taking ours jobs. Wont give me the winning lottery numbers yet, i will make it crack. To be fsir, xplosion packs do me, firing those rounds do begter than to be thrown and would just be another buttons to press to do it, too many buttons for me as it is xxx

1 Like
15

The idea is nice, but it would mean removing the grenade slots for soldiers equipped with mortars.

However, once the mortar shells are depleted, there wouldn’t be any more grenades either.

A small detail: with maximum upgrades, you can have more than 10, even 20 mortar shells, which would give you 20 grenades :rofl:.

Using the AI ​​less, or at least being more discreet… that would be really great.

Nothing prevents you from using it, but make the effort to give the impression that you’ve put in some effort yourself…

1 Like