2 inch mortar in airborne troops

[nachinus]

I'm playing MrX's 'Welcome to Sicily' mini-campaign (really enjoying it so far, btw), and in the second mission I'm comanding a british para company for my very first time. I noticed that all squads have a 2inch mortar, but I don't know how to use them in this fashion.

It doesn't seem to carry any ammo, but that's perhaps because the ammo screen only shows 4 lines, and the mortar ammo would appear if it could be scrolled down.

Even if I Split teams, mortars always teams with a bren gun, and the target tool doesn't work as in regular dedicated 2 inch mortar squads, allowing you to fire over some cover. If the guy with the mortar spots enemies, he switches to his sten while I rip my hair off.

Any tips in how to use these mortars as I would use them in a regular infantry company?

[akd]

The airborne 2-inch mortar in para rifle sections basically functions as a smoke grenade launcher. Due to a game limitation, it can't be used as a true light mortar (fired from the base plate and able to target into defilade terrain) as multi-team sections cannot contain "heavy weapons." But regardless, the war establishment only assigned smoke shells to the section, so it seems that was their primary purpose and firing as a grenade launcher does not really interfere with that function.

The "Target Smoke" command should be available to the squad/team if they have an airborne 2-inch and remaining smoke shells. They carry a mix of WP and Smoke shells, with the WP expended first.

[A Canadian Cat]

Ah, I suppose it is possible that there is a formation where the 2inch mortars don't have HE but so far I have only seen them with HE. Sometimes not much mind you.

One thing to note is that as @nachinus says the motar amo does get pushed off the list in the UI sometimes.

Also while it is true the 2inch mortars do not appear on the artillery call list (which is correct IMHO since it was for use by the squad not the company) they *can* hit targets out of view. If you position your mortar team so they can see an obsticle, say a line of bocage, they will be able to drop HE on the other side of the hedge.

[akd]

Standard 2-inch mortars and airborne 2-inch mortars are handled differently in the game, although in reality the only practical difference was the length of the barrel.

Airborne units have both airborne and standard 2-inch mortars. Where assigned in the TO&E, the airborne mortar typically has just smoke, although it can use 2-inch HE and may be assigned some in specific places.

[nachinus]

Target smoke seems to work indeed. No HE shells are carried aparently, since I've yet to see my pixelsquads used as a grenade launcher.

If it's true that they were only issued to airborne squads as a smoke discharger... isn't it a bit silly? Carrying such a piece of equipment just for smoke, when there's HE ammo available for that weapon, which is used to great effect in other arms of the armed forces, sounds really silly.

[z-warfare]

I guess that makes them "smokejumpers" har har

Maybe there's some kind of intensely smoke-dependent airborne tactics or doctrine we don't know about?

[Erwin]

I am looking at a scenario which has both 2" mortar troops as part of an inf squad as well as separate one and two man units (as part of the inf platoon) that have 2" mortars.

In both cases the 2" mortars have HE (and smoke I think).

So, if one has 2" mortar units that are part of an infantry squad is there any way to use the mortars independently? Or if the squad fires at a target the 2" mortar will also fire?

One weird thing is that when I bring the units with the mortars in close contact, the number of mortar shells does not go up for each. ie: They don't appear to combine their mortar ammo as would normal mortar crews do.

[A Canadian Cat]

So, if one has 2" mortar units that are part of an infantry squad is there any way to use the mortars independently? Or if the squad fires at a target the 2" mortar will also fire?

As far as I can tell you have two choices. Target light will not use the mortar HE while Target will. Or you can split the squad so the guys with the mortar can get separate orders.

[akd]

I am looking at a scenario which has both 2" mortar troops as part of an inf squad as well as separate one and two man units (as part of the inf platoon) that have 2" mortars.

In both cases the 2" mortars have HE (and smoke I think).

So, if one has 2" mortar units that are part of an infantry squad is there any way to use the mortars independently? Or if the squad fires at a target the 2" mortar will also fire?

One weird thing is that when I bring the units with the mortars in close contact, the number of mortar shells does not go up for each. ie: They don't appear to combine their mortar ammo as would normal mortar crews do.

Yeah, poking around, I think there may have been a TO&E change in a patch that gave a bit of HE to the para rifle squads. It will be used just like the HE rifle grenades in the US/German squad.