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Mortar Range Oddity


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Although I am pretty senior to CM, I don't know if this topic has already been brought up:

When you compare the range of an on-board mortar with the FO for the same kind of mortars the following oddity pops up (example with German mortars, but holds for everything):

Range of on-board mortar: 2'400m

Range of FO: unlimited

So how in the world do the FO's extend the range of the mortars? In my own experience the range should be lower, since the mortars would be positioned behind the FO. Or is this something battlefront should / could fix.

And don't tell me they shoot sidewards on the map, the issue is also there with a very wide / large map ...

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In reality the mortar platoon would move forward as the front moved on. You'll just have to suppose that the mortars would be there on the map within range but out of way. Not that this would ever have been an issue in any scenario that I have played.

It will be interesting to see what the artillery model will be like in the next engine.

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One important thing to keep in mind is that, IRL, mortars in of the 3in./81mm/82mm size had different propellant charges for different ranges.

Also, IIRC at least in the case of the German 81mm there were actually different tube lengths to the 81mm mortar - they cut down the tube of the 81mm to create a more mobile (but shorter ranged) weapons system for company-level use, and kept the longer, heavier 81mm tubes at the battalion level.

I'm working off the top of my head here, but IIRC the max. range of most WWII-era mortars in this category was around 4km using the heaviest propellant charge. I'm guessing that CM models the on-board mortars of this size as using only the lighter short-range propellant charge, presumably to save weight and allow the mortar team to carry more rounds.

So, yes, and off-board mortars can realistically have a longer range than on-board mortars of the same type. It is worth noting, however, that it is still a bit of a simplification to assume that off-board mortar batteries would always be able to hit any area of a CM map. Presumably, the mortar battery would be located some distance to the rear off-map. As such, for larger CM fights a considerable portion of the map could be out of mortar range depending on the tactical situation.

Ultimately, perhaps CM will include a max. range in the artillery model that would allow scenario designers to set the 'hittable area' for lighter artillery batteries.

Cheers,

YD

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Originally posted by YankeeDog:

One important thing to keep in mind is that, IRL, mortars in of the 3in./81mm/82mm size had different propellant charges for different ranges.

....

I'm working off the top of my head here, but IIRC the max. range of most WWII-era mortars in this category was around 4km using the heaviest propellant charge. ....

Ultimately, perhaps CM will include a max. range in the artillery model that would allow scenario designers to set the 'hittable area' for lighter artillery batteries.

Thanks for the feedback. You are right on the different charges and the tube length, but the maximum range for the German 81mm (long) mortar was 2'400 m and (short) 1'100 m. So the model for the on-board mortar in CM is correct.

see Mortars and Juno Beach Centre

So the thing remains odd ...

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