Jump to content

3in Mortar FO - can't transport?


Lt Bull

Recommended Posts

Originally posted by Corvidae:

There are two (2) kinds of spotter.

Wire equiped,

And Radio equiped.

Wire equiped spotters carry huge spools of wire for their field telephones, They cannot embark on any available vehicles.

Its silly, but thats the way it works.

Don't really see why it's particularly 'silly', to be honest. Didn't spotters lay and then thinly bury wire to protect it from MG and mortar fire?

That'd be a bit tricky to do off the side of a jeep, no?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, I see now. I was aware of the two types but never really paid much attention (strange, as I have been playing for so long smile.gif )

I guess the thing that made me think it may have been a bug is that the 3in Mortar FO is assigned a Transport Claass of 1, just like a regular squad or HQ unit, and nowhere in the unit details screen does it say that it can't be transported. Contrary, the Transport Class info indicates that it can.

Bull

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The part that is less realistic in CM and most wargames is the mobility of the radio ones, not the relative immobility of the wire ones. The radios in question were not hand talkie size (those wouldn't have the range to talk to arty, and only the US had ones that small during the war). They were typically finicky early "crystal" sets the size of a TV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This restriction is silly. In the field (or designed beforehand) they had a system where the wire spool spun freely when the vehicle moved. And only in static defensive positions was comm wire buried below the surface. This is a guess but I would say over 95% was surface laid. And SOP meant when laying wire from a vehicle, a guy was spinning the drum to keep slack in the wire. So if the vehicle was going anything over like 15mph they should be able to lay wire w/o restriction. Maybe that should be a restriction for wire FOs in vehicle; imposing a speed limitation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JasonC,

Good point, and I've seen the pictures to prove it!

An American FO conducting a shoot is using a radio almost as big as a 36" television set.

Neither the oft misIDed HandieTalkie nor the backpack sized WalkieTalkie was typically used by FOs. Not enough range! The CW's No. 19 set is also quite large.

Regards,

John Kettler

Link to comment
Share on other sites

dog of war,

For the Germans--simply astounding! Be sure to look at the Funk Album 1 and 2 (German radioman's wartime collection, radio, wire, wire layer, switching terminals, etc.) and Torn.Fu.b.1 (field OPs and much more fm. period imagery)

http://www.laud.no/ww2/

Radio section of TM-E-30-451 Handbook on Military Forces (German) with above's pics.

http://www.laud.no/ww2/tme30451/index.htm

U.S. (galore) Major development was static free FM gear.

http://www.nj7p.org/history/portable.html

The Army Green series Signal Corps volumes (available online) are positively awash in text, data and pictures of U.S. gear, together with much info on opposition equipment.

British & WW II Russian (see particularly Wireless Sets & Gallery)

http://home.wxs.nl/~meuls003/

Regards,

John Kettler

[ January 27, 2007, 03:49 AM: Message edited by: John Kettler ]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The best US type was the SCR-300, weighed 35 lbs, backpack-able by one man without requiring set-up, and FM which gave much better reception than static-ee AM. Power was only 0.3 watts and range about 10-15 miles, making it just sufficient to get the artillery or raise tactical HQs.

The German types were the Torn series, power 1 watt or less, AM (thus with static, dealt with by using headphones and repeating things a lot), weight up to 50 pounds, bulky. 2 separate boxes and an antenae that had to be assembled once in place. Not meant to be used on the move. Range could be 25 miles, but reception static-ee and poor at that distance.

As for the Russians, they had some Russian built sets meant for battalion or below with power on the order of 0.1 watt, weight 10 lbs or less, range 2 miles at most. They were not considered effective - the men joke they could see the man they were talking to before they could hear him on the radio.

They got better sets from both the US and the UK, which however mostly went to regimental HQs and above, or into vehicles (tanks and planes). Some UK built sets (PK6 model) in the 0.7 watt power range were used at battalion level, and if any radio called arty was going to happen in a CM scale battle, that would be the type to call it in. Comparable to the German type in terms of bulk, had to be set up, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by JasonC:

If any of them saw a cell phone they would think we were space aliens...

Heck I reckon somebody from the 80's would think that...

So its a phone right.... yet takes pictures & film clips. It's a computer far, far more powerful than anything used on the Apollo missions... you can connect to that internet thing. It's also some kinda uber walkman which stores & plays far more music than is in even Fat Toni's tape collection AND they're so cheap & ubiquitous that kids & grandparents own them...

...

...they don't even have those on Star Trek!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by civdiv:

This restriction is silly. In the field (or designed beforehand) they had a system where the wire spool spun freely when the vehicle moved. And only in static defensive positions was comm wire buried below the surface. This is a guess but I would say over 95% was surface laid. And SOP meant when laying wire from a vehicle, a guy was spinning the drum to keep slack in the wire. So if the vehicle was going anything over like 15mph they should be able to lay wire w/o restriction. Maybe that should be a restriction for wire FOs in vehicle; imposing a speed limitation.

I have a great memoir by an infantry signaller in the Calgary Highlanders; they routinely laid wire and then cut it when they changed positions. Doesn't talk about burying it at all - though they probably did in the Nijmegen Salient. Otherwise, they moved too fast and too often. 95% sounds about right, going by his book. He wasn't a FOO though, just an infantry company headquarters guy whose job was keeping in contact with battalion HQ.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by Sir 37mm:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by JasonC:

If any of them saw a cell phone they would think we were space aliens...

Heck I reckon somebody from the 80's would think that...

So its a phone right.... yet takes pictures & film clips. It's a computer far, far more powerful than anything used on the Apollo missions... you can connect to that internet thing. It's also some kinda uber walkman which stores & plays far more music than is in even Fat Toni's tape collection AND they're so cheap & ubiquitous that kids & grandparents own them...

...

...they don't even have those on Star Trek! </font>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by Michael Dorosh:

And yet they are used to photograph one of the oldest forms of execution known to man...interesting parallel or somefink.

Or to help film 'happy slapping' attacks... or take explicit clips & photos.

People will likely use any new invention for either violence or sex (or both)... strangely enough, I'm reminded of something I heard in which the fifth household electrical appliance ever invented was the vibrator (though I believe they were called 'anxiety relievers' or something in those days).

Though this is somewhat off topic...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by JasonC:

If any of them saw a cell phone they would think we were space aliens...

...the guys equipped with the Kleinfunksprecher d "Dorette" wouldn't! ;)

p1000767car3.th.jpg

Well, yea, range was only 2-4km, and they weren't avaiable before Oktober 1944 (and then only a few), but at least they weren't as big as a tv.

Cheers, Hetzer38.

[ January 27, 2007, 01:26 PM: Message edited by: Hetzer38 ]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...