List of heavy mortars
Overview and context for heavy mortars: large-calibre, high-angle weapons used for close support, trench and siege operations, their characteristics, history, uses and how they differ from other artillery.
A heavy mortar is a large-calibre, short-barrelled weapon that projects a relatively heavy explosive projectile on a steep, high-angle trajectory. Designed to deliver plunging fire at close to medium ranges, heavy mortars trade range and flat-trajectory accuracy for the ability to hit targets protected by terrain or fortifications. They are generally simpler mechanically than equivalent-calibre field guns and are often used where indirect, high-arc fire is required.
Characteristics
Typical features include a short, robust barrel mounted on a baseplate or mount, and a mechanism to absorb recoil and direct the weapon. Heavy mortars commonly fire separate-loading charges and bombs or fin-stabilized rounds, and are operated by a crew that handles aiming, loading and charge selection. Ammunition types most often include high-explosive, smoke, illumination and, in some eras, chemical rounds. Compared with field artillery, heavy mortars have simpler aiming systems, lower muzzle velocity and a steeper angle of fall.
History and development
Mortars trace their lineage to medieval siege weapons that lobbed heavy projectiles into fortifications. In industrialized warfare their role expanded: during World War I the term "trench mortar" came to describe a range of heavy and medium mortars developed to attack entrenched positions and wire obstacles. The interwar and World War II periods saw refinements in mobility, sighting and ammunition. Postwar armies retained heavy infantry mortars for close support and developed vehicle-mounted and towed variants to improve tactical mobility.
Uses and examples
Heavy mortars are used primarily for close infantry support, bunker and trench suppression, and engaging targets in defilade where direct-fire weapons cannot reach. They are valued for rapid, steep-angle delivery of explosive effects and for relatively low logistical complexity compared with large artillery pieces. Examples of employment include trench assaults, urban fighting, and assaulting fortified positions. For broader context on mortar families and tactical employment see mortars overview and references on infantry support weapons at weapons reference.
Types and distinctions
- Trench and siege mortars: historically used to batter fortifications and trenches; prominent in early 20th-century conflicts. See material on World War I trench mortars.
- Infantry heavy mortars: man-portable at the unit level or transported by vehicle to provide immediate indirect fire support.
- Vehicle-mounted/towed mortars: increase mobility and allow integration with armored formations.
Heavy mortars should be distinguished from field artillery, which generally fires flatter trajectories at longer ranges and uses more complex aiming and fire-control systems, and from rocket artillery, which uses unguided rockets to deliver high volumes of fire. Further technical and historical discussion is available in specialist sources: see artillery comparisons and archival material on early 20th-century mortars.
Questions and answers
Q: What are heavy mortars?
A: Heavy mortars are large-calibre weapons that fire heavy shells on a high angle trajectory.
Q: How do heavy mortars compare to field artillery?
A: Heavy mortars are usually less complex than similar sized field artillery.
Q: What is the range of heavy mortars?
A: Heavy mortars have a short range.
Q: What were the "Trench Mortars" of World War I?
A: The "Trench Mortars" of World War I were heavy mortars that were all heavy and difficult to move.
Q: Are heavy mortars easy to move?
A: No, heavy mortars are not easy to move.
Q: What is the category that heavy mortars belong to?
A: Heavy mortars belong to the category of large-calibre weapons that fire heavy shells on a high angle trajectory.
Q: Why are heavy mortars less complex than similar sized field artillery?
A: Heavy mortars are less complex than similar sized field artillery because they have fewer components and are designed to fire on a high angle trajectory, which negates the need for complex aiming mechanisms.
Related articles
Author
AlegsaOnline.com List of heavy mortars Leandro Alegsa
URL: https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/124737
Sources
- nps.gov : "The Japanese 320mm spigot mortar,"