81mm mortar Mk2 Mod 0

[Rich H]

It's just an muzzle loaded 81mm mortar with a flexible mounting and a trigger really.  It could fire standard mortar bombs or flechette rounds.

The Mod1 and Mod2 have a 50cal strapped to the top

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Thanks.

[carlos marighela]

By the by if that seems weird then check out the M98 Howtar used by the Marines in Vietnam. As the name suggests, it’s a 107mm mortar fitted on to the carriage of a WW2 era 75mm pack howitzer.

I bought the Warlord pack howitzer for just such a conversion. Will get around to it if and when Empress do some early war marines with M14.

[Rich H]

I guess it's more portable than a base plated mortar?  Or was it the low angle they wanted?

[carlos marighela]

It’s hard to know what they wanted from it. It weighed more than either the gun or the standard 4.2” mortar and its range was less than the mortar in its usual configuration by almost a third.

[Rich H]

Maybe it's an example of just because
Or perhaps a damaged gun and mortar?  Or ammo shortage and a damaged mortar?

Any sort of lash-up would give me the fear...  I wonder how it was fired at low angle? 

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Available ammunition and towable?

[carlos marighela]

They actually designed it and they put it into serial production. Marines just being marines and wanting to be different I suppose. There was an even weirder design for a towed rocket launcher that never made it into production called the XM-70. Best way to describe it is as a revolver rocket launcher.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM70E2

[Rich H]

We've been here before... Revolver rocket launchers aren't a great plan...
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=129235.0