Mortars
The basic principles behind the mortar weapon system allowed for relatively portable indirect firepower to be brought into any offensive action.
Even before their large-scale use in World War 1 and World War 2, the mortar held a history dating as far back as the 18th Century. Mortars were designed as "indirect fire" weapons intended to lob projectiles against enemy positions that were protected by walls or natural coverage. The "lobbing" nature of the mortar ensured that the projectile would clear the obstruction and engage the enemy behind it. The use of mortars in combat was not as prevalent prior to World War 1 but the trench warfare nature of that conflict brought about its heavy use. As such, various-caliber mortars were in large-scale use by the end of the war. In World War 2, many pre-war designs were still en vogue while newer ones came into play. From then on, the mortar has remained a vital cog in the modern military machine.
There are a total of 27 Mortar Weapon Systems in the Military Factory. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order. Flag images indicative of country of origin.
1913
The 17cm mittlerer Minenwerfer was a portable mortar (or "mine projector") used by the Imperial German Army during World War ...
1936
The 5-cm Granatwerfer 36 (abbreviated as "leGrW 36") was the standard light mortar utilized by the German Army in the early y...
1914
All of the major military powers of World War 1 made extensive use of mortars throughout their various campaigns where fortif...
1934
The 8-cm Granatwerfer 34 (GrW 34) - Heavy Grenade-Launcher Model 1934 - was a German Army favorite throughout the whole cours...
1927
The Brandt mle 27 mortar served various world powers (in some form or another) throughout the latter portion of the 1920s and...
1939
The M1938 120mm mortar was a field mortar system accepted into service with the Red Army in 1939. The weapon system was nothi...
1943
The M1943 (also known as the "MT-13") was a heavy field mortar utilized by the Soviet Army through the latter half of World W...
1978
The M224 is the current portable mortar system in service with the United States Army and Marine Corps. The system provides a...
1987
The smoothbore, muzzle-loading M252 medium weight mortar system offers up accurate long-range indirect fire support to Americ...
1952
In 1952, the American government replaced the standard Army and Marine Corps 81mm service mortar of World War 2/Korean War - ...
1935
The Italian Army made use of two main mortar designs during World War 2 - the 45mm Modello 35 and the 81mm Modello 35, both i...
1935
Like all other modern militaries participating in World War 2, the Italian Army adopted a light infantry mortar to provide in...
1942
The M19 60mm mortar (the US equivalent to the British 2-inch) was developed during World War 2 for infantry-level support act...
1940
The M2 60mm light mortar served US Army and Marine forces in World War 2 and through the Korean and the Vietnam wars, becomin...
1935
The American M1 81mm Mortar, like the upcoming M2 60mm Mortar, was based on a French design by Edgar William Brandt (1880-196...
1965
The original British Ordnance ML 3-inch Mortar of World War 2 proved its worth and then some throughout the global conflict. ...
1938
The Ordnance ML 2-inch Mortar Mk II was an infantry-based, squad-level mortar weapon system standardized throughout the Briti...
1925
Among several of the unsung British war weapons to see action in World War 2 was the Ordnance, ML Mortar, 3-inch. The weapon ...
1915
While mortars largely fell out of interest prior to World War 1, the stalemate of trench warfare forced national armies to re...
1921
The 50mm Type 10 was the first of two primary "light mortars" to serve with the Imperial Japanese Army during World War 2. In...
1943
The Chinese Type 31 series of light 60mm infantry mortar was an indigenous copy of the American M2 60mm mortar series. The Am...
1929
The Type 89 "Grenade Discharger" was another of Imperial Japan's "light mortar" systems utilized throughout World War 2. Hard...
1935
The Type 94 infantry mortar was a large-caliber field weapon of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) that maintained firepower qu...
1937
The Imperial Japanese Army made use of various lobbed ordnance weapon systems throughout World War 2 in their conquest of the...
1937
In an effort to reduce production costs and speed up delivery, the Type 97 mortar of 1937 was developed from the existing Typ...
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