Mortars

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A mortar is a type of smoothbore cannon that exclusively uses high-angle plunging fire. It is designed for indirect fire, with projectiles, technically known as bombs, that drop onto targets from above. Mortars are typically smaller, lighter weapon systems with a shorter range compared to other cannons.

Compared to howitzers, mortars have a shorter range, lack the ability to fire at a shallow angle, are generally lighter, and have smoothbore rather than rifled barrels. In contrast to cannons, mortars are solely indirect fire weapons, cannot shoot at a shallow angle, have less range, and take much longer to reach their targets, making them less effective against mobile targets.

Unlike rockets, mortars do not have an internal propulsion system. Instead, they use a propellant charge that deflagrates, creating high-pressure gases that push the bomb out of the mortar. However, there is one notable exception to this rule—rocket mortars. Particularly common during World War II, these mortars used rockets as ammunition, could be fired at shallower angles, and, in some cases, had rifled barrels, breaking with all the typical conventions of mortars.

General Info

Naval mortars were introduced into the game with the initial release of naval forces in patch Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea". This update included various types of mortars, such as the Y-gun Mk.VII depth charge and mortar-launched WBG depth charges.

Mortars mounted on ground vehicles made their first appearance with the introduction of the Matilda Hedgehog in Update "New Power".

Usage of mortars in-game

Mortars offer a significant advantage in their ability to deliver large explosives on targets that are out of the line of sight. However, the high arc of fire comes with several drawbacks, making mortars highly situational. They require the target to be in an optimal position, demand significant lead time against moving targets, and rely on some luck, as mortars have spread and can be easily avoided by manoeuvring.

Mortars typically have only one type of ammunition available, which is usually either an impact high-explosive or a depth charge.

In naval battles, mortars are not affected by the "Highlight projectile fall point," "Highlight targeting point," or "Play buzzer sound when projectile hits the water" settings. There are no interface elements to assist in aiming.

In ground battles, the behaviour of mortars depends on the platform. The Matilda Hedgehog provides a text indicator showing the range at which rockets will land, such as "Hedgehog Rockets - 220m," but no other aiming assists are available. In contrast, the Churchill AVRE Petard allows players to control impact points using the "Sight distance control" hotkeys.

Naval Mortars

Mortar Direction Projectile TNT equivalent
(kg) 		Rate of Fire (Rounds/Min) Ammo Capacity[n 1] Belt Capacity[n 2] Maximum range
(km)[n 3] 		Targeting speed (°/s)[n 4]
Horizontal Vertical
USA flag.png Mk 2 mortar Trainable High-explosive 0.77 18 8 1 5 20 45
USA flag.png Mk.4 depth charge Lateral Depth charge 108.1 6 5 1  ? -
USA flag.png Mk.6 mortar depth charge Lateral Depth charge 136 6 1 1  ? -
USA flag.png K-gun Mk.9 depth charge Lateral Depth charge 136 6 4 1  ? -
Germany flag.png WBG depth charge Lateral Depth charge 100 6 1 1  ? -
USSR flag.png RBM mortar Ahead-throwing Depth charge 70.8 102 16 4 0.25 -
USSR flag.png BB-1 depth charge Lateral Depth charge 130 6 12 1  ? -
USSR flag.png BM-37 mortar Trainable Depth charge 0.4 30 50 1  ? 30 -
Britain flag.png Mk.VII depth charge Lateral Depth charge 130 6 1 1  ? -
Britain flag.png Y-gun Mk.VII depth charge Lateral Depth charge 130 6 1 1  ? -
Britain flag.png Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar Ahead-throwing Depth charge 25.44 480 24 24  ? -
Britain flag.png Limbo mortar Trainable Depth charge 108.1 120 51 1 [n 5]  ? 65 65
Britain flag.png Ordnance ML 4.2-inch mortar Trainable Depth charge 2 15 110 1  ? 26 -
Japan flag.png Type 95 depth charge Lateral Depth charge 100 6 4 1  ? -
Italy flag.png BAS depth charge Trainable Depth charge 112 180 60 1 0.85 21 -
Italy flag.png BAS depth charge Lateral Depth charge 112 180 4 4 0.3 -
Italy flag.png B TG depth charge Lateral Depth charge 50 6 1 1  ? -
Italy flag.png B TG 100 depth charge Lateral Depth charge 100 6 1 1  ? -
France flag.png Guiraud 100kg depth charge Lateral Depth charge 130 6 4 1  ? -
  1. ↑ Ammo capacity can vary depending on the vessel - value provided is the most commonly found. Ammo capacity is a total amount of ammunition available - both: loaded into the mortar and in the ammo racks.
  2. ↑ Belt capacity can vary depending on the vessel - value provided is the most commonly found. Belt capacity is the actual amount of rounds loaded into the mortar. Once used, the remaining supply from the ammo racks will be used, if available. Reloading from the ammo rack will be slower than the Rate of Fire.
  3. ↑ A question mark in a field means that the value wasn't measured in-game yet.
  4. ↑ If the weapon has only a horizontal Targeting speed, but no vertical - it means that the weapon has a fixed firing range (equal to the Maximum range), even if the in-game interface does show a (non-existent) vertical targeting speed.
  5. ↑ Each Limbo mortar has 3 barrels which are loaded simultaneously. So, while belt capacity in theory is 1 bomb, effectively it's 3.

Vehicle-mounted Mortars

Mortar Direction Projectile TNT equivalent
(kg) 		Rate of Fire (Rounds/Min) Ammo Capacity Belt capacity Maximum range
(km) 		Targeting speed (°/s)
Horizontal Vertical
Germany flag.png RW61 (380 mm) Trainable High-explosive 125 1.15 14 1 3.6 8.8 5.5
Britain flag.png Petard (230 mm) Trainable High-explosive 17.73 2.31 16 1 0.15 19 12
Britain flag.png Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar Ahead-throwing High-explosive 25.28 2.56 7 7 0.22 - [g 1]
  1. ↑ Hedgehog cannot be aimed, even though the interface and x-ray view suggest the ability to aim it vertically.

Decorations

In addition to the weapons, a number of mortar decorations were awarded. These have no active use in game, they are purely cosmetic items which can be placed on the vehicles.

Army

Bluewater fleet

Coastal fleet

See also

External links

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