Tac tidbit - Light mortars

[JasonC]

Relevant CM considerations on these -

the US 60mm hits much harder than the others. A single 60mm will pin a typical MG or gun position in a minute of fire.

the Russian 50mm has a much deeper ammo load than the others, roughly twice the ammo depth, 3 times the British one and more like 6 times the HE. Pairs of Russia 50mms hitting the same target for 2-3 minutes are high effective MG and gun suppressors, and have the ammo to keep it up.

the British one gets plenty of smoke, the US only a few rounds, the others no smoke. Very small smoke shots are somewhat scattershot - they can easily fail to mask the intended target and dissipate quickly - but can take a key enemy shooter out of the firefight for 1-2 minutes, using only a handful of rounds. This is the main use of the British 2 inch.

The German is the worst of the lot, with only 30 weak rounds, limited range, and HE only. Arguably the Brit is nearly as bad, with its low ammo load and only a single minute's worth of HE, but the smoke can be useful. The US is the best of the lot, with strong HE firepower and a small smoke load; the Russian second due to the excellent ammo depth.

Another important consideration with all of these is their relative mobility compared to heavier mortars. All are medium speed or better to keep up with ordinary squads, using "move to contact" or "move" rates. All are also transport class 2 and team size, which allows 2 them to ride on a single tank. 81mm mortars in comparison need a dedicated mover (like a halftrack), and the Russian 82mms are 7 man teams making them full squad size for transport purposes.