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Effective German mortar support

chiquichops

FGM Regimental Sergeant Major
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I'm finding that German 81mm mortars are amazing on-map support. They seem to beat the snot out of anything they hit, whereas my American 81mm on-maps just haven't shown the same punch. I basically won a defence game by using my German 81mms well. In a recent attack I crested a hill to stumble upon a heap of dead Brits, courtesy of my previous mortar strike.
Anyone else noticed a difference between the two, or is it my imagination? It could well be that the Germans I encountered were just great shots that day. I haven't used the Yank version enough to play test this one too much yet.
Anyway, hats off to the kraut 81mm, I'll certainly try to take a few along to my next party.
 
The German mortar is not any better than the US or British version, I find. It's all about getting the bombs on target.
 
However, the Germans more often have the mortar on-map, where the US mostly employ it off-map. This means you can get more accuracy from the German mortar if you use it for direct fire.
 
However, the Germans more often have the mortar on-map, where the US mostly employ it off-map. This means you can get more accuracy from the German mortar if you use it for direct fire.
It's probably got more to do with the experience of the team then. Does snow mitigate the explosion in CM? I seem to think I read or heard somewhere that it did.
 
I find the 120 mm mortar is a beast. A well timed barrage can make or break battles. It's a bit expensive, but the destructive power is worth it.

Had success with 81 mm mortars, too.

It's all about finding the main effort and timing the strike.
 
Every new player gravitates to big tanks. King Tigers, Panthers, Churchills, Jumbo Shermans.

In reality, the most powerful unit in CM is the on map mortar.
It certainly gets a lot of infantry kills in my games and the suppression factor is huge.
Of course, you're hard pressed to stop a tank with just mortars.
 
It certainly gets a lot of infantry kills in my games and the suppression factor is huge.
Of course, you're hard pressed to stop a tank with just mortars.

A mortar costs like 32 points. A tank over 200. And I have stopped lots of tanks with mortars. ;)
 
Do a test. Hit a Panther directly a few times with an 81mm mortar and it will immobilize. Sometimes with only 1 hit.

I just fought a battle with @jobu88 . I fired 81mm mortars at a group of M8 Greyhounds. About 14 mortar shells immobilized all 3 Greyhounds. On map mortars are incredibly useful.
 
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Do a test. Hit a Panther directly a few times with an 81mm mortar and it will immobilize. Sometimes with only 1 hit.

I just fought a battle with @jobu88 . I fired 81mm mortars at a group of M8 Greyhounds. About 14 mortar shells immobilized all 3 Greyhounds. On map mortars are incredibly useful.
That's interesting. Never noticed them being so effective. In a test QB I tried shelling a group of 3 Shermans with an off-map German 150mm field gun. Had several hits just next to the tanks, but none of them were damaged or even immobilised.
That's of course not a mortar, but I'd expect the 150mm gun to have quite a bit bigger punch.

The only times I've managed to knock out a vehicle with an 81mm mortar have been halftracks.. and an armoured car in my recent game with Drifter Man.
 
The German mortar is not any better than the US or British version, I find. It's all about getting the bombs on target.
In CMX1, Battlefront posted the blast value of different weapons. You could look at it in game.

IIRC, US, German, and Russian 81mm mortars all had a blast value of something like 24. British 81mm mortars had a blast value that was 2 to 4 points higher. Effectively, I never noticed a difference.

Assuming that they brought over CMX1 data to CMX2.....the Brits may have a slight blast edge while the US are definately the quickest to call for fire.

I have no clue who was the most accurate.
 
Do a test. Hit a Panther directly a few times with an 81mm mortar and it will immobilize. Sometimes with only 1 hit.

I just fought a battle with @jobu88 . I fired 81mm mortars at a group of M8 Greyhounds. About 14 mortar shells immobilized all 3 Greyhounds. On map mortars are incredibly useful.
Agreed but I've also landed an 81mm right next to a half-track and not a scratch. There's a bit of luck involved.
Keeping those tanks moving is always a good plan though, especially if anyone's is playing you by the looks of it!
 
In one of my first H2H games I had loads of sound contacts in a forest through which a road went towards the location where I had my troops. I suspected that my opponent was planning to surround me and decided to set up my six 81mm mortars to give him a surprise.

After having shelled the forest for a little more than two minutes with direct fire I thought it was enough with that surprise.

It seems my opponent thought it was enough too as I never received any more saves from him after that. He had probably sent most of his troops through that forest and lost a whole lot of them which made him decide not to continue playing.
 
In one of my first H2H games I had loads of sound contacts in a forest through which a road went towards the location where I had my troops. I suspected that my opponent was planning to surround me and decided to set up my six 81mm mortars to give him a surprise.

After having shelled the forest for a little more than two minutes with direct fire I thought it was enough with that surprise.

It seems my opponent thought it was enough too as I never received any more saves from him after that. He had probably sent most of his troops through that forest and lost a whole lot of them which made him decide not to continue playing.
It's a shame when someone bows out though. I'm a 'to the bitter ender' myself
 
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