Survive under mortar fire. How to use captured weapons in battlesmall weapons of the German army Shooting from a mortar
At the dawn of the 20th century, a time of change came in the organization of military operations. While the warring parties dug in, dug multi-pass trenches and fenced off with wire fences, all the power from the use firearms, from rifles to machine guns, and powerful gun fire could not cause much damage to the fighters.
The wire barriers are demolished by artillery fire, which was brought up by the enemy army. The fortifications are also being destroyed, but the enemy infantry units took cover behind deep trenches and, for the most part, did not suffer losses. What to do?
The appearance of mortars on the battlefields dramatically changed the balance of power. Also maximum range Mortar firing became a decisive factor in changing tactics not only on the battlefield, but also in urban combat conditions.
The first Russian mortar
Historically, the first mention of the use of a weapon for throwing projectiles on the principle of a mortar is mentioned in the times Russo-Japanese War 1904 - 1905
There were many naval pole mines in the warehouses of Port Arthur. They were a conical iron projectile on a long 15-meter pole. The execution of the idea of firing such “shells” was entrusted to Captain L.N. Gobyato. For this, it was decided to use a 47 mm single-barreled Gochinks gun, which was mounted on a primitive carriage, which helped increase the elevation angle from 45° to 65°.
Before shooting, a pole with a mine was placed in the barrel (the pole was shortened) and a wad, which simultaneously served as a buffer during the shot. A cartridge case with a charge was placed behind it.
To stabilize the mine in flight, it was equipped with a four-leaf stabilizer. The mortar's firing range ranged from 40 to 400 meters, and the mine caused significant destruction during the explosion. And this is not at all surprising, since the ship mine and combat charge weighed 6.2 kg!
Mortar from the Patriotic War
In August 1941, the Defense Committee Soviet Union a decision was made to increase the production of 120 mm mortars. It was a smooth-bore rigid system with an imaginary triangle diagram. The mortar was loaded from the muzzle side.
The firing range of the 120 mm mortar was at different firing angles from 460 m to 5700 m (firing angles from 45° to 80°).
Among other things, the mortars were equipped with twin shock absorbers and an oscillating sight, which improved combat performance.
Mortars 1955
The experience of using the 120-mm gun of the 1943 model in combat was taken into account when creating the regimental mortar in 1955. The development of mortars of this modification was carried out under the direction of B.I. Shavyrina. With the same mass, the firing range of the 120 mm mortar was increased and amounted to 7.1 km.
Firing accuracy was:
- average lateral deviation 12.8 m;
- median range slope
The mortar could be deployed into combat position in 1.5 minutes.
Self-propelled mortar "Tundzha"
The development of this self-propelled unit began in 1965. The MT-LB special gun tractor is used as the chassis. The M-120 (2B11) mortar was located in the vehicle body. The deployment of the mortar into a military position was arranged in such a way that the base plate rested on the ground, while the barrel protruded beyond the dimensions of the vehicle.
Ammunition weighing 16 kg, 120 mm mines type:
- 0-843A;
- 3-843A;
- 0-843, etc.
Mortar firing range 120 mm, m:
- 480-7100.
Pointing angles:
- vertical 45°-80°;
- horizontal ± 5 ^26).
Rate of fire in combat conditions, rds/min:
- to 10.
Ammunition, min:
Mortar complex "Sani"
In 1979, the 120 mm "Sani" complex was adopted. It includes:
- mortar 2F510;
- pneumatic wheel travel 2L81 (detachable);
- transport vehicle 2F510 (GAZ-66-05 base).
Accurate firing range of 120 mm mortar:
- from 480 to 7100 m.
Rate of fire:
- 15 rounds per minute.
The mortar is equipped with sighting devices:
- sight MPM-44M;
- gun collimator K2-1;
- lighting device LUCH-P2M.
The exact firing range of a mortar controlled by the KM-8 arsenal:
- 9.0 kilometers.
Installation "Nona-S"
The current trend in the development of mortar weapons comes down to the merger of 120 mm mortars and breech-loading cannons artillery howitzers. The self-propelled gun called 2S9 "NONA-S", which entered service in 1976, has the ability to fire both rifled projectiles and mines with fins, which affects the increased firing range of the 120 mm gun.
The capabilities of "NONA-S" have been significantly expanded and make it possible to use it not only to suppress the enemy's numbers, but also to destroy defensive structures and conduct a successful fight against tanks.
For use in mountainous conditions, "NONA-S" is especially indispensable, since the barrel raised to the zenith solves problems of suppressing manpower that are inaccessible to howitzers or cannons.
An important feature is the extremely short firing range of the 120 mm mortar:
- for a projectile - 1700 m;
- for mines - 400 m.
Therefore, the ammunition includes 120 mm mines:
- high-explosive fragmentation;
- lighting;
- smoke;
- incendiary.
The practical firing range reaches 7.1 km.
The rate of fire of the mode (7-8 shots) per minute is ensured by an automatic hammer. After the shot, the gun barrel is purged under pressure with compressed air to remove powder gases.
"Vein"
In 1995, the 2S31 Vena self-propelled gun was created, in which the firing range of a 120 mm mortar reaches up to 14,000 meters.
The installation's ammunition contains:
- OF - 49 and OF - 54;
- OF50 active-missile projectiles;
- All types of 120 mm caliber mortar ammunition can be used, in addition to domestic and foreign ones;
- guided missiles "Kitolov - 2M".
The guidance angle in the vertical plane ranges from -4° to +80°. Aim recovery is automatic after each shot.
The gun's ammunition capacity is 70 rounds in ammunition racks, and it is also possible to supply ammunition from the ground through a special hatch in the starboard side with an armored cover.
The firing range of modern mortars is constantly increasing and the use of such self-propelled guns of the "Vena" type is becoming especially relevant.
"Hosta"
A thoroughly modernized 120 mm howitzer with a firing range of 13 km, the Khosta received a new circular rotation turret. And also components and innovations from 2S31 "Vena", 2S23 "NONA" SVK were installed. Wherein chassis also a modernized BS MT-DB.
The main difference is the improved 2A80-1 cannon, which was equipped with which made it possible to increase the rate of fire by 2 times and fire absolutely all types of 120 mm caliber projectiles:
- high-explosive fragmentation;
- mine;
- modern shells 3FOF112 "Kitolov-2".
In the new 2S34 Khosta mortar system, firing can be carried out without preparing positions, not only by direct fire, but is also capable of hitting targets on reverse slopes.
Her target rate of fire managed to increase from 4 to 9 rounds per minute.
Towed mortar
Along with the Sani-type self-propelled guns, the Russian Army also received towed ones:
- 2B16 "Nona - K";
- 2B23 "Nona M1".
At the same time, they did not lose their fighting qualities, like the SAO.
Such a need arose to supply the airborne forces with their own artillery. assault brigades. During the development of the "Nona K" 2B16 mortar gun. The experience of combat operations in Afghanistan was taken into account. This type of mortar was adopted for service in 1986.
Already in 2007 Russian army adopted the 120 mm 2B23 "NONA - M1" for service. The weapon was used to destroy both enemy personnel and lightly armored vehicles.
The mortar batteries of the ground forces were also equipped with the 2B23 mortar. For use there was the possibility of landing from an aircraft on specially equipped platforms. The ammunition capacity of this mortar includes all types of 120 mm min.
These mortars have been combat tested in many local conflicts.
Modern weapons with a 120 mm mortar firing range of 400 to 7000 meters cannot always rely on timely delivery of ammunition. Therefore, the tendency to use such weapons during combat operations involves the use of 120 mm charges from mortars of the armies of other countries. The use of this formula allows fire support own forces and on enemy territory.
Previous games in the Assassin's Creed series delighted fans with bustling, lively and majestic cities. In Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, the opposite is true, focusing on the vast territories of the Caribbean. The shift in emphasis entailed a number of changes: islands, medium-sized cities and ships came to the fore. Even the confrontation between the Assassins and the Templars faded into the background. Moreover, the main character’s thoughts are not occupied with the solution global problems, but are focused on finding ways to get rich quick. “Jackdaw” will help Edward Kenway make his dreams come true, become famous and become a thunderstorm of the seas and oceans. A nondescript military brig, taken from the Spaniards, will eventually turn into a floating fortress. With the help of , found in or on the ocean floor among the wreckage, you can improve everything: the hull, guns, mortars, falconets and ammunition. And here change ships in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag it is forbidden; sailing on a battleship is only allowed according to the plot. is also limited and appears only for those who bought a licensed copy of the game and have a stable Internet connection; the pirated version does not have this option.
Boarding in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag begins only after the battle, when the hull strength of the enemy ship drops to the red mark. As soon as this happens, white zones appear on both sides, which you need to enter at low speed and then hold down the [S] key. During capture, depending on the size of the ship, additional goals appear (kill the enemy captain, spies on the masts, a certain number of soldiers, blow up barrels of gunpowder or tear down the flag), which must be completed, otherwise the ship will not be captured. When boarding, the size of the team plays an important role; the larger it is, the higher the chances of success. The team can be replenished in taverns or picked up people on rafts right in the ocean by pressing the [Space] key at a close distance from the shipwreck victim. After boarding, you have a choice of what to do with the vanquished: release them to reduce their level of fame in order to get rid of the pirate hunters, use the wreckage of the ship to repair the Jackdaw (on land, repairs are carried out by port captains) or attach the ship to the Kenway fleet. Regardless of the decision made, the cargo from the holds becomes a trophy. Chests with money and items are stored on the decks of ships abandoned in the ocean. They need to be inspected, not drowned.
Controlling a ship in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag:
- Shot from cannons with ordinary cannonballs- move the camera with the mouse to the left or right side of the ship, hold down [RMB] and press [LMB] (you cannot shoot from both sides at the same time while being between two enemy ships).
- Firing heavy cannonballs- move the camera with the mouse to the left or right side of the ship and press [LMB] (the number of available cores is indicated in the lower right corner of the screen; you can replenish cores in the captain’s cabin through the ship’s layout, from the port captain on the islands, or after a successful boarding). Heavy cannonballs cause enormous damage at short range. To use heavy cores, you first need to buy the upgrade of the same name in the captain's cabin.
- Shot with nipples- move the camera with the mouse to the bow of the ship, hold [RMB] and press [LMB], or immediately press [LMB]. Nipples help tear sails, break masts, slow down or stop opponents.
- Shot from falconets- hold down the key and release after pointing at vulnerable spot ship, marked with a red pointer. You cannot shoot from falconets at random targets, as was the case in AC3, but they can be used during boarding by approaching them and pressing the [E] key.
- Shot from mortars- hold down the [Q] key, point the mouse at the target and press [LMB]. The amount of charge is indicated in the lower right corner of the screen. Supplies are replenished through the captain's cabin on Galka or from the port captain on the islands. Mortars deal massive damage from a long distance. Very effective against battleships and forts. To use mortars, you first need to buy the upgrade of the same name in the captain's cabin.
- Spyglass- hold down the [E] key. Use the mouse wheel to zoom in, and use the [W] key to mark the selected ship.
- Use of incendiary projectiles- move the camera towards the stern with the mouse and press the [LMB] key. Gunpowder barrels are effective against pursuers.
- Using a ram- direct the ship towards the enemy and full speed crash into him.
- Raise the sails and speed up- press the [W] key several times.
- Stop and release the steering wheel- press [S] several times to stop the ship, and then hold [S].
- Dodging enemy shots- hold down the [Space] key.
- Control of sailor songs (shanti)- keys and .
- Align the camera and change the viewing angle- keys [C], [←], , [↓], [→].
CLASSIFICATION OF MORTARS
Mortars are usually classified according to tactical, organizational and constructive characteristics.
According to the experience of the Second World War, mortars are divided into mortars for direct support of infantry in battle (company and battalion); direct infantry support (regimental); reinforcements (sometimes called breakthrough or high-power mortars).
In accordance with their organizational structure, mortars are divided into military (company, battalion, regimental, divisional) and reserve of the High Command (RVGK). According to the method of movement - portable, transportable, towed, pack and self-propelled.
Military mortars are organizationally part of motorized rifle (infantry), parachute and similar units and are intended for direct fire support and escort of troops in any terrain and situation. Military mortars, complementing the fire of the units in which they are included, make it more effective, since the greater steepness of the flight path of mines allows them to hit closed targets inaccessible to small arms fire and artillery fire.
Company mortars (caliber 50-60 mm) are organizationally part of rifle and motorized rifle (infantry) companies and constantly accompany them in battle, hitting enemy personnel and their firepower located behind cover and inaccessible to company small arms fire.
Battalion mortars (caliber 81-82 mm) are organizationally part of motorized rifle (infantry), parachute and similar battalions, accompany them on any terrain and are designed to destroy enemy personnel located in shelters (ravines, hollows, etc. .), fire weapons located behind shelters and inaccessible to small arms fire, as well as regimental and battalion artillery. These mortars are also used for making passages in wire fences, for firing special mines (lighting, smoke), etc.
Regimental mortars (caliber 106-120 mm) are organizationally part of motorized rifle (infantry) and other regiments, constantly follow in their combat formations and perform tasks in the interests of rifle battalions and the regiment as a whole.
Divisional mortars were organizationally assigned to divisions, and RVGK mortars were at the disposal of senior military leadership and were intended to qualitatively enhance the firepower of military artillery and perform specific tasks: for example, the destruction of powerful enemy fortifications (wood-earth firing structures, dugouts), field-type fortifications (trenches with ceilings) , light dugouts).
Organizationally, RVGK mortars are reduced to units and units that are at their disposal Supreme High Command and are attached to combined arms formations operating in the decisive direction of formations and groupings of troops.
The design features of mortars are determined depending on the design principles of the main components, their layout, methods of loading and igniting the charge.
For example, according to the principle of the barrel, mortars can be smooth-bore or rifled.
The internal structure of the barrel of a rifled mortar is similar to the barrel of a conventional artillery gun. The rifling in the barrel causes the mine to spin, and it is stabilized in flight by rotating, like artillery shell. These days, rifled mortars are used relatively rarely. WITH rifled barrels Two types of mortars are known: those firing mines with leading belts, similar to rifled artillery shells, and those firing mines with ready-made protrusions made in the shape of the rifling of the barrel.
Smoothbore mortars also exist in two types: those firing over-caliber mines (the diameter of the mine is larger than the diameter of the barrel bore) and those firing caliber mines (the diameter of the mine is approximately equal to the diameter of the bore). The over-caliber mine has a tail rod (sometimes equipped with a stabilizing device) that fits into the mortar barrel. When fired, the force of the powder gases, acting on this rod, throws the over-caliber mine forward. Such mines were widely used during the First World War. A caliber mine is placed inside the bore and ejected by the force of powder gases. The correct flight of the mine and its stability along the trajectory when fired from a smooth-bore mortar is ensured by the use of special stabilizers in the form of feathers or wings. All modern mortars fire caliber mines.
Based on the principle of recoil absorption, there are rigid mortars and mortars with recoil devices. In rigid mortars, the recoil force of a shot is transferred to the base plate and absorbed by the ground. In mortars with recoil devices, the recoil energy of a shot is absorbed by a recoil brake, as in an artillery gun.
Based on the principle of placement and connection of the main components and guidance mechanisms, three mortar schemes are distinguished: solid assembly (all mechanisms are assembled on one massive plate); a real triangle (the trunk is hingedly connected to a biped resting on the ground, and a slab also resting on the ground; at the bottom, the biped and the slab are hingedly connected by a special link); imaginary triangle. In the imaginary triangle diagram, the two sides of this triangle are the trunk and the biped-carriage, and the third side is an imaginary line running along the ground between the support points of the barrel and the biped-carriage. The imaginary triangle scheme received universal recognition and became a classic design for mortars.
According to the loading method, mortars are either muzzle-loading or breech-loading. Mortars of small and medium calibers (from 50 to 120 mm) are loaded from the muzzle. In this case, ignition of the charge can occur from the puncture of the primer of the main charge on a hard firing pin or under the influence of the firing pin of the firing mechanism, the release of which is carried out by one of the crew numbers. Large-caliber mortars (over 120 mm) are loaded from the breech, and the charge is ignited using a firing mechanism.
Depending on the degree of automation of reloading operations, all modern mortars are divided into non-automatic (classical design) and automatic (for example, the 82-mm automatic mortar 2B9M "Cornflower").
Based on the principle of charge ignition, there are mortars with an expansion ignition circuit, a gas-dynamic ignition circuit, and a Stokes-type ignition circuit.
The expansion charge ignition scheme used in mortars is similar to the charge ignition scheme in artillery guns, when the powder charge is ignited in a chamber closed on one side by the bolt or the bottom of the barrel bore, and on the other side by the bottom section of the projectile.
With a gas-dynamic ignition scheme, the charge is placed in a separate chamber connected to the barrel bore by a hole called a nozzle. With this scheme, the combustion of gunpowder occurs in a constant and small volume, which ensures the same conditions for the combustion of gunpowder, and therefore good accuracy of fire.
The Stokes-type ignition scheme has found the greatest application in mortars. According to this scheme, ignition and combustion of the main propellant charge occurs in the closed volume of the stabilizer tube. When a certain pressure is reached in the stabilizer tube, the powder gases break through the walls of the main charge cartridge, ignite additional charges located around the stabilizer tube in the mine space, and impart forward motion to the mine. In this case, the ignition of additional charges occurs instantly, and the combustion of gunpowder is uniform, which ensures sufficient accuracy of fire.
Depending on the method of movement, mortars can be: portable (transported disassembled by crews using special devices or packages), transportable (for transportation they are placed in the back of a car, tractor or armored personnel carrier), towed (transported in a trailer behind the tractor and equipped with wheels that can be separated or not separated when firing), pack (disassembled and transported by pack animals in special packs).
Self-propelled mortars are mounted on a wheeled or tracked base of transport or combat vehicles and come in armored, semi-armored and open versions.
In terms of effectiveness at the target, mortar mines are not inferior to conventional artillery shells of the appropriate caliber. The fragmentation effect of mines in modern mortars even exceeds the fragmentation effect of cannon and howitzer shells of the same caliber. Therefore, the appearance of mortars led to the partial replacement of relatively heavy and expensive classical artillery pieces with lighter and cheaper mortars.
All mortars, regardless of design, have some common combat properties that are highly valued by the troops. The great steepness of the flight path of mortar mines (barrel elevation angles from 45 to 85 degrees) makes it possible to destroy closed targets that are not hit by flat fire from small arms, grenade launchers, recoilless rifles and cannons. Mortars can fire from deep shelters (ravines, ditches), through obstacles (house walls, forest), and over the heads of friendly troops.
Mortars have great survivability (up to 10,000 rounds or more). This is explained by the absence of rifling in the barrel and relatively low pressures of powder gases. The most valuable quality of any mortar is its low weight with high power of the mine. For example, a 120 mm mortar is 9 times lighter than a 122 mm howitzer similar in caliber and almost 23 times lighter than a 122 mm cannon. And if we take the ratio of the mass of the gun (mortar) to the mass of the projectile (mine), we get the following characteristic figures: for guns 180/350, for howitzers 100/180, for mortars 15/30.
MORTAR DESIGN
The DESIGN of a muzzle-loading mortar of the classical design is very simple. The main parts of the mortar: a barrel with a breech, a two-legged carriage, a base plate, a sight and a safety device against double loading.
The barrel gives the mortar mine its flight direction and initial speed. It is a steel pipe that is smooth on the outside and inside, onto the lower end of which a bottom, called the breech, is screwed. If modern guns have the highest pressure of powder gases in the barrels,
3500-4000 kgf/sq.cm, then in mortars it does not exceed
1000-1200 kgf/sq.cm, so mortar barrels are made thin-walled and, therefore, lightweight. To prevent the gases of a burning combat charge from breaking through the breech thread when firing, a copper ring is placed in the breech. When the breech is screwed on, the steel pipe rests against this copper ring, slightly flattens the soft copper, and this achieves a hermetic sealing of the lower, or, as it is commonly called, breech part of the barrel.
A firing pin is mounted at the bottom of the breech, onto which the mine is impaled with its primer when it is lowered into the barrel.
In the simplest case, the impact mechanism is a sting screwed into the lower part of the barrel, into the bottom of the breech. When loading, the mine is lowered into the barrel from the front, i.e. from the muzzle, part of it. The mine slides freely down the smooth surface of the barrel, and the charge capsule placed in the tail of the mine is immediately impaled on the sting. This puncture immediately results in a shot. The rigid striker is simple in design and provides a high rate of fire.
Therefore, heavy 107-120 mm mortars often use a cocked percussion mechanism. It has two positions - rigid and cocked. In the latter case, the firing pin in the initial position before the trigger lever is retracted is recessed so that it does not protrude from the bottom of the breech. This eliminates the possibility of spontaneous puncture of the mine primer during loading. Firing with a cocked striker is carried out when, after loading, it is necessary to check the aiming, and then withdraw the combat crew from the mortar to cover.
The base plate serves as a support for the barrel and distributes the pressure of the barrel when fired over a relatively large surface, ensures the stability of the mortar and prevents it from burrowing deeply into the ground. It does not have any removable parts. It is a rigid structure and consists of a main sheet, to which linings are welded on top, and stiffening ribs are welded on the bottom, which at the same time act as openers.
The machine supports the mortar barrel in the firing position and provides it with vertical and horizontal aiming angles. In small and medium caliber mortars, the machine tool is a two-legged carriage. For heavy mortars, the machine has a more complex design, including elements of the chassis.
At the moment of firing, the mortar barrel settles and shudders. At this time, the mortar barrel, together with the base plate, under the influence of the pressure force of the powder gases, quickly and sharply moves along the axis by a certain amount within the limits of residual and elastic deformations of the soil. After the shot, under the influence of soil elastic forces, the barrel with the plate returns to its original position. Thus, a kind of rollback and rolling of the barrel occurs, similar to what happens in an artillery gun.
To ensure accurate aiming of the barrel, the biped-carriage is equipped with three mechanisms: lifting, rotating and horizontal. Each of these mechanisms is a screw that rotates in the uterus using a gear and a handle.
The lifting and rotating mechanisms, with the help of which the vertical and horizontal aiming of the mortar is carried out, are usually used of the screw type. By unscrewing the screw of the lifting mechanism from the uterus, the muzzle of the barrel is raised; By screwing the screw into the uterus, they lower the muzzle and thereby change the range of the mine's fall. The rotating mechanism allows you to accurately point the mortar to the right or left at a small angle: from 3 to 5 degrees for different mortar systems. To turn to a larger angle, the biped is rearranged.
Horizontal aiming is carried out using a protractor and a rotating mechanism. At large angles of rotation, the two-legged carriage is moved. Vertical aiming is carried out by the sight and the mortar's lifting mechanism. Each mortar sight has a protractor and a sight scale. The goniometer is designed to measure horizontal angles, and the scope is designed to measure vertical angles.
Combat operation of muzzle-loading mortars revealed one of their most significant drawbacks - the possibility of double or repeated loading of the mortar from the muzzle and firing a shot by pinning the igniter primer onto a hard firing pin. Such cases occurred during intense shooting in combat conditions, mainly due to the inattention of the combat crew, when the loader could not notice the shot from his mortar and send a second mine into the barrel after the first. In this case, the first mine met the second either somewhere near the muzzle of the barrel, or in the hands of the loader in front of the muzzle. This could also happen due to a misfire; weak puncture of the first mine primer; a prolonged shot or the mine not reaching the firing pin due to contamination of the barrel bore, the mine body or foreign objects entering the barrel bore. A shot fired from a mortar loaded with two mines inevitably led to very serious consequences - the death of the crew if they were not in cover, and the disabling of the mortar.
The most radical method of eliminating this phenomenon was the abandonment of muzzle loading in more powerful caliber mortars - 160 mm and 240 mm, loaded from the treasury. This excluded the possibility of double charging. However, abandoning muzzle loading and switching to breech-loading mortars of all calibers, starting with the smallest, was not the optimal solution to the problem of eliminating double loading, since in this case, to get rid of one drawback, a number of very valuable qualities of muzzle-loading mortars would be sacrificed. Consequently, the discussion was not about eliminating the very possibility of double loading, but only about protecting mortars from it.
Currently, all domestic muzzle-loading mortars are equipped with reliable, automatically operating fuses against double loading, which are placed on the muzzle of the barrel. The safety blade prevents sending a second mine into the barrel after the first, which, when fired, is recessed by powder gases that overtake the mine and flow through the annular gap between the surface of the barrel bore and the centering thickening of the mine.
The mortar can be transported disassembled or on wheels.
82-mm battalion mortars are transported in armored personnel carriers (IFVs) or in the backs of cars. But as they approach the enemy, when the movement of vehicles within the range of his fire becomes impossible, the mortar crew can carry the mortar and its ammunition in packs. Usually these are short distances - 5-10 km.
Human packs are extremely necessary when conducting combat operations in wooded, swampy and mountainous areas, in off-road conditions where vehicle traffic is limited, when crossing water boundaries using improvised means, and when fighting in populated areas. Packs are convenient because they are attached to the soldier’s back, so his hands remain free and the packs do not interfere with crawling.
Mortars for transportation in the mountains are disassembled into large units and placed on horse packs. These packs have special equipment for attaching to saddles.
The design of large-caliber mortars is much more complicated. But in principle they have the same basic design elements: a smooth-walled barrel, a carriage with wheels, a base plate, and a sight.
Separately, we need to dwell on the completely new design of the mortar, developed by domestic gunsmiths.
At the end of the 1960s, the 82-mm automatic mortar 2B9 “Vasilek” was created in the Soviet Union. Due to its design features and methods of hitting targets, it belongs to the class of so-called mortar guns. Designed to destroy enemy fire weapons and manpower by fire both along overhead and flat trajectories (direct fire).
The 2B9 mortar is a type of self-loading automatic weapon that is fired with the bolt open. The operation of the automation is based on the recoil of the free shutter. The primer of the main charge of the mine is pierced at the final stage of the forward movement of the bolt.
The 2B9 mortar consists of a barrel, a bolt box, a bolt, a recoil mechanism, an upper machine, a lower machine with two chassis frames.
The smoothbore barrel is connected to the bolt box using a thread. Part of the barrel is placed in a cooling chamber, which is filled with water during intense shooting. This allows for prolonged continuous fire with a permissible rate of fire of 300 rounds in 30 minutes (without liquid cooling - 200 rounds in 30 minutes).
Later generation mortars, designated 2B9M, use air-cooled barrels.
The spring-type recoil device has three piston rods with springs. One of them is installed on top, the other two are installed below the bolt box. The bolt and the piston rods of the recoil device attached to it constitute the moving part of the mortar. Its guidance in the vertical and horizontal planes is carried out manually.
In the combat position, especially when firing using the upper group of angles, the mortar rests on the central support plate (attached to the lower machine) and the coulters of the beds spread to the sides. At the same time, the wheels are moved to the forward position and hung above the ground. For mortar firing, 82 mm mortar rounds are used.
MORTAR AMMUNITION
A MORTAR shot is a set of elements designed to fire one shot from a mortar. The main elements of a combat mortar round include: a mine, a fuze and a combat charge.
By combat purpose mines are divided into three groups: main purpose - fragmentation, high-explosive fragmentation, high-explosive, incendiary. They serve to directly defeat enemy personnel or destroy his defensive structures; special purpose - smoke, lighting and propaganda mines; to perform combat missions of an auxiliary nature - educational and training. Designed for training and training of personnel of mortar units.
The final loaded mortar mine consists of a drop-shaped body with a bursting charge, a stabilizer, a fuse, a main and additional charges. Mines of this type are used for firing from smooth-bore mortars.
The body is a shell for an explosive charge or other type of equipment, depending on the purpose of the mine. The fuse is screwed into the head part of the body, and the stabilizer is screwed into the bottom part. There is a centering thickening on the cylindrical part of the mine body. It is necessary so that the mine does not bang in the barrel bore, but adheres to it only with a small gap. There are centering protrusions on the stabilizer wings. These thickenings and protrusions ensure the correct movement of the mine along the bore.
An explosive charge, consisting of a high explosive (crushing) action, is intended to break the body of a mine into fragments that damage enemy personnel, or to destroy its structures.
The stability of the mine along its trajectory in flight is ensured by a stabilizer, which consists of a tube with holes and tails (wings) welded to it.
There are stabilizers with drop-down tails. In official use and during loading, the diameter of such a stabilizer does not exceed the diameter of the mortar barrel. During a shot, after the mine leaves the barrel, the feathers open, and the diameter of the tail becomes larger than the diameter of the barrel - the stabilizing moment of the mine increases.
Fragmentation, high-explosive, high-explosive and smoke mines have impact fuses that are triggered upon contact with an obstacle. These mines also use remote fuses, which ensure a detonation in the air at a certain height - at a predetermined point on the trajectory before meeting an obstacle.
Depending on the speed of action, impact fuses are divided into instantaneous, inertial and delayed fuses.
Fuze designs are extremely varied, but in any fuse there are three required elements that make up the fire chain: the igniter cap, the detonator cap and the detonator.
Illumination, incendiary and propaganda mines are equipped with remote fuses. There is no blasting cap or detonator. They are not needed because these mines do not have a bursting charge. The fire chain of the remote fuse ends in a powder petard, which ignites the expelling charge of black powder, which, in turn, throws the contents of illumination, incendiary and propaganda mines into the air.
Mortar powder charges are divided into main and additional. To throw a mine out of the barrel and tell it initial speed In modern mortars, the combat charge consists of an ignition (main) charge. The ignition charge is placed in the stabilizer tube and in appearance resembles a hunting cartridge: a paper sleeve, a brass bottom with a primer. The main charge is the smallest charge and is constant. You can't shoot without it. The ignition charge of an 82-mm mortar consists of 8 grams of nitroglycerin gunpowder, while the 120-mm mortar has the same tail cartridge, but the mass of gunpowder in it is greater - about 30 grams. However, an 82-mm mortar can also be fired with one main charge contained in the tail cartridge: this will be the so-called “main” (smallest) charge, which will send a mine with an initial speed of only 70 meters per second. It will be able to fly no more than 475 meters.
To increase the firing range, additional charges are used, which are placed on the mine stabilizer tube. For 82-mm mortar mines, the stabilizer wings have special sockets. Additional charges can be inserted into these sockets, each of which is placed in a case made of transparent film and has the shape of a boat.
Another type of charge is represented by charges in the form of rings. These are narrow long silk bags with nitroglycerin or pyroxylin gunpowder. There is a loop at one end of the bag and a button at the other. The bag is wrapped around the mine stabilizer tube and fastened to it. Charges are usually designated by numbers. The 82-mm mortar mine has three such charges. The charge number corresponds to the number of rings added to the main charge; charge No. 1 is the main charge plus one additional charge - a ring; charge No. 2 is the main charge plus two rings; charge #3 is the main charge plus three rings. The third ring charge is equal in strength to the sixth charge from the boats, the second - to the fourth, the first - to the second.
Fragmentation effect of mines character
Weapons of counterinsurgency warfare
For SOBR instructors
Nowadays, junior officers appointed as commanders of special assault groups try not to take a mortar with them, citing the large weight of the system. The real reason is that now the principle of working with a portable mortar has been forgotten even among the troops, and in systems law enforcement this topic has always been a “blind spot”. At the same time, the unique combat capabilities of mortars for waging counterguerrilla warfare remain unclaimed.
Once upon a time, about 50 years ago, it was portable mortars of 50-82 mm caliber that turned out to be practically indispensable weapons in closed, rugged and difficult terrain with a complete absence of landmarks. A portable mortar is, first of all, a rational combination of the power of a projectile (feathered mine) and the lightness of a movable throwing device - the mortar itself. The most valuable quality of the mortar is its low weight with the great power of the mine, which gives a colossal fragmentation and high-explosive effect on the target. It is enough to note that the effectiveness of exploding one 82 mm fragmentation mine is equal to the combat work of five or six hand grenades F-1. In this case, the ratio of the weight of the mortar to the weight of the mine will be 1/16.
A mortar is a smooth-bore weapon that fires non-rotating feathered projectiles, that is, mines. The mortar differs from other artillery systems not only in its light weight, but also in its simplicity of design, ease of learning, and steep trajectory (elevation angles from 45 to 85o). The greater steepness of the flight path of mines makes it possible to destroy hidden targets that are not hit by flat fire from artillery and grenade launchers, facilitates concealment, selection and camouflage of one’s own firing positions, and ensures firing from deep shelters and shooting “over the heads” of friendly units. A mobile mortar is indispensable as a means of directly supporting friendly formations, both attacking and defending or ambushed.
Mortar systems have very high accuracy and shooting accuracy. This allows you to effectively and quickly destroy enemy snipers, machine gunners and grenade launchers directly on the scene. A mortar is a flexible and powerful weapon, capable of resolving a local tactical situation like no other. The mine's high lifting height also makes it possible to effectively shoot down the enemy from tactical heights.
In short, a mortar is a means that allows you to actively control the specific course of combat events.
The purpose of this material is to give law enforcement officers, officers and soldiers of internal troops an initial understanding of what a mortar is and how to handle it if you have to deal with it.
The design of a portable muzzle-loading mortar of the classical design is simple.
Photo 1. The mortar barrel (1 in Photo) is a smooth-walled pipe without rifling, onto which the breech is screwed in the rear (lower) part. At the bottom of the breech there is a firing pin, on which the capsule of the main (tail) charge of the mine is broken when it is lowered into the barrel. From below, the breech ends in a ball heel. Through this part, the barrel is connected to the base plate (2 in the Photo). There is a hole in the ball heel into which any pry bar can be inserted for screwing and unscrewing the breech from the barrel when cleaning the mortar.
In 82 mm mortars, the firing pin is rigid, screwed into the bottom of the breech. This ensures simplicity of design and increases the rate of fire.
The barrel rests on a biped-carriage, which gives it vertical and horizontal guidance angles.
Photo 2. It contains lifting (4 on Photo 2), rotating (5 on Photo 1) and horizontal (6 on Photo 1) mechanisms. The two-legged carriage is detachably connected to the barrel through a shock absorber (7 in Photo 2) by means of a clip (8 in Photo 2) and a basting. All mortar guidance mechanisms are screw type.
Photo 3. The leveling mechanism, which has a transverse level (9), is designed for precise leveling of the mortar in cases where the sight is rigidly mounted on a two-legged carriage. Typically the sight is mounted on the left side of the rotating mechanism. The need for precise leveling disappears when a swinging sight is used, which levels independently.
The base plate serves as support for the barrel. It consists of a main sheet to which stiffeners (coulters) are welded from below. Distributing the recoil force over a large area helps reduce ground pressure.
When fired, due to elastic deformation of the slab and soil, the barrel moves along the axis by an insignificant amount and then returns to its original place. To prevent damage to the mortar mechanisms during sudden movement of the barrel, the biped-carriage is attached to the barrel using spring shock absorbers.
Post-war mortars of 82 mm caliber are equipped with fuses to prevent double loading. This device prevents the laying of a second mine when the mortar is already loaded.
Photo 4. The mortar is shown schematically with the designation of the main parts in photo 1-2-3-4.
Photo 5. Mortar sights are optical and mechanical. Each mortar sight has a goniometer circle (10) for horizontal aiming. Horizontal aiming of the mortar is carried out by directing the sighting line of the protractor to the aiming point. The mortar sight, just like the artillery compass, has a scale on the horizontal circle of the protractor, divided into large divisions of 1-00 (one hundred thousandths) for optical sight small at 0-20 (twenty thousandths) for a mechanical sight. In addition, the scope has a drum for measuring angles with an accuracy of 0-01 (1 thousandth) (11 in Photo 5). Let us remind you that one thousandth is 1/1000 of the distance to the target, deployed “along the front”. Therefore, a correction of 1/1000 to the side at a distance of 1 km will give a deviation of 1 meter, at 2 km - 2 m, respectively. The mortar is aimed horizontally by a rotating mechanism.
The sight itself with a level is used to measure vertical angles and vertical range guidance. To aim at the range, the required sight is installed on its scale (13 on Photo 5), and then, using the lifting mechanism, the barrel is raised or lowered until the air bubble at the level of the sight takes the middle position and the target hits the sighting element. These trunks are given the required elevation angle.
The sight is transported (carried) separately from the mortar. When installing a sight on a mortar, the number 30 on the protractor circle is aligned with the marks on the base of the sight. The technical design of the mortar is simple and does not require much effort to master. The 82 mm mortar can be transported over long distances when disassembled. The crew usually consists of 4 people.
A mortar shot consists of a projectile (mine) and a powder charge.
Photo 6. A mine is a non-rotating feathered projectile designed to be fired from a mortar. It is intended mainly to hit a target with shrapnel or to smoke a target, or to illuminate the area.
A fragmentation mine consists of a drop-shaped body, a bursting charge, a fuse and a stabilizer.
The body of the mine is designed to connect all the parts of the mine, to place the explosive charge, and to form fragments when it explodes. The body is made of steel or steel cast iron. The fuse is screwed into the head part of the body, and the stabilizer is screwed into the bottom part. There are one or two centering bulges on the outer surface of the body. They are necessary so that the mine does not “walk” in the barrel bore, but runs along it smoothly and with a small gap. There are centering protrusions on the wings of the stabilizer. All this ensures the correct movement of the mine along the barrel.
To reduce the breakthrough of powder gases between the mine and the inner surface of the barrel, annular grooves are made on the centering thickening of the barrel. In these grooves, the powder gases expand, swirl and decelerate, losing pressure and speed. Therefore, the amount of gases escaping is small - 10-15o.
The stabilizer gives the mine stability in flight and serves to accommodate the main and additional propellant charges (bundles), and also centers the mine as it moves along the barrel. It consists of a tube with holes and feathers welded to the tube. Mines come in six- and ten-feather types. After the main (tail) propellant charge placed in the tube is ignited, the powder gases rush into the barrel through the fire transfer holes. In this case, additional charges located on the stabilizer tube or placed between its feathers ignite.
The explosive charge is intended to explode a mine. Explosive- usually tol.
The fuse is designed to ignite the explosive charge of a mine when the mine collides with an obstacle after being fired.
The propellant charge of the 82 mm mortar consists of a tail cartridge (main charge) and additional charges.
The tail cartridge (main charge) is a cardboard sleeve with a powder charge. A primer is inserted into the metal bottom of the cartridge case. The top of the charge is covered with wads.
Additional charges (bundles in artillery slang) of the 82 mm mortar are collected in packages (caps), shaped like boats for six-finned mines, which are secured between the stabilizer feathers. Charges for ten-fin mines are shaped like rings and are mounted on a stabilizer tube.
A shot from an 82 mm mortar occurs as follows: a mine lowered into the barrel bore falls down inside the barrel and is impaled by the primer of the tail cartridge on the protruding firing pin (striker) of the breech, causing the primer to ignite, the flame from which ignites the main charge (of the tail cartridge). The resulting powder gases break through the cardboard walls of the cartridge case and through the holes in the stabilizer tube into the breech of the barrel. The force of the main charge is enough to give the mine an initial speed of 70 m/sec. and throw it at a distance from 85 to 475 m. Using gas pressure, the mine moves with increasing speed along the barrel bore, sliding the centering thickening along its walls, and is thrown outward along the axis of the barrel bore. If there are additional charges on the stabilizer tube, the hot gases of the main charge ignite additional charges through the holes in the tube, as a result of which the gas pressure in the barrel increases and the firing range increases.
Features of a mortar shot - due to the absence of rifling in the barrel, the mine does not receive rotational movement. The point of application of the recoil resistance force (the ball heel stop) coincides with the direction of the recoil force, as a result of which the take-off angle is practically not manifested. Due to low pressures in the barrel (compared to cannon ones), mortars do not have a barrel flare, which ensures its unlimited survivability.
When a mine falls and collides with any obstacle, the mine fuse is triggered and ignites the explosive charge of the mine. The resulting gases rupture the body of the mine and the fragments fly very flatly in all directions. Depending on what material, what historical period and by what technology the body was made, from 200 to 1000 fragments are formed. The reality of hitting a target with fragments depends on the height of the target and is determined by the radius of scattering of fragments hitting a target of a given height. The radius of actual destruction of lying targets with an 82 mm fragmentation mine is no less than 18 m. At the same time, the grass in the affected area is completely mowed down. The radius of major destruction of growth targets with the same mine is 30 m, with the obligatory destruction of the target by 2-3 fragments. The scattering of fragments is up to 350-400 meters. The fragmentation effect of a smoke mine is 35-40% less than a fragmentation mine, but the target is also hit by flying pieces of burning phosphorus.
Smoke mines are useful in the field, in the forest, and in the mountains. With their help, the enemy's positions are smoked, which practically blinds him. In addition, smoke mines are used for target designation, sighting, and in the mountains - determination of wind speed at altitude. The density and stability of the smoke cloud depends on the number of exploding mines, the state of the atmosphere, and the strength and direction of the wind.
Among the features of mortar ballistics, the following should be noted: the maximum (maximum) range angle for an 82 mm mine is about 45°. This angle is given to the mortar barrel, which is leveled “along the zeros” in the horizontal and vertical planes. When firing from mortars, only mounted trajectories are used, obtained at elevation angles greater than the angle of greatest range. Therefore, the sight scale on the mortar has a reverse cut. The so-called “narrow” sighting fork for an 82 mm mortar is equal to 50 meters.
The shape of the mounted mine trajectory depends on the elevation angle and on the initial speed imparted to the mine by one or another number of additional charges. The greater the elevation angle and the lower the initial speed, the shorter the horizontal range. Conversely, the lower the elevation angle and the higher the initial speed, the greater the horizontal range. By simultaneously changing the initial speed and elevation angle, you can obtain several mounted trajectories with the same horizontal range, but different heights. Large elevation and fall angles of the mounted mine trajectory almost completely eliminate the presence of dead spaces and provide the ability to fire from behind high shelters and hit targets in any terrain. Due to the lack of rotation of the mine, derivation in flight is completely absent.
Attention! When firing, a mortar mine rises very high, and accordingly is significantly blown away by the wind, which at different heights has a significant higher speed than that of the earth. This is especially noticeable in the mountains, where winds at different altitudes blow in different directions with different strengths!
In counter-guerrilla warfare, mortars are often used to ensure the attacking advance of our battle formations by firing “over our own heads.” This is permissible only if firing is completely safe for friendly units, excluding the possibility of accidentally hitting them. Safety is ensured by the presence of such a distance between the target and the location of friendly formations closest to it, which excludes the possibility of them being hit by fragments of their own mines. When calculating this distance, the following are taken into account:
a) the half of the total dispersion of mines closest to its location, increased by one and a half times;
b) radius of dispersion of mine fragments (30 m); V) possible deviation min due to inaccurate accounting of the influence of wind.
In the case of firing at an unshooted target, the distance between the target and friendly units must be greater than the specified value by the amount of the “narrow fork” (see earlier). In this case, you should shoot with the initial sight setting, obviously increased by a possible error in determining the firing range and taking into account the influence of weather conditions - in general, by 25% more than a certain distance to the target.
Example. To safely open fire from an 82 mm mortar from a distance of 600 m on the first charge at an unfired target located in front of friendly units, between the latter and the target it is necessary to have a minimum distance of about 150 m (according to calculation table, plus the size of the narrow fork 50 m). The initial installation of the sight should correspond to a distance of 750 m. If events take place in a forest or on rough terrain, where the firing distance is usually 150-200 m, then this is exactly what is needed.
If your units are hidden in the folds of the terrain from being hit by fragments of their own mines, then the distance between them and the target they are covering can be reduced by the amount of the radius of scattering of fragments, i.e. at 30 m.
As follows from the above, the precise measurement of the distance from the mortar to the target plays a decisive role in such firing. At one time, German rangers, when displacing partisans with fire, had mortar spotters in their attacking combat chains. The mortar fire was adjusted by telephone, the length of which was always 200 meters. The sights on the German 50 mm "tray" mortars, which, together with the control cells, advanced behind the advancing targets on a permanent tether to the telephone wire, were placed at a distance of 300 m.
In this case, an adjustment was usually made according to the course of events ±30 m closer/farther.
Later, the German experience was used without changes by the special battalions of the MGB to suppress the resistance of the OUN-UPA. It was the Soviet 82 mm mortars that turned out to be the ideal weapon for forest combat - target designation was given to them on the spot, the distances were close, the targets were grouped, the mortarmen had undergone front-line training, the mortars were carried, installed and aimed quickly. And most importantly, the mines were triggered by contact with foliage and tree branches and exploded in the air. The Bandera ambush positions in the trees lost all meaning. It was impossible to hide in the folds of the terrain below. The losses were horrific.
To fire mortars on the plain, you should be guided by the plain shooting tables. The firing tables for six- and ten-fin mines are not the same. Ring charge about twice as strong as the “boat” charge.
Attention! When firing, be sure to take into account corrections for the deviation of the mine’s weight from normal (sign H). To do this, multiply the tabular correction with its sign algebraically by the deviation of the mine’s weight (the number of signs on the mine) and raise the resulting result with its sign to the range.
Example! Table correction (+6m), three minuses are marked on the mine (---). We multiply: (+6) x (-3) = -18 m. Amendment – 18 m. Reduce range by 18 m (from the shooting table for vehicle No. 102).
The mortar is perhaps one of the few types of heavy weapons that can be transported unassembled over rough terrain. Therefore, it is indispensable in the mountains. In the mountains the target will not be as mobile as on the plains, but it will always be higher or lower than the level at which the mortar position is located. Therefore, mortar firing in the mountains is carried out according to flat firing tables, adjusted for tables of target elevation in relation to the mortar horizon.
In this case, to obtain the sight setting, a correction for the elevation/lowering of the target must be algebraically added to the flat table sight setting.
Attention! On rocky ground in the mountains, shooting is carried out without a support plate! The base plate in such conditions is not only useless, but also harmful - it is not fixed on the stone, and after each shot it moves back. In this case, the mortar has to be installed and aimed again for each new shot. In this case, valuable time is lost, the effectiveness of fire is reduced and ammunition consumption increases. To install a mortar on rocky ground, two recesses are cut out with a pick or ice ax for the two-legged carriage and one deeper recess for the ball heel of the breech. The mortar barrel rests directly on the stone with its ball heel. Instead of a base plate, which weighs 15-18 kg, it is more profitable and better to take 4-5 additional mines - they are simply tucked into the waist belt with stabilizers.
But in such cases it is prohibited:
a) hold the ball heel with your foot - more than one fool has had his foot crushed;
b) shoot with the barrel resting not on a biped, but placing it on the back of another fool - more than one spine has been broken from this practice, and no one has ever counted those shell-shocked from the shock wave of the shot.
When firing on crushed stone ground, the mortar barrel rests on the crushed stone with the lower part of the breech and the ball heel immersed in the crushed stone.
If the enemy is located significantly higher than you on a slope of 40-50 degrees, but not at the crest of the height, it will be more profitable for you to shoot so that the mines hit 20 meters above the enemy’s positions. In addition to being hit by shrapnel, he will also be covered by a rockfall caused by a mine explosion. The advantage of a position at a tactical height is reduced to zero. Therefore, having a mortar, you can easily refute the well-known postulate: “In the mountains, whoever is higher is right!” Having a mortar, you can fight off an ambush, ensure the offensive advance of your “bottom-up”, and also cover a partisan mortar firing from top-down from a closed position. It has already been confirmed that a skilled mortarman, firing from an 82 mm mortar in the mountains at distances of 1-1.5 km at large quantities targets hit, consumes less ammunition “by weight” than a machine gunner or even an easel automatic grenade launcher.
Two checkpoints or strong points located at a distance of 400-500 m from one another, equipped with 82 mm mortars, are practically inaccessible to capture by partisans. Why? Because when attacking a checkpoint, the adjacent territory with “dead” spaces where the enemy accumulates can be easily treated with mortar fire from a neighboring checkpoint. Having a mortar battery of two or three 82 mm mortars can knock down the enemy from tactical heights as effectively as using combat helicopters.
To effectively fire a mortar in the mountains, you need to know the military topography very well and navigate the map.
Of course, the partisans will also have mortars. But in practice this means little and is not decisive. For accurate, fast, effective firing from a mortar, especially at non-obvious and unobservable targets hidden behind reverse slopes of heights, it is necessary to be able to very quickly make accurate mathematical calculations. This can only be done by a professional artillery officer, who usually immediately destroys the target with the first or second mine. Guerrilla mortarmen take a long time to aim, using trial and error, overshoots and undershoots, according to the principle “2 bast shoes to the right, 10 fathoms forward.” The effectiveness of fire on a moving target in this case is zero. This is the essence of using a mortar as a counter-guerrilla weapon. An army mortarman will always (always!) be incomparably stronger than partisan mortarmen.
The mortar is an unusually powerful tactical weapon. Therefore, during the war, the Germans had 50 mm caliber “tray” mortars in every platoon, and we suffered the same losses from them as from German machine guns. Our artillery gunners were the best in the world, but the German mortar men were unsurpassed. Our partisans also suffered greatly from them.
Soviet military leadership thought in large-scale strategic categories. The calibers of Soviet mortars had a consistent tendency to increase. Mortars of 50 mm caliber, and then 82 mm, were gradually withdrawn from service as unsuitable for conducting large-scale combat operations. Their release was discontinued. Events in Afghanistan forced us to remember the tactical need for 82 mm mortars and resume their production.
Western armies have never abandoned small-caliber mortars. In Fig. 5-6 show the French MO-6OL and the American M-224 DE - light 60 mm mortars and mines for them. The weight is 14.8 and 20.4 kg, respectively, the firing range is 2060 m and 3500 m, respectively. The French MO-6OL mortar was developed back in 1934 and has not changed since then. Both of these mortars have proven themselves to be extremely effective in the fight against narco-guerrilla groups in the mountainous jungles of Latin America.
In this section, the selection of charges for the Soviet 82 mm battalion mortar and firing tables from it are given for distances of no more than 2300 m. As practice shows, this is the distance of the observed target, and only trained virtuoso artillerymen can shoot further in counter-guerrilla warfare. Further distances in mountainous and forested areas correspond to shooting at unobservable hidden targets and require the most complex calculations, the highest level of training, as well as fire adjustments carried out by special methods. In your case, this is unrealistic, and to improve your mortar skills, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the firing tables of TS GRAU No. 102 for the 82 mm mortar. It contains detailed information on the mortar system, sights and ammunition.
It should be taken into account that mountain crossings force you to give up excess weight. Therefore, it is preferable to take old-style mortars without a double-loading safety device with simple lightweight sights into the mountains.
Firing a mortar is a dangerous activity, so the following rules should be observed:
- shooting through the ridge of the cover is possible if the distance from the ridge to the mortar is not less than “one and a half height” of the cover along the horizon;
- when installing the mortar on the ground, the inclination of the base plate to the horizon should be 25-30o;
- the base plate must rest on the ground with its entire surface and be recessed into it no less than? coulter heights;
- the openers of the biped must be recessed into the ground up to the plates and be approximately at the same level with the ball heel of the breech;
Photo 7. Before firing, the cap of the M-5 and M-6 fuse is removed and the integrity of the membrane (14) is checked;
- additional charges (bundles) are unsealed only at the firing position immediately before firing, ring additional charges are put on the stabilizer pipe only in the lowest position (all the way to the tail); The boat charges of six-fin mines are secured securely so that they do not fall out during loading; Do not leave mines with additional charges in the open air, do not place them on uncovered ground, grass, snow, etc.; in summer, protect additional charges from dampness and sun rays; in winter - from snow, frost, hoarfrost.
It is prohibited: to shoot with damp charges, which have poorly sewn caps, and with all charges of the ABPl 42-20 or VTM gunpowder brand, manufactured before 1945 inclusive (these gunpowders can detonate), to shoot mines in which the fire transfer holes are clogged with snow, ice, oil, dirt, etc., mines with stabilizer defects, mines with a damaged fuse membrane and body defects.
Loading order.
When loading, the mine is inserted with a stabilizer into the muzzle of the barrel, recessed in the barrel to the centering thickening and released. After which, immediately remove your hands and especially your head away from the barrel, bend down to the side of the mortar and close your ears! If you don’t have time to do this before the shot, at best you will get a concussion, at worst, an accident.
When shooting, do not allow a rate at which a collision between a flying mine and a mine being brought for loading is possible (as a rule, a high rate of fire is not needed in the mountains). It is necessary to ensure that there are no obstacles in the mine’s flight path, even light ones - snow cornices, tree foliage, etc., which can cause premature detonation due to the high sensitivity of the fuse.
In case of a misfire, wait at least 2 minutes (there may be a long shot), and then sharply push the barrel with a bannik or any wooden object, or, at worst, with a butt; this may trigger the primer of the main (tail) charge. If the shot does not fire, wait at least 1 more minute, then discharge the mortar.
To discharge, loosen the shock absorber clip, carefully and without jerking, turn the barrel 90° in the hinge support of the plate, separate the barrel from the plate and, supporting the biped, raise the breech of the barrel to a horizontal position. In this case, one of the crew numbers holds his palms in a “ring” near the muzzle, so as not to touch the fuse, carefully accepts the mine and removes it from the barrel. During all these manipulations, do not stand in front of the muzzle! To prevent a shot during discharge, it is strictly forbidden to lower the raised breech of the barrel until the mine is pulled out! After which the mine’s tail cartridge is changed, and it is used for its intended purpose.
Tactical and technical data of the 82 mm battalion mortar of the 1937-1941 model. (THE USSR)
Caliber – 82 mm
Barrel length – 1220 mm
Weight in firing position – 50 kg
Longest firing range – 3040 m
Fragmentation mine weight – 3.1 kg
Smoke mine weight – 3.46 kg
The weight of the explosive charge of a fragmentation mine is 0.40 kg
Weight of the tail (main) propellant charge – 8 g
Weight of additional propellant charge (boat) – 7 g
Weight of ring-shaped propellant charge – 13 g
Rate of fire – 15 rounds per minute.
Min markings:
Lighting – S-832s
Propaganda six-feather - A-832-A
Fragmentation ten-feather - 0832D
Fragmentation ten-arm of improved design - 0832DU
Fragmentation six-feather - 0832\smoke ten-feather - D-832
Smoke six-feather – D-832
Fuses M-4, M-5, M-6.
Alexey Potapov
Special forces of the 21st century. Elite training. Volume 1. SPC "People's Health", LLC "VIPv"
In fact, it is very difficult to be a captain of a ship, since he needs not only to take care of the condition of his ship and crew, but also to be able to manage it.
In this section, we'll look at all the basic ship controls in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag.
Controlling a ship in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
In square brackets is the name of the key,RMB - right mouse button,
LMB - left mouse button.
Team recruitment. You can recruit teams in taverns or pick up people on rafts right in the ocean by pressing the [Space] key. To replenish the crew at sea, you need to board and capture the ship. After a successful boarding, a menu appears for choosing what to do with the defeated: reduce the level of fame and get rid of the pirate hunters and replenish the crew, use the captured ship to repair the Jackdaw, or join the ship to the fleet.
Navigation
- Spyglass- hold down the [E] key. Zoom in - scroll wheel on the mouse. Cancel the selected ship - [W].
- Raise the sails and speed up- press [W] several times.
- Stop and release the steering wheel- press [S] several times to stop and then hold [S].
- Control of sailor songs (or as they are also called - shanti)- keys and .
- Align the camera and change the viewing angle- keys [C], [←], , [↓], [→].
- Dodging enemy shots- hold down [Space].
- Selection of trophies- swim up to the object and press [Space].
The battle
- Shot from cannons with ordinary cannonballs- move the camera with the mouse to the left or right side of the ship, hold [RMB] and press [LMB]. You cannot shoot from both sides at the same time while being between two enemy ships.
- Firing heavy cannonballs- move the camera with the mouse to the left or right side of the ship and press [LMB]. The number of cores is indicated in the lower right corner of the screen. Ammunition replenishment: through the captain's cabin in the ship's model, from the port captain, or after boarding.
- Shot with nipples- move the camera with the mouse to the bow of the ship, hold [RMB] and press [LMB], or immediately press [LMB]. Nipples tear sails and break masts, which slows down the enemy.
- Shot from falconets- hold and release after pointing at a weak spot of the ship (marked with a red pointer). When boarding, use it by pressing the [E] key.
- Shot from mortars- hold down the [Q] key, point the mouse at the target and press [LMB]. The number of mortar charges is indicated in the lower right corner of the screen. Mortars are good ranged weapons. Effective against forts and battleships. To start using it, you need to purchase the upgrade of the same name in the captain's cabin.
- Use of incendiary projectiles- move the camera towards the stern with the mouse and press the [LMB] key. Gunpowder barrels are effective when you need to get away from someone being chased.
- Using a ram- use the navigation keys to direct the ship towards the enemy and crash into it at full speed.
- Boarding and seizure of a ship. Starts during battle, when you immobilize an enemy ship. After this, white zones appear on both sides of the enemy ship, which you need to enter and then hold down [S]. Depending on the size of the enemy ship, additional goals appear: destroy a certain number of soldiers of the enemy captain, spies on the masts, blow up barrels of gunpowder, or tear down the flag. Only after completing these tasks is the ship considered captured.