Drop 150 and Fire for Effect

When the front line needs quick fire support, calling the heavy weapons platoon for a rain of 81mm mortar high explosive rounds is just what the doctor ordered.

The tried and trusted M-1 81mm (3.2 in.) is the standard medium mortar for the US Military in both the Pacific and European theaters.

With a "Mad Minute" rate of 35 rounds (standard rpm is 18) and mortar team can lay down a rain of pain on any enemy up to 3000 meters (3600 yards).

So, when you need quick fire support call on the 81's to help.

Let her rip...

outgoing...

and ready another round.

These are resin 28mm pieces that I painted over the Weekend.

An the Limber's Have Stopped Rolling Along

 

Two Union artillery limbers, wait in an artillery park.

After serving and restocking ammunition, they will be ready to join an artillery battery for the next engagement.

As these are for 12pdr "Napoleons," they will carry 28 rounds each.

These are plastic pieces I painted this week.

War Between the States Queen of Battle

As Napoleon said, "Cannon are the Queen of the Battlefield." This was never truer in the 19th century than during the American Civil War.

Here we have a mixed battery of Confederate artillery pieces.

Left to right- a 10 pounder (2.9 in) Parrot Rifle Cannon (max effective range 1850 yards) and two 12 pounder bronze smoothbore "Napoleons" (max effective range of 1680 yards) Napoleons were very popular and the most common field pieces of the war.

These are all plastic pieces I painted in 2020.

Artillery Park VP

Artillery ready to be mounted makes a good victory point for a variety of games. 

These are 17th century pieces.

The cannons are plastic while the powder barrels are wood.

I make this VP terrain this week.

Say Hello to Our Little Friend

Loaded with double shot (or the more deadly "Grapeshot"), this view of a British 4 pounder was the last vision many an enemy would ever see.

This gun and grew is supporting the British and their allies in the bloody War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714).

While not as powerful as its large cousins, the 4 pdr artillery piece was a main stay of European armies throughout the 18th century.

Being lighter than the larger caliber artillery pieces, the 4 pdr was easier to place forward with the infantry as a true supporting fieldpiece.

This is a plastic kit I put together and painted earlier this month.

 A similar Bavarian piece can be seen here: 

World Historyprof: Nothing Says Good Morning Like a Cannon Blast

Nothing Says Good Morning Like a Cannon Blast

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This Bavarian 6 pounder artillery crew is ready to reload after their early morning volley into the ranks British on August 13, 1704.

This crew is one of the 90 guns of the Pro-Bourbon Army at the Battle of Blenheim.

Their 6 pdr is one of the more common field pieces of the war.

With an effective range of over 500 meters.

The 6-pounder size artillery piece will be largely use in all the wars of the 18th century. And will see action will into the 19th. By the time of the American Civil War, it will be out classed by the 12 pounder and slowly disappear from the armies of the World powers.

This is a plastic kit I put together and painted this month.

Artillery-the Quartermasters Nightmare

In many battles of the 17th century, artillery was anything but standardized. 
Length of barrel, width of shot, type of shot, muzzle loading breach loading, amount of powder and even the type of power varied as greatly as the mirid of types and styles of cannons available. 

A look at the mixed guns in these English Civil War battery gives just a small example of what must have been a horrible nightmare for and field armies Quartermasters.

The mena are from Hinchcliffe they and all the artillery pieces are metal. I painted these in the early 1980's.

 

Artillery 17th Century Style

A Mortar, Demi-Cannon, Saker Cannon and ammo caisson stand ready for use by artillerymen of the English Civil War and other 17th century battles. 

These are all metal pieces I painted in the 1990's.
 

Happy New Year-1918 Style

 

  Another New Years' Celebration full of lights in the sky. But on January 1, 1918, the fire in the sky wasn't from fireworks.

Rather it was from two sets of massive warring forces the Allies vs the Central Powers. Here an Imperial German 77mm field gun.

And its opposite number the famous French Soixante-Quinze (75) mm. None of those fighting in the Great War knew that 1918 would be the last year of the terrible conflict. Yet it was and New Year's Day 1919, saw a World that while not at total peace, as least saw the guns of the Great War silent.

These are metal pieces from Old Glory that I painted for my Great War Armies back in 2010.

May 2023 be a good one for you and yours, and hopefully the current guns of war will fall silent as they did in the Great War 125 Years ago.

Dropping a Load of HE is Hot Work

Here we have the 81mm mortar, backbone of close infantry fire support.

Where-an Island in the Pacific, When the pivotal year 1943, What 81mm mortar fire support, just whats needed to help stop a Japanese assault.

Fireing as fast as you cant load is hot work, especially in the jungles of the South Pacific.

                             I painted these metal piece in June of this year.

Drop 50. Fire for Effect

Throughout the Second World War, the medium, mortar added quick. local firepower to support the Bloody Infantry. Here a British Ordinance ML 3-inch mortar lends its support to the front-line soldiers.

 Designed in the 1930's, and in use in combat as late as the Soviet Afghanistan Invasion of the 1980's, the ML 3-inch did excellent reliable. service. It was actually 81mm (3.2 inch) in diameter and fired a 4.5 kg (10lb) round up to 1500 m (1600 yds), war time improvements increased the range to 2600 m (2800 yds).

This mortar team is made of metal pieces that I assembled and painted earlier this month.