Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military
From: eos!woody@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Wayne Wood)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Airborne operations
Message-ID: <1990Jul11.025410.23468@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 11 Jul 90 02:54:10 GMT
References: <1990Jul3.031911.6890@cbnews.att.com> <1990Jul5.020538.14365@cbnews.att.com> <1990Jul6.032802.27798@cbnews.att.com> <1990Jul8.053437.7936@cbnews.att.com> <1990Jul10.025044.10648@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.
Lines: 32
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: eos!woody@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Wayne Wood)

In article <1990Jul10.025044.10648@cbnews.att.com> voder!nsc!dtg.nsc.com!alan@decwrl.dec.com (Alan Hepburn) writes:
>
>
>From: voder!nsc!dtg.nsc.com!alan@decwrl.dec.com (Alan Hepburn)
>We have the 81mm mortar, which, although it's no fun to carry for any
>distance, is part of a line company's equipment.  The weapons platoon
>will have several of these (at least they did when I was involved in
>the early '70's).  I believe there was also a 40mm version, but I've
>never verified that.
>
that's the 60mm mortar you're referring to.  one of the big transitions
from the army to the marines was getting used to the idea that the
marines use the 81mm as a battalion fire weapon (as opposed to the
82nd ABN using a 4.2 inch) and the 60 mm being used as a company fire
weapon (as opposed to the 81mm in the 82nd).

the firepower reduction stinks,  but the mobility inprovement is incredible.
i've humped the 81mm a couple of times, it is not recommended but when the
old man says move, you move.  you can break down an 81mm in no time and have
it packed out.  i have called in (practice) missions to a USMC mortar
platoon (81's) while they were in a route march.  they gave me first
rounds in ~15 *seconds*.  i never got that kind of response from mortars
in the army.
>
/***   woody   ****************************************************************
*** ...tongue tied and twisted, just an earth bound misfit, I...            ***
*** -- David Gilmour, Pink Floyd                                            ***
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