Japanese knee mortar

[MajorDomo]

The Jpn knee mtr does not get air bursts at 1-2 hex range as it was pointed directly at target.

If the Jpn mtr fires at an adjacent AFV.

A. Is it still indirect ATT fire resolved on IFT chart.
B. If it is not indirect ATT, the does mtr get point blank?
C. If it is not indirect ATT, is it resolved on the TK chart?

My guess is it is still resolved as indirect ATT fire on the "2" column of IFT chart ( barring a CH).

Your thoughts?

 

[Mister T]

A.

 

[Eagle4ty]

Rich, I believe in this case it's a design for simplicity. I would venture a guess it just wasn't worth the additional verbiage to put in a special case rule to cover this aspect. In truth, I've never really been concerned by this little tid-bit as the knee mortar acts as an Indirect Fire weapon (i.e. its effects were more akin to a thrown grenade), and in the hands of a less than expert crew was fairly inaccurate as the IJA simply didn't usually have enough resupply ammo to adequately train their crews for such direct fire proficiency.

 

[Juan SantaX]

Not sure, but I think that not allowing airburst at 1-2 range has to do with the round used. At short range was always used a time fused hand granade that could not "air burst". At longer ranges was used an impact shell...

 

[Larry]

C3.33 -
The Area Target Type must be used at all times by mortars.

 

[Robin Reeve]

C3.33 -
The Area Target Type must be used at all times by mortars.

The question is not the ATT, but Air Bursts - which usually apply to Indirect Fire (OBA or Mortars) and not just to ATT fire.
I think Juan got right what is represented.
The Chapter H note speaks of grenades in addition to normal mortar shells.


The Belgian DBT which only fired grenades doesn't generate Airbursts either.

 

[Larry]

Once we decide no air bursts, and we have a vehicle as a target, we know that we are on the IFT with no -1 for the woods.