Spigot Mortar

MrP

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Gentlemen
I'm working on a follow up to Uncommon Misery on the second battle of Bishenpur and come across references to the Japanese spigot mortar - any thoughts on how to model this in ASL other than as a one shot OBA battery?
spigot mortar.jpg
 

jrv

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I think that may be the Japanese Type 98 320mm Spigot Mortar and not a ten inch one (which I don't believe the Japanese had). The Kakazu Ridge rules (Journal 3) have special rules for them. They aren't really like OBA as the attack won't persist. The way KR rules model them they target like OBA (place AR, roll for accuracy and extent of error) and attack like a 20FP Indirect Fire attack. Except for the accuracy bit the KR rules treat them like mortars.

JR
 

jrv

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According to this article (which is a scenario for another game) the Japanese brought in a company of 320mm spigot mortars by elephant. Tough life for an elephant, hauling those things around.

JR
 

MrP

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Thanks guys, looks like Kakazu Ridge mortar caves is the way to go... I'd assumed it was a 320mm mortar and it looks like they were present in Burma. Source book is Ian Lyall Grants Burma The Turning Point.

Now to work in a scissors bridge and a bulldozer.....

'A Mortar Cave may attack only in a Friendly AFPh in which all its occupants are Good Order, unpinned, and are using Opportunity Fire to operate the spigot mortar. Mortar Cave attacks are handled as OBA, with no penalty for being overstacked. The Japanese player places an SR in any target hex > 2 hexes away (LOS is not required) and makes an accuracy dr. An Original accuracy dr of 1 results in a direct hit, which is immediately resolved in the target hex as a 20 FP Indirect Fire attack. Any Original effects DR of 12 results in permanent malfunction of the Mortar Cave. An Original accuracy dr > 1 results in a near miss. Roll normally for direction and Extent of Error (C1.31). All Extent of Error dr are halved (FRU), and no final target hex may be within 3 hexes of the mortar cave. Reroll any direction/Extent-of-Error dr that would do so. Near misses are resolved as a 20 FP Indirect Fire attack against the final target hex. In both cases, the Mortar Cave attack affects all Locations and occupants of the target hex [EXC: C1.5; G11.84]. If operated solely by non-crew Infantry, the Mortar Cave's X# is reduced by 2 and the shot is automatically considered a near miss and Extent of Error is not halved. A Mortar Cave is revealed as soon as its occupants are marked with a Bounding Fire counter and a Good Order enemy Ground unit has LOS to either the cave or its entrance hex. If not so revealed, the Japanese player need only notify the American player that one or more hidden Mortar Caves are declaring Opportunity Fire. Mortar Cave occupants using Opportunity Fire are considered to be using Hazardous Movement, Mortar Cave TEM does not apply to such units using Opportunity Fire, but any TEM in the entrance hex does, and attacks vs such units may target either Location, both of which must be in play.'
 

MrP

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Is there any effect on the accuracy of Los hindrances?
Doesnt look like it. No LOS needed, just roll for accuracy , looks like LOS only matters for losing HIP status.

Tentative scenario title 'Dustbins at Dawn'.
 

jrv

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The mortar round fitted over a pipe, which is what makes it a spigot mortar. Apparently the round was about 12.5 inches in diameter, and the pipe itself was 10 inches. That could be where they got the description of a 10 inch spigot mortar, from the launching tube not the round.

JR
 

MrP

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Need to somehow condense it all down, rule Z6 is too long to reproduce and too obscure to reference and there arent any spigot mortar counters anyway! Or I could always take the easy way out and just give the Japanese a single (or two?) guaranteed 20fp mortar mission in any AFPh to simulate it, a bit like the guaranteed smoke mission in Death At Carentan. Simulating a simulation, that way madness lies....
 

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From what I gathered, the KR version was loaded inside the cave, wheeled outside on a rail mounted trolley and fired. That suited the Io Jima terrain and the US utter preponderance of force on the ground and in the air. The loading and wheeling outside I assume is the rational for the unusual AFPh only firing sequence.

If your scenario reflects the closeness of Allied troops to the spigot mortar and the likelihood/possibility of being captured in the time and space constraints of that scenario, then use a counter (maybe the Japanese 150 MTR) and crew to mark it's position and treat it as NM and a minimum range of 3, but as a source of OBA only as per the KR rule (IE no direct fire).

If the spigot mortar was outside the scenario area/time then treat as normal OBA.

The AFPh only restriction would only be needed if had to be moved back and forth from an overhead covered bunker/cave to be fired, otherwise use normal OBA sequence.
 
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