Mortar Casualities

[Ballan]

I know there has been a lot of discussion on the forum re artillery casualities, I am currently reading Citizen Soldiers by Ambroise. He mentions that 75% of US casualities in the Bocage were inflicted by German Mortars (I remember reading casuality % figures before but I cant remember the referances offhand) . In SPWAW mortars seem only good for supression. Or should I use the Mortars for direct Fire(Z key)

[alassi]

Thats true Ballan.

I´ve also read that mortar fire in general produced almost 50% of casualties in World War II battles.
Also that mortars were mainly used with LOS (Line of sight) situations.

Is this true?

[RockinHarry]

Don´t know what the real figures are, but I have reasonable casualty results with "mortared" infantry in apropriate terrain and unit stance. If you have too few losses, then maybe your grunts are above veterans (80+) and prone or moving only one hex in excellent cover? Turn Fast artillery off and count the shells hitting the target hex and note casualties. Also watch unit stats. Still wrong?

___________
Harry

[BlitzSS]

I’ve noticed that during the Hurtgen campaign my 60mm mortars don’t do much, but the German 120s have been getting a lot of kills (too many for my liking). The 81s on both sides are a little more effective, but if your stats include the regular use of the larger German mortars then I’d say the game is tweaked right on the money. Your inputs sure reinforce my regard for the realism I’ve seen portrayed in the Hurtgen forest.

[sinner]

Hi,

On my website I have one Battlefield guide by Wild Bill. There, it says that they were the number one casualty-maker on WW2.

Now, what's a casualty? WIA or KIA.

A Killed in Action is clear.

Then, a Wounded in Action can mean anything from a severed limb to a minor shrapnel cut in the hand.

For today's standards, both are casualties. And, maybe, some of your supressed soldiers received minor cuts and small injuries. But they are able to fight in a couple on minutes, after a band-aid is applied (the suppression is gone).


This is how I view it.


Also, there's the kills in SPWaW.

I view them as people that stops fighting. Pople that stops fighting, be it because they become KIA, or because they are pretty bad wounded, or because they have a moral break-down.

Salut

[Khan7]

Casualties are any sort of real wound. Being startled by a shell and nicking your thumb with a kitchen knife isn't a casualty. Being startled by a shell and slicing your hand in half with a bowie knife is.