OK, hands up who's heard of this one.......?

[RMD]

Ephalents, that's how.

The spigot mortars? Yes, lots of nellies.

[grizzlymc]

13 inch mortars must take a lot of nellies for re supply. You can't just strap the ammo on people's backs.

[RMD]

13 inch mortars must take a lot of nellies for re supply. You can't just strap the ammo on people's backs.

Yes, I would imagine so. Unfortunately I've no idea how many nellies they had.

I'm not up on the Pacific, but I think the 320mm mortar was a big deal in one of the island battles where they were dug in on the rear slope and had caves full of ammo, causing major problems for the Yanks. Iwo Jima, perhaps?

[grizzlymc]

When those things started dropping around you, you'd be screaming at the battleships to lift the range.

[RMD]

When those things started dropping around you, you'd be screaming at the battleships to lift the range.

Yes indeed. The Germans had a heavy werfer of the same calibre, but I think that one was an oil-filled incendiary job rather than HE. With a 28cm HE version, if memory serves? Those only needed a light frame to be fired from though, the Japanese mortar apparently required a very heavy baseplate and spigot to be nailed to the floor, so presumably required quite considerable set-up time.

[Etranger]

Did you hear the one about the Elephant and the Walrus?

[grizzlymc]

I don't think he's going to take off with that load.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

I think it's lucky for Nellie that the Walrus was a push-prop.

13 inch mortars must take a lot of nellies for re supply. You can't just strap the ammo on people's backs.

I thought part of the upside of being Japanese was that you jolly well could.....

[grizzlymc]

300 kg projectile, even the Vietcong couldn't carry that.

[RMD]

300 kg projectile, even the Vietcong couldn't carry that.

God, really?! Those two blokes lifting the round on our model is probably rather optimistic then...