NAM 4.2" Mortar Platoon
4.2" Mortar Platoon
(VUS717)
includes one Command M16 Rifle team, two Mortar sections each with two M30 4.2in mortars and crew, one Small three-hole base & four Large six-hole bases.
The M30 4.2in (107mm) mortar first entered service with the United States Army in 1951 as a direct replacement for the M2 107mm mortar. Despite being twice the weight of the M2 (305kg vs. 151kg), the M30 enjoyed greater range and an increase in killing power when compared to its predecessor.
Due to its weight, the M30 was often mounted in vehicles such as the M113 where it could offer mobile fire support to hotspots on the battlefield. When mounted on the ground, the base plate had to be dug-in and covered in sandbags in order to stabilise it. But even with these measures, the recoil caused when the weapon was fired would cause the base plate to shift therefore drastically reducing accuracy. What’s more, rate of fire was also reduced while the crew were forced to recalibrate the sights with the aiming stakes.
In many cases these were discarded for the lighter and more mobile M29 81mm mortar to allow the platoon to accompany the battalion on combat operations.
The M30 4.2in Mortar in Flames of War Vietnam
M30 4.2in mortar
Mobility: Light
Range: 64”/160cm
Anti-tank: 3
Firepower: 4+
Smoke bombardment
Fire Support Base
The big 4.2-inch mortars are usually kept in fire bases rather than being lugged around in the field.
Mortar Platoons equipped with M30 4.2in mortars may be held off table in missions that use the Fire Support Base special rule on page 92 of Tour Of Duty.
Smoke
Sometimes your weapons won’t destroy the enemy quickly enough to prevent them from wreaking havoc on your own troops first. One way to protect your troops in the meanwhile is to fire smoke at the enemy to temporarily impair their vision.
Only weapons listed as having the Smoke attribute in their Arsenal may fire smoke. Some weapons can also fire Smoke Bombardments (see page 136 of the main rulebook).
15mm, metal
Battlefront Miniatures
