60mm Mortar Employment
by Capt Mike Hanson
As a young 60mm Mortarman, I used to think officers didn’t know how to employ Mortars and that it took a mortarman to employ mortars. I also thought they didn’t talk to Mortarmen enough about the best way to employ this asset. I still largely think this way. As I recall, some of the initial proposals for the 2030 infantry battalion did away with 60mm mortars. This was an enormous mistake. I believe now the Marine Corps intends to retain this weapon. As it should.
I have often seen 60mm mortars employed on two ends of a spectrum. One where they are used solely in conventional mode, with a plotting board and a Fire Direction Center (FDC). On the other end are people who only use the 60mm mortar in “assault mode,” usually handheld or direct alignment. Obviously, there are pros and cons to employing mortars each way with the deciding factor being the situation and the mission to be accomplished. There are some commanders who enjoy the peace of mind they gain from laying their mortars in conventionally with a FDC and drawing a 3,500 meter circle around their position. There are others that dismiss the need to use a FDC because they feel 60’s should only be used “in the assault,” and conventional mode is for 81’s. Obviously I take umbrage with this narrow-minded point of view as well. The 60mm mortar is a very versatile weapon system that can be employed in multiple different ways. Defaulting to simply one mode is amateur and does not use this weapon to its full potential. Knowing when is the most appropriate occasion to employ a certain method of fire to achieve the best effects is what is key. As I said before, in many cases it takes a mortarman to effectively employ mortars and this is why a commander should consult the NCO’s of the Mortar Section during planning. I’m a former 60mm mortarman and I still learned something and took good advice from my Corporal Mortar Section Leader that I used in an attack.
First, every 60mm mortar section needs to be able to operate a Fire Direction Center and shoot in conventional mode. It is a useful and extremely effective technique that gives a commander a lot of flexibility, namely the ability to leverage a forward observer to walk rounds onto a target. Additionally, special rounds like smoke and illum offer a commander more options, as do special missions like coordinated illum. Anyone who says 60’s have no business doing conventional mode is an idiot. However, do not let the section rely on the Light Weight Handheld Mortar Ballistic Computer (LHMBC). This is a great tool, but can have issues with software updates. It also needs batteries, which are often the first thing in short supply during sustained operations. Ensure the Marines can operate this piece of gear, but also ensure that they know how to use a plotting board. I personally like the plotting board much better because it’s a map. The plotter can plot friendly and enemy positions and terrain features on it which gives a commander a great ability to battle track. You can’t see where your rounds are landing on a LHMBC, it just spits out numbers. The plotting board doesn’t require batteries and will still work with a bullet hole through it. I have even seen Marines work a plotting board faster than a LHMBC. I cannot extol the virtues of the plotting board enough. I hope the Marine Corps never does away with this excellent tool, and I was alarmed to hear that one of the Advanced Mortarman Courses no longer taught the plotting board a few years ago. I sincerely hope this isn’t true.
Next, every 60mm mortar section needs regular practice at Direct Alignment, or firing directly at a target but from defilade and aligning the sight unit to a reference point along the same azimuth as the target. Direct Lay, on the other hand, is when the gun sight is looking directly at the target. However, while the mortar can see the enemy in Direct Lay, the enemy can also see the mortar. For this reason I am not a big fan of Direct Lay. I believe that in the time it takes to get rounds on target in this method, the enemy will see and take out the mortar. To be sure, it is a capability that should not simply be abandoned. A section should be proficient in this method of lay, but as a commander, I would devote the least amount of time and the fewest resources to this mode. Direct Alignment, on the other hand is very effective and can be used from defilade which makes it a very survivable firing mode. Furthermore, it is fast and can be much more responsive than conventional mode. I recommend 60’s section spend a lot of time getting good at Direct Alignment. This is how Eugene Sledge shot mortars, and it is just a relevant now as it was when he used 60mm mortars.
The last method is handheld mode. Everybody loves handheld, but I actually do not. I like the idea of handheld mode, but I’m not a fan of the way we do it. What we do is shady. First, we get out in full view of the target, which as I’ve already noted, is dangerous for a weapon that takes time to get on target. Next, the Gunner very awkwardly braces the baseplate with his foot (in a very unnatural and uncomfortable stance) and wears an awkward oven mitt like glove (just use your normal gloves and retain better dexterity). With the weapon on SAFE, the A- Gunner drops the round, and then switches the weapon to TRIGGER mode. Then, the A-Gunner very awkwardly taps the range indicator with his finger while the gunner tries to sight in on the target. There are no sights for handheld, not even a beebee on the muzzle to provide a rough aimpoint like that on a shotgun, so the gunner just looks over the top of the barrel and lines it up with the target as best as he can. When he’s ready to fire he begins to squeeze the trigger. This is the part I hate the most about handheld mode, this very long, slow, and awkward trigger pull. The gunner is squeezing the trigger with one hand while trying to simultaneously aim and hold the barrel steady with the other hand while the guy next to him is poking away on the range indicator. The longer he’s squeezing the trigger for, the harder it is to hold the cannon stable. Finally the round exits the barrel, the A-Gunner switches it back to SAFE, and after what can seem like forever (especially while getting shot at) the round finally lands. If it's off target, he applies Kentucky Windage and starts the process over again. It can take a few rounds (and thus a few minutes) to get on target and the whole time those Mortarmen are dangerously exposed. Finally, if they do get on target they may attempt a fire for effect and shoot several rounds in rapid succession, but most often these rounds land inconsistently for all the reasons mentioned: it’s not a very stable firing platform. In full disclosure, I was never good at shooting handheld but that doesn’t mean nobody else is. I have seen some Mortarmen that were precise in this mode, but I would submit these are few and far between. I’m not a big fan of this method but I do recognize its viability and highly recommend every 60’s section do a handheld range to see who is gifted. If you find that you have mortarmen that have a natural knack for handheld, keep them proficient and remember who they are. If none of the mortarmen are effective in this mode remember that when you consider going handheld.
Now, I said I like the idea of handheld mode but not how we do it. Much more effective than the traditional handheld mode is Bipod Assisted Handheld Mode. I absolutely love this method and will argue till the end of the world that it
is better than traditional handheld mode. In Bipod Assisted Handheld you still use the small (M8) baseplate, you just use the bipod to stabilize the gun better and to make more accurate adjustments to impacts. You still don’t use the gun sight and still look over the barrel, but now the barrel is actually still because there isn’t a tired and shaking arm trying to hold it steady while enduring the painfully long trigger pull. Basically, you set up the gun and use the traversing and elevation handwheels to get the muzzle over the target. You still use the range indicator to gain the correct elevation, but now the ball inside isn’t rolling back and forth as much because the bipod is more stable. You don’t need to switch back and forth between SAFE and TRIGGER fire modes, just put it on DROP and hang a round. After the round lands you use the traverse and elevation handwheels to make much quicker corrections and you drop another round. Once on target you can even drop an accurate fire for effect. Bipod Assisted Handheld mode is fantastic, and the fact they employed it when I was a student at the Infantry Officer Course certainly validates it. However, I rarely see units in the fleet use this method. I have been told by my respected colleagues in the Gunner community that this is because this method is actually “not a thing.” “How is it not a thing?” I have enquired, “Because it’s not mentioned in any manuals.”
Well, somebody needs to put it in a manual because it is extremely effective. I am flabbergasted that this method “is not a thing” while trying to shoot a mortar stabilized by a tired and shaking arm while someone pounds on it is “a thing.” It’s silly. But regardless, I know that when we return to combat, Marines will do the expedient and effective thing and shoot 60’s assisted by bipods as they have many times in the past.
I have employed 60mm mortars in every method I’ve discussed here. Not every situation is appropriate for every method of fire but every method of fire is appropriate in a certain situation. This is why your Mortarmen must be capable of doing them all. This is why you must know which situation is most appropriate for which method of fire.
As a Rifle Company Commander I have sent my 60’s into the assault when I needed quick effects against close targets and used them conventionally when I needed them to be accurate. By sending them in the assault I removed a link in the kill chain and gained significant tempo in my attack as reduced radio chatter and was one less firing agency to be adjusted. By using them conventionally I exercised tactical patience in order to set appropriate conditions. Once they were on target, they executed a duration suppression which enabled a support by fire to occupy. Again, you must know what effect you are trying to achieve in a given situation and you will know which method to best employ your mortars. If you aren’t sure, simply talk to your Mortarmen. They will give you good recommendations, perhaps some you didn’t consider yourself.
Capt Mike Hanson is the commander of Weapons 3/4. He can be reached at falconhorn45@gmail.com.