what was the purpose of Mortars in ww2?, wat were the y used for and it what situations?

Question

wat were the y used for and it what situations?

Answer 1

They were used to soften up an enemy that was too close to bomb, for fear of hitting your own troops.
They had more power than grenades, and of course could be fired a longer distance.

Answer 2

Mortars have always been used, even in pre- modern warfare, to shred the enemy
in the open mostly. They are an instrument of terror, very accurate, light to carry( a three man squad sets up an 81 mm mortar, carries ammo and tube and baseplate, can fire off serveral shots and move around to avoid getting killed themselves. Every weapons platoon carries mortars and a recoiless rife, or they used to, to kill tanks.
The recoiless rifle is fired from the shoulder and makes a huge noise, fires one round at a time. It may not have a recoil but if anyone is behind it, they are history, not to mention whatever they are firing at.
The mortars make hardy a sound as they leave the tube, are used in the open, mainly, and leave the tube quietly with
a little wump. They are a devestating weapon, with different kinds of shells, for troops or tanks you are after. A well planted mortar round can knock out a whole squad of men and injure many more. The white phosperous round is
a nightmare. If the WP gets on the skin
you can't stop it's burning. It is designed to disrupt and put men out of commission. The high explosive and concussion rounds are devised by the devil. Rounds can be filled with nails, little ball bearings, shrapnal, and lots of powder for concussion. It really tears up the enemy, used when you want a surrender in a hurry. Mortars in the civil war were fired with chains and balls that could pick men up and carry them along as they caught the unawares in their path. The Germans used mortars
and a lot of anything else, in the Ardennes forest. They found that shooting into the treetops would shred wood in razor sharp projectiles, killing and wounding to great effect.

Answer 3

Mortars are also handy for use in built up areas where you can lob a bomb over the houses at a high angle and drop it on the enemy postion, which conventional artilery cannot due due to the built up area of the houses blocking their line of sight.
In WW2 it has to be recognised the Germans were masters of light to heavy mortar tactics.

Answer 4

Same things they are used for today.

They are smaller artillery that a company, battalion, or brigade has that can respond directly to that unit. Larger howitzers are there, but require more coordination so thier response is a little slower and more planned out. Mortars are there on hand for quick response. Expecially if the artillery is firing at a different target at that moment.