PM-41 82mm Mortar Squad

PM-41 82mm Mortar Squad
A Soviet Mortar squad in position.
Army	Soviet Army
Role	Infantry-mobile Light Artillery Team
Men per Squad	6
Unit Cost	240 240 6 6
Upkeep per Minute	9 9
Prereq.	None
Produced By	Support Weapon Kampaneya
Cost to Reinforce	15 15 1 1
Health per Man	350 350 Mortar 80 80 per man
Build Time	24 seconds
Received Accuracy	1.25
Basic Weapon	1x PM-41 82mm Mortar 4x Mosin Nagant Rifles
Firing Range	25-80
Sight Range	35
Open Weapon Slots	0
Max. Speed	3 m/s
Abilities (4) Mortar Barrage Rapidly fires 4 mortar shells at a target 15-75 meters away. Costs nothing Cooldown: 30 seconds Will put Fire Smoke Barrage on cooldown Fire Smoke Barrage Rapidly fires 6 smoke shells at a target 15-75 meters away, concealing the entire area in smoke. Costs nothing Cooldown: 30 seconds Will put Mortar Barrage on cooldown Hold Fire Prevents the unit from acquiring targets automatically. It will only attack manually-selected targets. Costs nothing. Duration: permanent until deactivated. Flare Fires a slow-falling parachute flare, revealing a target area Costs 30 30 Duration: 35 seconds Cooldown: 30 seconds (after firing)

Overview

The PM-41 mortar is a cheap (as much as a conscript squad) and simple artillery platform firing explosive shrapnel shells. It is used for siege and combat support, as well as firing smoke barrages to protect friendly units and flares to reveal the enemy.

Weapons

The team are equipped with rifles, however these are almost useless against even the most fragile infantry and so they should be kept far away from combat, but within their mortar's firing range.

Abilities

Mortar Barrage

• Costs nothing
• Activation: Select Ground (at least 15 meters away)
• Cooldown: 30 seconds (upon activation)

Fire Smoke Barrage

• Costs nothing
• Activation: Select Ground (at least 15 meters away)
• Cooldown: 30 seconds (upon activation)

Hold Fire

• Costs nothing
• Activation: Immediate
• Permanent until deactivated

Flare

• Costs 30 30
• Activation: Target Ground
• Duration: 35 seconds
• Cooldown: 30 seconds

Veterancy

At each Veterancy level, the Mortar Squad gains a specific set of bonuses as listed below.

	Level 1 Veterancy: -25% recharge time of the "Flare" ability.
	Level 2 Veterancy: -40% recharge time of all barrages.
	Level 3 Veterancy: +20% primary barrage accuracy.

Tactics

Area Coverage

When placed within range of the front line, the mortar team will automatically fire at visible enemies. Shells landing in the middle of enemy squads will do a lot of damage, killing squad members and sometimes even wiping them off the map, but this happens only once every few shots because of the mortar's scatter and because infantry are constantly moving.

Siege

If the enemy occupies static positions, mortar shells can dislodge them. Simply order a barrage once they are visible. A shell hitting a building will hurt everyone inside, and enough shells will demolish even the sturdiest of houses and bunkers. This will take a very long time, however, and smart enemies will reposition their men.

Use of Smoke

Nothing can shoot through a smoke cloud, aside from savvy commanders ordering cannon- and flame-armed units to attack ground. The PM-41 can drop smoke to get your troops in position for an attack, or allow them to retreat safely. It does take some time for the team to reposition, aim, and then fire, however, plus the shell's travel time, so keep that in mind.

Weaknesses

Note that the Mortar Squad cannot board transport vehicles.

Any enemy unit within firing range of the mortar team will kill them, although the large squad size makes them somewhat more durable.

Comparison with GrW 34 Mortar Team

The German mortar team has 4 men; you have 6, and will survive longer under attack.

They fire slightly faster and more accurately, but cost the same, making them strictly better in almost all aspects. To top it off, their special ability allows them to quickly return fire at your artillery, as well as reposition quickly. The only way the Soviet can win a mortar duel is by doing the impossible and getting shells to land accurately in the middle of the German teams to quickly wipe out their small squads.

Comparison with HM-38 120mm Mortar Squad

When deciding whether to order the PM-41 or its big, doctrinal brother, the things to keep in mind are timing and cost versus need. Investing in the HM-38 can lead to you being set back in the early game due to its coming at CP 2 and somewhat expensive cost, but it is much more effective in combat.