BlackSnake released a new model of artillery together with a set of figures to accompany the piece.
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://armorama.com/news/modern-french-artillery-crew
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://armorama.com/news/modern-french-artillery-crew
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They look good but are not Artillery crewmen. That is a mortar, and mortars are owned and crewed by infantrymen.
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Looks nice. Maybe it’s the translation Gino?
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It’s a French company I think.
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From the French Defense website :
" Le mortier rayé tracté de 120 mm Mle F1 est une arme lourde à tir vertical équipant l’ensemble des régiments d’artillerie "
= “The rifled 120 mm Mle F1 towed mortar is a heavy vertical firing weapon used in all artillery regiments.”
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Mörser “Karl” was definitly no infantry weapon. 
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Maybe the French Army does it differently, in the US Army mortars are Infantry weapons.
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Not only the French…
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The 11 Chucks…
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I believe the 120mm mortars were integral to the French Artillery regiments - or certainly used to be. I imagine it gave them a greater flexibility - either a target warranted 155mm death and destruction, or 120mm death and destruction.
Interestingly perhaps, British regiments used to have a similar mix back in the 50s and even 60s (up to at least 1966) I believe, using the 4.2" Mortar:
(filched off the web)
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The 120 mm RT F1 mortar was originally issued to infantry regiments (6 mortars in the mortar platoon) and to the airborne artillery regiment. In the late 90s they were attributed to artillery regiments, usually 1 battery of 8 mortars per regiment.
Starting from 2024, they are back in the infantry regiments.
The figures look nice however their weapons are weird. The FAMAS is the infantry model before all the French army replaced them with the HK rifle. Artillerymen should not have them.
Olivier
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In Canada anything 80mm and bigger is an Artillery asset.
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Not every country is the same Gino….Australian Artillery units have lost a lot of arty pieces from units and have become mortar units in their place, most notable are Army Reserve units over the last few years.
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Jason did they lose their artillery through restructuring?
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Yes Richard….In January 2011, the field regiments and medium regiment were reorganised, with the regiments and batteries renamed with the word “field” and “medium” no longer appearing in their titles.
I have a good mate who is a Captain in one of the reserve units and they were so p@#$ed when they lost their M777’s.
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Sionce its earliest inception, mortars were considered artillery. Infantrymen were not likely to be carrying siege mortars around.
It seems the US Army is not the worldwide authority on TO&E.
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Nice looking mortar. Would be better if the one figure just standing there was hanging a round or setting the charge.
At least in the US Army, mortars are battalion level fire support which fits their limited range.
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