FoW: Slovak Infantry - Mortar Platoons

So... here we are again!.

So, lets carry on knocking down the blog posts eh?

Today, let me introduce you all to one of Slovakia's man portable artillery pieces; the 81mm vz.36 Mortar.

Now as we all know, Slovakia was not the richest of countries on its founding, on top of which Nazi Germany swept in and appropriated fully half of the arms and munitions that was left there so there wasn't much left... well actually there was loads! In fact Slovakia had a lot more artillery pieces than trained crew... and this presented quite the problem.

The 81mm vz.36 mortars provided some much needed artillery support for the foot sloggers... and whats more; one that was easy to get the uneducated masses of troops up to scratch on.

As is so frequently the case with our Slovakian adventure if we need to know any details about them we must first dip a little further back in time to the Czechoslovakian army.

The 81mm vz.36 Mortar was one of the most modern weapons in the Czech inventory. With the introduction of it into the Czech equipment lists the infantry gained a very effective means of local fire support and was justifiably considered one of the best in its class worldwide.

Its design was based on the French Stokes-Brandt model although  the designers at Pilsen improved the weapon through several significant innovations. The vz.36 represented the first of a lengthy series of successful mortar designs that Pilsen-Skoda developed terminating in the 8.2cm vz.52 mortar which is still in service with the Czech Republic.

When construction engineer Frederick Wilfred Scott Stokes, working as a railway bridge designer, was unsuccessfully offering his British military armaments project to the British War Department at the start of WW1, he had no idea that his idea would fundamentally influence military arms development over the next century. Fortunately, despite the fact that the British military authorities were so short sighted, the Stokes mortar did not escape the attention of artillery experts around Europe. The British Armaments Commission took the step of recommending its introduction into the European armed forces despite their original negative opinion. 

Officers that had front line experience were immediately able to recognise the simplicity and genius of the design and pushed through its production. From 1915 the British army was supplied with the most advanced mortar system in the world, while other armies fighting against them were struggling to find a weapon that could even approach the Stokes mortar's effectiveness.

When the opening moves of the Great War were concluded the troops were hiding in ever increasing and improved trench systems. These trench lines could not easily be breached the war fell into an uneasy stalemate punctuated with projects of mass carnage. All sides therefore were desperately searching for some weapon that would be capable of destroying trenches, shelters and firing positions. As a result of this a number of various different types of mortars, bomb launchers, grenade launchers and mine throwers were created. 

The mortar had, by this time, already seen front line service in wartime. The first mortar had been invented and tested during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and similar weapons had been introduced to virtually all fighting forces around the world. However they were mostly heavy weapons mounted on massive bearings, whose accuracy and effects were not in line with the mass of the weapon system in question, despite an often respectable character. 

Stokes design was therefore meant to completely revolutionise this field of arms development. The initial designs however were inflicted with a number of teething problems which took the rest of the war to completely resolve. The most serious of these problems being low accuracy and a lack of a decent tactical range. These problems were only really solved after the Great War with the collaboration of French military designer Brandt. Whilst still in his twenties he achieved the design of a stabilised mine as well as a new type of sighting system. Modified mortars with these new attachments and rounds were introduced into the French army under the designation Stokes-Brandt M.27 and subsequently after minor adjustments the Stokes-Brandt M.27/31.

This model of mortar became the base model of virtually all medium mortars throughout the interbellum.  These weapons were manufactured under license by countries such as the United States, the Soviet Union, Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and of course France and the UK.

Almost as soon as the state was founded the Czechs had begun to address the issue of providing infantry formations with a close support weapon. Initially a series of small infantry guns, of often interesting designs, were tested in order to develop the so called Battalion Howitzers from Skoda. The final design of one of these howitzers was indeed a remarkable weapon but in order to provide versatility its sacrifice was in performance. 

Eventually after much testing, and under mounting pressure from the General Staff, the Ministry opted to provide the army with a mortar and an anti tank gun. The development of the mortar was, as was to be expected, entrusted to Skoda which on the advice of the Ministry obtained a license to produce the Stokes-Brandt mortar. However the weapon was not just taken without adjustment and the designers at Skoda designed several fundamental improvements. 

Work on the new model, designated B5, progressed quickly and the weapon was soon ready to conduct its tests by the military, along with its new types of ammunition. It passed its test with flying colours. The initial tests alone proved definitively that the new mortar exceeded the abilities of the 9cm vz.17 which was the current main infantry light support weapon. The test committee approved of the simplicity and reliability of construction. The mortars mobility, ease of operation and the relative cheapness of the weapon combined with its accuracy and effectiveness all contributed to its high ratings within military circles.

The mortar itself consisted of four principal parts. The barrel, the baseplate, the bipod and the sights. Compared to the French model the most significant adjustments were made to the bipod, which hereafter acquired the characteristic shape used on all other Skoda mortars. The baseplate was also subjected to minor modifications whilst the flaws with the sights were also addressed.

For transportation the mortar was mounted in a special frame that fixed individual parts of the mortars body to itself, whilst the whole frame was mounted onto a modified vz.24 horse drawn cart. The new version was designated 'vz.24/35'. This cart, with mortar mounted could also be drawn by motor vehicles. Over short distances the mortar was transported in its constituent parts along with emergency supplies of ammunition. 

Where the ammunition for the mortar is concerned the Defence Ministry instigated the development of two new basic types of round. These were termed light and heavy mines. The light rounds weighed in at 3.26 kg and were designed to be fired over open sights. The heavy rounds weighed in at 6.85 kg and were designed to be used at ranges of up to 1200 mtrs and were considered capable of destroying field positions. 

During the traditionally strict and difficult field tests by the troops, which took place on the shooting ranges at Hlbokem there was only a single issue encountered when using the new ammunition prior to its introduction into general use by the armed forces. The firing dispersal was considered too focused and the rounds failed to achieve the dispersal required by the military administration. Skoda attempted to address the issue but only achieved a slight improvement. They then worked on the problem with VTLU but, despite a number of attempts no appreciable improvements were achieved. Skoda eventually contested the tender claiming that the tender specifications were based around Brandst's rather whimsical advertising materials and were essentially unobtainable in a real world situation. The final attempt to rectify this, perhaps incorrectly perceived deficiency was conducted in December 1938. The Commission conceded the points, returned the mortar to the field test ranges and instead satisfied themselves with a range of smaller test and adjustments as the mortar was recognised as already meeting the lions share of the criteria set by the tender, and overwhelmingly met the strict requirements set by the military administration, in many cases even overcoming them, in one example actually achieving over 25 rounds fired in a minute. The test committee therefore proposed the introduction of Mortar B5 into the army's equipment rolls and which the Ministry subsequently introduced the new weapon under the designation 8cm Mortar vz.36.

In the summer of 1936 the Ministry of Defence issued an official order and a production authorisation. Despite the considerable workload which faced them, Skoda were still able to quickly prepare the production line in the Skoda plant and proceed with production. By the end of 1936 the first 123 mortars had left the production line and had been test fired at the new firing ranges at Nekmir, with the entire order being subsequently completed during 1937.

There is no definitive source that agrees on the numbers of these mortars produced during this time but general consensus is that the most quoted number is 902 pieces, which the army had in service by March 1939. The perceived war needs for this model mortar was set in 1938 as 951 pieces although by the end of 1938 a further 48 mortars were still on order so the likely total could be in the region of 950.

1-barrel, 2-butt barrel, 3-barrel gasket ring, 4-fuse, 6-screw fuse filler, 7-fuse gasket ring, 12-barrel butt plug, 13- firing pin, 14- bearings, 15-ball bearing pin, 16- bearing support, 17- bearing support, 18- bearing support reinforcement, 19- bearing grip hinge, 20- bearing grip, 21- leather grip cover, 22- collar, 23- collar cover, 24- shooting table, 25- pin collar bolt, 26- collar clamping bolt, 27- clamping bolt nut, 29- collar guide pin, 30- securing bolt to guide mandrel, 31- collar damping collar, 32- securing pin to guide mandrel, 33- securing bolt to collar guide mandrel nut

In early 1937 the new model mortars reached the first troops allocated to receive them. The first troops that received them were the technical organisations within the infantry regiments who had provisions of 9cm vz.17 mortars. From the end of 1935 infantry regiments had their technical support troops reorganised into weapons companies which included the mortar platoons, which on mobilisation would be expanded to a full company.

According to the mortar unit construction program a total of 110 mortar companies and 32 separate independent mortar units, intended for border guards and cyclist battalions, were to be built. Only 8 companies were fully motorised however, having been constructed to equip the newly established fast divisions along with a further 12 platoons.

In 1937 intensive training for the troops intended for service within these units was begun,. Above all however, were the unit commanders, who were specially selected infantry officers who had been put through special courses. The choice of these officers was by no means coincidental, as the prevailing view in the Ministry and the Military was that light mortars had to perform tasks solely for the benefit of the infantry, and therefore the officers in charge had to be perfectly acquainted with its needs and capabilities.

The intensive training courses for the mortar troops ended with the target shooting courses which also achieved good results despite the relatively short time-frame which this was conducted over, providing a strong indication of the quality of the weapon and level of capabilities of the Czechoslovak soldiery.

Along with the orders for the mortars that the Ministry placed, orders for ammunition was also placed, covering both new types of rounds that had been developed. 

The existing technology utilised a brass press for the body of the round but this was relatively expensive and the Defence Ministry insisted on the introduction of mosaic production practices which gave a greater chance of continuing supply of ammunition throughout conflict periods. Due to the now possible potentials for smaller production plants the ammunition shell casing was now to be produced by casting. During the firing tests conducted in the Spring of 1938 however it was found that the ballistic properties of rounds produced in this fashion had been changed resulting in a requirement of a brass plate with the new firing characteristics of the ammunition attached to the mortar containing the modified firing table.

Despite the fact that the full system of mosaic production was never realised by March 1937 a total of 343,697 rounds of both types had still been delivered. It should also be noted here that the development of both smoke and incendiary rounds was also being conducted by Skoda but never reached completion. This is an important point because the Slovak mortar platoons went to war without any smoke or incendiary shells and had to support the infantry with nothing more than HE shells. 

Through the critical days of the September 1938 crisis, the Czechoslovakian Army was equipped with an appreciable number of these mortars but chiefly in the front line units. Those units formed or completed during mobilisation unfortunately never received any and in any case there was a lack of qualified troops capable of using these new weapons in these units.

When the schism came and the Slovaks declared their independence the Wehrmacht was able to lay their grubby paws on over 600 mortars which were essentially based on the same pattern as the existing 8cm granatwerfer 34 which was already serving in the Germany army. The Czech mortars entered service as the Granatwerfer 36(t) of which the Germans had 514 pieces in service at the start of the war along with at least 236,500 rounds of both designs.

According to existing documentation covering the confiscation of hardware that was left on Slovak soil over 300 of these mortars apparently remained for use by the Slovaks, although however only 150 were reported as usable by the Slovak authorities and as such it seems likely that the Germans had claimed over 600 units.

Of these numbers however, the numbers actually allocated to the front line troops never approached anywhere near this number.

At the conclusion of the Polish campaign, on 27th September 1939 the returns of the field units indicate that the 1st Division had 10 on its rolls, the 2nd Division had 20 whilst the 3rd Division had 16. The Rapid Group that went over the border had an allocation of only two attached to its motorised infantry battalion. These numbers indicate a total of 48 of 150 mortars deployed with front line units.

The Rapid Group that crossed the Polish border in September had an allocation of two of these mortars for its single motorised infantry battalion and if we extrapolate this number of mortars to each infantry battalion in the Slovak army the number roughly match up, except with the 1st Division having just over half of its establishment provision. This seems to be a number that can be carried forwards through the Slovak involvement on the Eastern Front, except for the Rapid formations whose provision steadily increased until its destruction in the Crimea in 1943.

On the 26th June 1941 the Slovak Expeditionary Group had only 36 Skoda 8cm vz.36's allocated to it, although it is possible that this number increased to reach the required wartime strengths.

The Rapid Group, on crossing the border had no allocation of mortars according to the returns of 25th June 1941. On its transformation to the Rapid Brigade the returns of 8th July 1941 indicate a provision of two, which would seem to fit with the idea of two mortars per battalion. On expansion to the Rapid Division where a single battalion essentially became four battalions (I/20 & II/20 and I/21 & II/21), it can be seen on the returns of 22nd August 1941 that a complement of 22 mortars had been provided, which would seem to indicate a provision of four mortars per battalion with a couple held back as spares. Through 1942 and as indicated by a number of returns across various dates a provision of 24 mortars was present indicating either there was a now a provision of either four mortars per battalion with spares or it was now six per battalion but no spares unless added to through war spoils. At the start of 1943  it would seem that the Rapid Division had an allocation of 32 mortars although by the 2nd March 1943 following the collapse in the Crimea and the loss of all of its heavy materials the Division had only a single mortar left on its rolls.

The other major Slovak field formation; the Security Division's returns tell a similar story.

When the Slovak field army crossed the border in July 1941 it included the 1st and 2nd Divisions. Each of these comprised three regiments of two battalions each. six battalions! Each of these divisions had a provision of 18 mortars indicating a possible provision of three mortars per battalion

As soon as the Field Army had been split and reorganised into the Fast and Security Divisions' the Security Division also had a complement of two regiments (101 and 102) comprising a total of 4 infantry battalions. Through 1942 there was a steady complement of 25 mortars in the Security Division which rose to 31 by July 1943.

Following the collapse of the Slovak forces in the Crimea the Security Division was kept in the field for a while longer but morale had collapsed and they were eventually redistributed as labour divisions helping to build the defences of the Reich.

These mortars can be seen to have participated in almost all of the battles that the Slovak field forces contributed to, especially the campaign in Russia.The numbers of these mortars steadily increased over time right up until they were all either lost in the Crimea or handed over to the German Wehrmacht.

In the second half of their involvement however the Slovaks also had to deal with a thinning munitions supply as the facilities producing the ammunition had stopped production so other measures had to be found. What can be said however is that wherever this mortar was to be found the Slovak infantry were sure that they had an angel on their shoulder looking out for them.

So that's a snap shot of the history so now lets take you through how I put them all together...

Before we go any further I should point out that every single miniature in this company was a Battlefront 15mm Romanian until I nipped off their heads and replaced them with Peter Pig heads to turn them into Slovaks. Either the ones with the Slovak Helmets that Martin sculpted for me or else the ones with the Soviet Pilotka Caps which fulfil a good proxy for the Slovak field caps.

I should also point out that the trucks will be dealt with in another post and that due to the easy availability I opted to use the Battlefront Polish Mortars for all of my teams.

So, where painting all of the infantry is concerned its a relatively simple affair. They are done the way that I do them to look good from about 5ft away. Scrutinise them from up close and all of the flaws in the painting will probably kick you in the cubes but from an arms length away they look splendid!(even if I do say so myself!).

The first step is to prime the miniatures, and as with most of my other historical stuff, I prime with a black etch primer. You can buy these from any hardware store but the 'etch' in the primer ensures an exceptionally strong substrate for the acrylic layers that will go over the top, the etch actually referring to a dilute acidic content that eats microscopically into the surface of the model creating an uneven surface for the paint to clutch to whilst providing a nice and smooth top layer as the paint levels out and dries.

The lions share of the work done on WW2 miniatures is the main uniform and where the Slovaks are concerned after a somewhat lengthy research period I decided to ditch the (re)coloured photos from the past and go with the uniform colours that all of the re-enactors in Czechoslovakia are using at the moment. In my experience all of these re-enactment guys are anal about accuracy so I would trust their opinions a lot more than raggedy old photos with amateur enthusiast recolour treatments.

My base coat was done with Vallejo's 887 Brown Violet for the deepest layers of the uniform. The first highlight, which presents the largest overall surface area that will be seen at the end was done with MIG's 113 Khaki Green No3 (Brit 1939-1942) with the final highlights along all of the raised edges being completed with MIG's 058 Light Green Khaki. This covers all of the cloth uniform and the puttees.

The helmet has a single coat of 50/50 mix of Vallejo's 897 Bronze Green and Vallejo's 887 Brown Violet with the blue helmet band having a basecoat of Vallejo's 925 Intense Blue, highlighted with a 50/50 mix of Vallejo's 925 Intense Blue and Vallejo's 943 Blue Grey. The little Slovak crosses are all hand painted with thinned down Vallejo's 820 Offwhite.

Everything else has jam on both sides after painting the uniform.

All of the Canvas bags and straps have a basecoat of Vallejo's 921 English Uniform applied with block highlights of AK Interactives 3072 M-44 Uniform Green Ochre Khaki whilst the leather belts and ammo pouches are basecoated in Vallejo's 045 Charred Brown and highlighted with Vallejo's 983 Flat Earth.

The boots are any matt black whilst the Gas Mask Tins are basecoated with Vallejo's 980 Black Green and highlighted with Lifecolor's UA224 Olive Drab Faded Type 2.

The rifle bodies are basecoated with Vallejo's 826 German Camo Medium Brown with the highlighted grain lines painted with Vallejo's 981 Orange Brown. All metal work is painted black firstly and highlighted with Molten Metals Steel. The rifle straps are basecoated with Vallejo's 880 Khaki Grey and highlighted with a 50/50 mix of Vallejo's 880 Khaki Grey and Vallejo's 819 Iraqi Sand.

Where the skin is concerned you can paint it how you please but personally I use one of AK Interactive's paint sets for 'Flesh and Skin Colours' and I've never looked back!

All of the bases are actually really simple. I buy all of my bases from Tony at East Riding Miniatures. Hes a bit of a legend and REALLY helpful. They are all laser cut MDF which allows for easy scoring of the base surface to enhance the grout adhesion.

I then glue the miniatures to the scored surface and apply a thin layer of tile grout over the top. Once this is dry I glue a layer of one of my sand mixes over the top. Generally speaking I create my own mixes for base coverings as I REALLY don't like a lot of the crap you buy from the shops. Its generally speaking far too gaudy in colour or uniform in texture for my tastes.

I like the generally fine sand BUT I like to have lots of the little stones in there so I can create some colour contrasts with the dirt on the bases.

Once dry the whole base is given a basecoat of Vallejo's 826 German Camo Medium Brown and given a heavy drybrush of Vallejo's 814 Green Ochre.

All of the little stones on the bases are then given a basecoat of Vallejo's 995 German Grey and roughly highlighted (to create a jagged uneven texture) with any lighter grey of your choice but personally I go with Vallejo's 992 Neutral Grey.

The sides of the bases are now painted Matt Black. I never used to bother with this BUT I've really gotten into the clean precise look this lends to the bases. I love it now.

Now we come to the final stages of the bases which is the covering. The static flock that I use is my own mix. I go for something that approximates the dead and dry grass you find on the Steppes with perhaps a little more green in it than usual. This allows an overall base aesthetic that can be used the length of Europe in my opinion.

To provide the final textural boost to the bases though I use a variety of clumps. I had a LOT of problems finding ones that I felt were suitable but after a couple of years I came across a company called Tajima Miniatures whose self adhesive tufts are without a doubt the best I have ever found. I use their stuff by the bucket load now, in great variety. 

These all add to the final colour and texture of the bases of this army.

...and there we have it. Once more we reach the end of another post about guys in green with tubes, bombs... and BAYONETS!!!!