Thank you, I was looking for the word for these 'stub' mortars https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steilfeue ... oerser.jpgmr.fred wrote:multi-barrelled smoke launchers (i.e. not a mortar)
The good old days, when a caliber (a number) was the definition for a mortar (as opposed to 'guns') have long since passed : http://enacademic.com/pictures/enwiki/6 ... 0-1500.jpg
- why would I prefer a number?
- because dipping into linguistics, you tend to get too many different answers: "The word Mortar/Mörser goes back to the medieval age when they looked like a big, thick iron pot" as seen above (the same shape, but not size, as the bowl used to grind herbs and spice). They were restricted to high trajectory fire, and the term has stuck in the English language... luckily no more
Anyway, a launcher (in the age of missiles) is a good term: who would know that Hedgehog was a spigot mortar, whereas Squid (that replaced it) went back to a 'normal' mortar... Who cares as the Battle of the Atlantic was won
... now, back to the topic, as Advent does not seem to be working in bringing to the fore the Rheinmetall Chally2, perhaps we will need to wait until the 12 days of Christmas as after the birth of Christ the Magi, the three wise men only brought the prezzies on January 6. Will be an Epiphany! Regardless of whether Rheinmetall manages the deadline, or not that will happen.