el_guapo

Mortars can be fired directly, just need stabilizing fins, or a special round that can stabilize itself. Most mortars come from the vein of trench mortars. Very small in size to fit in trenches ala WW1, and steep firing trajectory making the rounds more lethal than firing at a flatter trajectory because of the schrapnel despersion pattern. Machineguns, and mortars made a good combination, and still are a good combination. Conventional mortars don't have a recoil system, or not a strong one, that's why they sit on the ground so the recoil can be asorbed by the earth. Mortars can fire directly, but you must take into account of these factors. Russians have a howitzer-mortar hybrid that can fire mortar mines, and howitzer rounds, because the Nona-K is rifled, breech loaded light canon. It can fire 10 lethal rounds per minute sustained. It can fire directly like a howitzer, and have the steep firing trajectory of a mortar as well. It has a firing range of a heavy mortar, and a hydroneumatic system of a howitzer. It's a intermediary between full mortars, and howitzers. Not as heavy as a howitzer, etc, etc.