# What is this soldier with a mortar wearing on his wrist?; All soldiers know can operate the weapon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 10, 2013, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472 "2013-09-10T03:47:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/61 "2014-11-17T19:52:46Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > How dare you guys make me move my fingers to a search box to figure out what you are talking about. šŸ™‚ If you use Chrome, you just have to highlite it, right-click and select ā€˜Search Google for; xxxā€™ ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/62 "2014-11-17T20:11:30Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I apologize for not being all that current in modern military communications equipment. Itā€™s been over 35 years since I had to hump a Prick 77, and what the soldier was wearing in that photograph looked nowhere close to being as bulky or heavy as an AN/PRC 77 Radio Set. > > Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. ā˜¹ Iā€™m just ribbing you, mate :). Truth be told, I wasnā€™t sure either until I read the answers in the thread (Lord knows I never humped anything even remotely military myself) - but I associate those big loopy antennas with old-timey HF radios ; AFAIK satellite and similar modern com gear come with smaller, stodgier antennas. ---
**Author:** ![bunyupp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@bunyupp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bunyupp)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/63 "2014-11-17T22:03:48Z")
> [@Glazer](#): > > I donā€™t think they train on the atlatl any more. Just a quick hijack, but just imagine how freaked out the al-qaeda types would be if they were attacked at night with prehistoric weaponry. Also, a ā€œhangā€ is a misfire - dropped mortar in tube and it didnā€™t fire. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/64 "2014-11-18T11:20:47Z")
> [@bunyupp](#): > > JAlso, a ā€œhangā€ is a misfire - dropped mortar in tube and it didnā€™t fire. Youā€™re thinking of a ā€œhangfireā€, and Iā€™ve never heard that to refer to mortar rounds. It would just be ā€œmisfireā€. The word ā€œhangā€ when talking about mortars refers to ā€œhangingā€ the round at the top of the tube. ā€œHang!ā€ means hold it above the tube. Also used is, ā€œHang it!ā€. ā€œFire!ā€ means let go, allowing it to fall into the tube. When it hits the bottom of the tube, it fires automatically, so in a sense, letting go of the round fires it. ā€œHangā€ is also used informally as I described in the previous post. It is used informally to refer to the entire act of firing mortar rounds. One person may be doing all the aiming, and the other person is doing all the hanging. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/65 "2014-11-18T11:29:37Z")
Hangfire: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vaRP-cF_NUY/maxresdefault.jpg "This is What a Hang-Fire Looks and Sounds Like") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaRP-cF_NUY) Hang(it)! Fire! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/QZSSFHB6n04/maxresdefault.jpg "Medic hangs mortar rounds") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZSSFHB6n04) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/66 "2014-11-18T14:54:18Z")
[quote=ā€œBear\_Nenno, post:65, topic:668472ā€] Hangfire: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vaRP-cF_NUY/maxresdefault.jpg "This is What a Hang-Fire Looks and Sounds Like") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaRP-cF_NUY) Hang(it)! Fire! [/QUOTE] Thanks. I didnā€™t see/hear a single thing different in the shot they said was a hangfire. And, FTR, isnā€™t there a song by the Stones called ā€œHangfire?ā€ I hear the word in my head sung by Mick. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/67 "2014-11-18T15:35:07Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Thanks. > > I didnā€™t see/hear a single thing different in the shot they said was a hangfire. > > And, FTR, isnā€™t there a song by the Stones called ā€œHangfire?ā€ I hear the word in my head sung by Mick. Listen to it again, there is a noticeable difference in the time between hammer strike and the round actually firing. You can hear a metallic click, then a very slight delay, and then the bang. When a round has a delay like that, it is called a hang-fire. That is not a good thing, and usually indicates a problem with the ammunition. Technically, a mortar round can be a hang fire too. If it is dropped in the tube and then takes a second or two to fire, it is a hang fire. If it doesnā€™t fire at all, it is a misfire. I canā€™t imagine someone would actually yell ā€œhang fireā€ in the mortar pit when there is a hang fire, though. That seems like it would be confusing. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/68 "2014-11-19T00:18:35Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Normally, yes. But the 60mm is unique in that it has a trigger and a selector switch allowing it to be either drop-fired or trigger-fired. Trigger firing allows the weapon to be preloaded and ready to fire immediately upon enemy contact. The British 2-inch mortars that we had worked like that as well. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/69 "2014-11-19T20:13:55Z")
[Hang fire.](http://youtu.be/QLyx6jPHRfM) ---
**Author:** ![slowlearner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@slowlearner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowlearner)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/70 "2014-11-20T00:06:25Z")
E B Sledge was a Marine mortarman in WW2. His book With The Old Breed tells about his experiences fighting on Peleliu and Okinawa, covers the use of 60mm mortars in combat and is one of the most truthful accounts of combat ever written. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/71 "2014-11-20T04:08:24Z")
> [@slowlearner](#): > > E B Sledge was a Marine mortarman in WW2. His book With The Old Breed tells about his experiences fighting on Peleliu and Okinawa, covers the use of 60mm mortars in combat and is one of the most truthful accounts of combat ever written. Yes, Iā€™m planning to read it. It was the source for much of _The Pacific_ (as you know). Eugene Sledge wiki. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472/72 "2014-11-20T04:55:56Z")
Good page on WWII mortars and other equipmentā€“ extraordinary down and dirty historians, ā€œ90th Infantry Preservation Group.ā€ Then thereā€™s this wonderland. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-soldier-with-a-mortar-wearing-on-his-wrist-all-soldiers-know-can-operate-the-weapon/668472.md?page=3)