History: M21 Mortar Carrier Halftrack

By the middle of the war the US Army could field legions of tanks and support vehicles, backed by the industrial might of the USA. Using their reliable M3 Half-track as a basis, they created the M21, a mobile mortar carrier that could keep up with advancing tanks and armoured infantry.

Produced by the White Motor Company in 1944, the M21 Mortar Motor Carriage (MMC) was a self-propelled artillery mounted on a half-track.This useful vehicle carried the simple but effective 81mm M1 mortar, with 97 ready-use rounds, an air-cool ed M2 Browning machine gun, and a team of six men.

Standard US tank and armored infantry battalions had a mortar platoon equipped with either M21s or the older M4 MMCs. The M21 was used mainly to illuminate targets at night or provide indirect fire support to the infantry.

In general the mortar would be carried to a firing position and deployed, however it was not uncommon to sight and fire the mortar straight from the half-track, keeping the team on the move if needs be and sheltering from shrapnel or small arms fire.

The 110 M21’s made mainly served on the Western Front, seeing action in Normandy and in southern France, before later in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of Belgium, Operation Market Garden, and the invasion of Germany from the west.

The M21 served with the US 2nd Armored Division as well as the US 3rd, 1st, and 7th Armies during the campaign in France. Approximately a further 57 examples were leased to Free French forces.

In Bolt Action

Make use of the M21s mobility by getting into the ideal forward position, then sit tight, getting a bead on enemy static positions. Be ready to scoot back to a secondary position behind cover should the need arise, breaking up enemy formations before they can launch assaults.

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This fantastic support Half-track comes complete with a full decal sheet:

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