For the Total War: Shogun 2 unit, see Hojo Hand Mortars.
The Hand Mortar Company is a type of grenadier in Empire: Total War.
Description[]
Despite its name, the hand mortar is more of a grenade launcher, with a wide barrel, typically of bronze, mounted on a musket stock so that it can be fired from the shoulder. This method of delivery offers increased range, but the weapons are temperamental and prone to misfires or bursting. This, coupled with the variable quality of the grenades fired, means that in the wrong hands a hand mortar can often be as much of a danger to the man firing it as to the enemy. Despite this, the grenade is a useful battlefield weapon when used against enemies deployed in cover, or for clearing choke points.
Historically the armies of the Ottoman Empire and Russia employed the hand mortar. In the Russian military, hand mortar detachments typically operated in support of the artillery, possibly because the unpredictability of the weapon made it unpopular among the line regiments! The Ottomans always treated grenades as a form of “thrown artillery”.
General Information[]
Unique to Russia, Hand Mortar Companies use their firearms to propel grenades at a longer distance than what grenadiers can throw; the grenades then explode as normal after a short period of time, causing casualties. Hand Mortar Companies fire their grenades in an arced trajectory, allowing them to be placed behind lines safely without fear of friendly fire.
Hand Mortar Companies are very similar to their Ottoman counterparts; however, they have superior statistics across the board. On the other hand, only six regiments may be recruited, and only from certain major regions, limiting their use.