Narrowcasting by: Ashton, Guarnere & CptBocquier

Hello and welcome back to another Forgotten Hope 2 update.

Today we are showing off the Norwegian Bombekaster M/35 mortar. This piece of gear will be giving the Norwegian faction some much needed indirect fire capabilities.

The Norwegian Army was eager to get their hands on modern mortars after observing the performance of such weapons during the First World War. Several early indigenous designs were adopted, but these were plagued with issues and never produced in large numbers. Budget cuts and delays in the inter-war years meant a proper design was not adopted until 1935.

The 81mm “Bombekaster M/35” produced at Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk was a licensed copy of the tried-and-true Stokes-Brandt mortar, though with a few modifications. Most notable was the addition of a manual trigger allowing for a round to rest in the tube before firing. A special base plate for mountainous terrain was also issued. The M/35 was equipped with a German “Hensoldt & Söhne” optical sight specifically made for the Norwegian Army.

The M/35 proved popular with Norwegian troops. The explosive power of its HE round combined with an impressive maximum range of almost 2.6 km considerably improved the firepower of infantry units. Organizationally the M/35 was issued to specialist mortar troops attached to the staff company of each Norwegian infantry battalion.

In total around 150 copies of the M/35 were manufactured between 1935 and 1940, with production being halted in May 1940 after the German takeover of Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk. Our Bombekaster M/35 was made by Ashton.

That's all for this week, but be sure to come back next time for another update. Until then, feel free to visit our Discord, our public forums, our subreddit, and/or Facebook pages to discuss this update and other news.