 The Mortaio da 210/8 was a multi-purpose weapon that could be used in a number of roles such as fortress, coastal and siege artillery.Despite the name "Mortaio," the weapon was not a mortar, but rather a short-barreled howitzer (a Mörser in German terms).The 210/8 was fairly conventional for its time and most nations had similar weapons such as the Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880, 8-inch mortar M1877 and 21 cm Mörser 99.