[[East Germany]]
[[Bulgaria]]
[[Yugoslavian Partisans]]{{cite book|series=Warrior 73|title=Tito's Partisans 1941–45|last=Vukšić|first=Velimir|date=July 2003|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84176-675-1|pages=25,61}}"},"wars":{"wt":"[[World War II]]\n"},"designer":{"wt":"[[Rheinmetall]]"},"design_date":{"wt":"1932–1934"},"manufacturer":{"wt":""},"unit_cost":{"wt":"810 [[Reichsmark]]"},"production_date":{"wt":"1934–1945"},"number":{"wt":"75,255[http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Waffen/granatwerfer.htm]{{in lang|de}}"},"variants":{"wt":"8 cm GrW 34/1\n"},"weight":{"wt":"62 kg (136.6 lbs)
steel barrel
57 kg (125.6 lbs)
alloy barrel"},"length":{"wt":""},"part_length":{"wt":"{{convert|1.14|m|ftin|abbr=on}}"},"crew":{"wt":""},"cartridge":{"wt":"{{convert|3.5|kg|lboz|abbr=on}}"},"caliber":{"wt":"81.4 mm (3.20 in)"},"action":{"wt":""},"rate":{"wt":"15-25 rpm"},"velocity":{"wt":"174 m/s (571 ft/s)"},"range":{"wt":"{{convert|400-1200|m|yd|abbr=on}}"},"max_range":{"wt":"{{convert|2.4|km|mi|abbr=on}}"},"feed":{"wt":""},"sights":{"wt":""},"breech":{"wt":""},"recoil":{"wt":""},"carriage":{"wt":""},"elevation":{"wt":"45°to 90°"},"traverse":{"wt":"10°to 23°\n"},"blade_type":{"wt":""},"hilt_type":{"wt":""},"head_type":{"wt":""},"haft_type":{"wt":""},"diameter":{"wt":""},"filling":{"wt":""},"filling_weight":{"wt":""},"detonation":{"wt":""},"yield":{"wt":""}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwBA">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}
8 cm Granatwerfer 34 | |
---|---|
Type | Mortar |
Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
Service history | |
In service | 1937–1952 |
Used by | Nazi Germany East Germany Bulgaria Yugoslavian Partisans [1] |
Wars | World War II |
Production history | |
Designer | Rheinmetall |
Designed | 1932–1934 |
Unit cost | 810 Reichsmark |
Produced | 1934–1945 |
No. built | 75,255 [2] |
Variants | 8 cm GrW 34/1 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 62 kg (136.6 lbs) steel barrel 57 kg (125.6 lbs) alloy barrel |
Barrel length | 1.14 m (3 ft 9 in) |
Shell | 3.5 kg (7 lb 11 oz) |
Caliber | 81.4 mm (3.20 in) |
Elevation | 45° to 90° |
Traverse | 10° to 23° |
Rate of fire | 15-25 rpm |
Muzzle velocity | 174 m/s (571 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 400–1,200 m (440–1,310 yd) |
Maximum firing range | 2.4 km (1.5 mi) |
The 8 cm Granatwerfer 34 (8 cm GrW 34) was the standard German infantry mortar throughout World War II. [3] It was noted for its accuracy and rapid rate of fire. [4]
The weapon was of conventional design and broke down into three loads (smooth bore barrel, bipod, baseplate) for transport. [3] Attached to the bipod were a traversing handwheel and a cross-leveling handwheel below the elevating mechanism. [5] A panoramic sight was mounted on the traversing mechanism yoke for fine adjustments. A line on the tube could be used for rough laying. [6]
The 8 cm GrW 34/1 was an adaptation for use in self-propelled mountings. A lightened version with a shorter barrel was put into production as the kurzer 8 cm Granatwerfer 42.
The mortar employed conventional 8 cm 3.5 kg shells (high explosive or smoke) with percussion fuzes. The range could be extended by fitting up to three additional powder charges between the shell tailfins. [6]
A total of 74,336,000 rounds of ammunition were produced for the Granatwerfer 34 from September 1939 to March 1945. [2]
List of available ammunition for the Granatwerfer 34. [7]
Name | Caliber | Mass of explosive material | Target effect | Other information |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wurfgranate 34 (Mortar grenade 34) | 80,7 mm | 533 g | Blast and shrapnel effect | |
Wurfgranate 34 Blauring (Mortar grenade 34 bluering) | 530 g | Blast, shrapnel and chemical effect | Chemical agent: Adamsite | |
Wurfgranate 34 Ex (Mortar grenade 34 dummy) | 0 g | None (training ammunition) | Ammunition used for learning general handling | |
Wurfgranate 34 Nb (Mortar grenade 34 smoke) | 500 g | Smoke effect | Effect load: Sulfur trioxide in pumice stone | |
Wurfgranate 34 Üb (Mortar grenade 34 training) | 57 g | Minimal blast effect | Training ammunition | |
Wurfgranate 34 Weißring (Mortar grenade 34 whitering) | 550 g | Blast, shrapnel and chemical effect | Chemical agent: Phenacyl chloride | |
Wurfgranate 38 (Mortar grenade 38) | 400 g | Blast and shrapnel effect | ||
Wurfgranate 38 Deut (Mortar grenade 38) | 200 g | Ejection charge | ||
Wurfgranate 38 umg (Mortar grenade 38 rebuild) | 550 g | Blast and shrapnel effect | ||
Wurfgranate 39 (Mortar grenade 39) | 400 g | Blast and shrapnel effect | ||
Wurfgranate 40 (Mortar grenade 40) | 80,9 mm | 2000 g | Blast and shrapnel effect | |
Wurfgranate 40 Üb (Mortar grenade 40 training) | 0 g | None | Training ammunition | |
The Brixia Model 35 was an Italian small-sized, rapid-firing light mortar of World War II. The Brixia Modello 35 provided light supporting fire to the infantry companies. It was issued at battalion level, with each battalion containing nine mortars parceled out to each infantry company. It had a reasonable rate of fire but lacked power due to the small round. It was widely used and saw action on every major Italian front.
The Type 11 70 mm infantry mortar, was a muzzle-loading, rifled bore infantry mortar used by the Japanese. The Type 11 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the 11th year of Emperor Taishō's reign (1922). It was first used in 1922 and was the first mortar to be introduced by the Imperial Japanese Army. The Type 11 was later replaced by the Type 92 battalion gun.
The Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar was the primary Japanese infantry mortar during World War II. The Type 97 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the year 2597 of the Japanese calendar (1937).
The 120-PM-38 or M1938 was a 120 mm Soviet mortar that was used in large numbers by the Red Army during World War II. Although a conventional design its combination of light weight, mobility, heavy firepower and range saw its features widely copied by successive generations of mortars.
The Ordnance ML 3-inch mortar was the United Kingdom's standard mortar used by the British Army from the early 1930s to the late 1960s, superseding the Stokes mortar. Initially handicapped by its short range compared to similar Second World War mortars, improvements of the propellant charges enabled it to be used with great satisfaction by various armies of the British Empire and of the Commonwealth.
The 12 cm Granatwerfer 42 was a mortar used by Germany during World War II.
The M19 Mortar is a light, smoothbore, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon for light infantry support developed and produced in the United States. It has been replaced in service by the more modern 60 mm M224 mortar, which has a much longer range and improved ammunition.
The 5 cm leichter Granatwerfer 36 was a light mortar used by Nazi Germany during World War II.
The 82-PM-41, M-41 or the 82-mm mortar Model 1941 was a Soviet 82-millimeter calibre mortar developed during the Second World War as an infantry battalion mortar, and which began production in 1941.
The PAW 600 was a lightweight anti-tank gun that used the high-low pressure system to fire hollow charge warheads. In 1945, it was used operationally by the Wehrmacht in small numbers. Only about 260 were produced before the war's end.
The 10 cm PAW 1000 - later re-designated 10H64 - was a lightweight anti-tank gun that utilized a high-low pressure system to fire hollow charge warheads.
The 21 cm Granatwerfer 69 was a mortar used by Germany during World War II. This weapon may also be known as the GR 19 and B 19 or by its nickname "Elefant".
The kurzer 8 cm Granatwerfer 42 was a mortar used by Germany during World War II. It was developed as a lightened version of the standard German 8 cm GrW 34 medium mortar with a shorter barrel for use by paratroopers, but replaced the ineffective 5 cm leGrW 36 as that weapon's shortcomings became apparent. The kz 8 cm GrW 42 fired a bomb over 3 and a half times heavier twice as far as the smaller mortar, but was less than twice as heavy. It broke down into the standard three loads for transport.
The 10 cm Nebelwerfer 35 was a heavy mortar used by Germany during World War II. Much like the American M2 4.2 inch mortar it was intended to deliver chemical munitions, such as gas and smoke shells. Unlike the American weapon it appears to have had an ordinary high-explosive shell from the beginning. It was of conventional design, and was virtually a scaled-up 8 cm GrW 34. It broke down into the standard three loads for transport. The tube weighed 31.7 kg (70 lb), the baseplate 36.3 kg (80 lb) and the bipod 32.2 kg (71 lb). Each could be man-packed for some distance, but small handcarts were issued for longer distances. Each mortar squad consisted of a squad leader, three gunners and three ammunition bearers.
The 9 cm Minenwerfer M 17 was a medium mortar used by Austria-Hungary in World War I. It was developed by the Hungarian Gun Factory to meet a competition held on 3 October 1917 to replace both of the earlier light mortars, the M 14/16 and the Lanz. Production was slow to ramp up and only ten weapons could be delivered in January 1918. The first large deliveries were made in March 1918, but the raw materials crisis and strained production facilities hindered the TMK's plan to produce 2730 mortars by October 1918.
The 8 cm minomet vz. 36 was a medium mortar designed by the Škoda Works during the Thirties. Intended as standard medium infantry mortar for the Czechoslovak Army all available weapons were impressed into service by the German Army when they occupied Bohemia-Moravia in March 1939 and the Slovaks seized approximately one hundred fifty when they declared independence from Czechoslovakia at the same time. Slovak weapons saw combat in the Slovak-Hungarian War, the invasion of Poland, the opening months of Operation Barbarossa and the Slovak National Uprising.
The 81/14 Model 35 Mortar was an Italian World War II infantry mortar. It was the standard weapon of the Italian Army during the war, of typical Brandt-system construction, but relatively lightweight, with good range and considered very successful.
The Type 3 81 mm mortar is a smooth bore, muzzle-loading 81 mm (3.19 in) infantry weapon used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The Type 3 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the 3rd year of Emperor Taishō's reign (1914).
The Type 2 12 cm mortar is a smooth bore, muzzle-loading type mortar which, except for the firing mechanism, closely resembles the conventional Stokes-Brandt 81 mm mortar. The Type 2 120mm mortar was the final standardized armament for Japanese trench mortar battalions, effectively replacing less powerful 90mm trench mortars and heavier 150mm trench mortars.
The Lance Grenades de 50 mm modèle 37 was a French light infantry mortar designed and produced shortly before the Second World War.