Wurfkorper 361

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Wurfkorper 361
Wurfkorper Leuchtpistole.jpg
A schematic of components.
Type Rifle grenade
Place of originFlag of Germany (1935–1945).svg  Nazi Germany
Service history
Used by Wehrmacht
Wars World War II [1]
Specifications
Mass230 g (8.1 oz)
Length180 mm (6.9 in)
DiameterStem: 26 mm (1 in)
Grenade: 60 mm (2.4 in) [1]
Maximum firing range78 m (85 yd) at 45°
Warhead Amatol
Warhead weight110 g (4 oz)
Detonation
mechanism
4.5 second time fuze [1]

The Wurfkorper 361 was a grenade that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The Wurfkorper 361 was designed to be fired from a Leuchtpistole or flare gun in English.

Grenade small bomb that can be thrown by hand

A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand, but can also refer to projectiles shot out of grenade launchers. Generally, a grenade consists of an explosive charge, a detonating mechanism, and firing pin inside the grenade to trigger the detonating mechanism. Once the soldier throws the grenade, the safety lever releases, the striker throws the safety lever away from the grenade body as it rotates to detonate the primer. The primer explodes and ignites the fuze. The fuze burns down to the detonator, which explodes the main charge.

Nazi Germany The German state from 1933 to 1945, under the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler

Nazi Germany is the common English name for Germany between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party (NSDAP) controlled the country through a dictatorship. Under Hitler's rule, Germany was transformed into a totalitarian state that controlled nearly all aspects of life via the Gleichschaltung legal process. The official name of the state was Deutsches Reich until 1943 and Großdeutsches Reich from 1943 to 1945. Nazi Germany is also known as the Third Reich, meaning "Third Realm" or "Third Empire", the first two being the Holy Roman Empire (800–1806) and the German Empire (1871–1918). The Nazi regime ended after the Allies defeated Germany in May 1945, ending World War II in Europe.

Wehrmacht unified armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945

The Wehrmacht was the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe. The designation "Wehrmacht" replaced the previously used term Reichswehr, and was the manifestation of the Nazi regime's efforts to rearm Germany to a greater extent than the Treaty of Versailles permitted.

Contents

Design

The Wurfkorper 361 was a grenade that could be fired from the Leuchtpistole 34, Leuchtpistole 42, or Sturmpistole giving German troops a small and lightweight grenade launcher for engaging targets from close range which could not be engaged satisfactorily by infantry weapons or artillery without endangering friendly troops. [1]

Leuchtpistole 34

The Leuchtpistole 34 or flare gun in English was introduced into German service before World War II and served throughout World War II.

Leuchtpistole 42

The Leuchtpistole 42 or flare gun in English was introduced into German service in 1943 and served throughout World War II.

Sturmpistole

The Sturmpistole (Assault-Pistol) was an attempt by Nazi Germany during World War II to create a multi-purpose weapon which could be used by any infantryman. It consisted of a modified Leuchtpistole or flare gun in English which could fire a variety of grenades, including a 600 g shaped charge Panzerwurfkörper 42 which could penetrate 80 mm of rolled homogeneous armor. The idea was not pursued wholeheartedly, and took second stage to the then current anti-tank rifles and later weapon developments, such as the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck.

The Wurfkorper 361 grenade was formed by screwing a bakelite or wooden stem into an Eierhandgranate 39 which allowed it to be fired from a Leuchtpistole. Inside the base of the stem, there was a flash cap inside an alloy flash tube which connected to a time fuze in the base of the grenade. The Leuchtpistole was a break action gun and a brass or aluminum shell casing containing propellant was pushed into the breech of the gun. Then the safety pin at the base of the stem was removed arming the grenade and the stem was inserted into the muzzle of the gun until it slipped inside the shell casing. The gun would then be closed and the hammer cocked for firing. When the gun fired the stem and grenade were forced from the barrel and the striker in the base of the stem ignited a flash cap and a jet of flame traveled up the flash tube and ignited the time fuze. Once the time fuze expired the grenade detonated. [2]

Model 39 grenade grenade

The Model 39 "Eihandgranate",M39 or Eierhandgranate 39 was a German fragmentation hand grenade introduced in 1939 and produced until the end of World War II.

Break action firearm action using a hinge to expose the breech

Break action is a type of firearm action in which the barrel or barrels are hinged much like a door and rotate perpendicularly to the bore axis to expose the breech and allow loading and unloading of cartridges. A separate operation may be required for the cocking of a hammer to fire the new round. There are many types of break-action firearms; break actions are universal in double-barrelled shotguns, double rifles and combination guns, and are also common in single shot rifles, pistols, and shotguns, and can also be found in flare guns, grenade launchers, air guns and some older revolver designs. They are also known as hinge-action, break-open, break-barrel, break-top, or top-break actions.

Cartridge (firearms) type of ammunition packaging a bullet or shot, a propellant substance, and a primer within a metallic, paper, or plastic case

A cartridge is a type of pre-assembled firearm ammunition packaging a projectile, a propellant substance and an ignition device (primer) within a metallic, paper or plastic case that is precisely made to fit within the barrel chamber of a breechloading gun, for the practical purpose of convenient transportation and handling during shooting. Although in popular usage the term "bullet" is often used to refer to a complete cartridge, it is correctly used only to refer to the projectile.

The Wurfkorper 361 was considered more effective than the Wurfgranate Patrone 326 due to its larger explosive charge but each grenade had its own mission. The Wurfgranate Patrone 326 was used for low angle direct fire where range and accuracy were needed while the Wurfkorper 361 was used for high angle indirect fire where its shrapnel would be useful. The Wurfkorper 361 was not recommended for use at less than 46 m (50 yd) due to the risk from shrapnel and its maximum range was limited to around 78 m (85 yd) at 45° because the grenade had a 4.5 second time fuze. [2]

Wurfgranate Patrone 326

The Wurfgranate Patrone 326 was a small grenade that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The Wurfgranate Patrone 326 was designed to be fired from a Leuchtpistole or flare gun in English.

Direct fire trajectory of a projectile

Direct fire refers to the launching of a projectile directly at a target within the line-of-sight of the firer. The firing weapon must have a sighting device and an unobstructed view to the target, which means no objects or friendly units can be between it and the target. A weapon engaged in direct fire exposes itself to return fire from the target. This is in contrast to indirect fire, which refers to firing a projectile on a ballistic trajectory or delivering munitions by guided or unguided missiles. Indirect fire does not need a direct line of sight to the target because the shots are normally directed by a forward observer. As such, indirect fire weapons can shoot over obstacles or friendly units and the weapons can be concealed from counter-battery fire.

Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting aim by observing the fall of shot and calculating new angles.

Related Research Articles

Shrapnel shell anti-personnel artillery shell which carried a large number of individual bullets

Shrapnel shells were anti-personnel artillery munitions which carried a large number of individual bullets close to the target and then ejected them to allow them to continue along the shell's trajectory and strike the target individually. They relied almost entirely on the shell's velocity for their lethality. The munition has been obsolete since the end of World War I for anti-personnel use, when it was superseded by high-explosive shells for that role. The functioning and principles behind Shrapnel shells are fundamentally different from high-explosive shell fragmentation. Shrapnel is named after Major-General Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842), a British artillery officer, whose experiments, initially conducted on his own time and at his own expense, culminated in the design and development of a new type of artillery shell.

Shell (projectile) projectile

A shell is a payload-carrying projectile that, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot. Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used. Originally, it was called a "bombshell", but "shell" has come to be unambiguous in a military context.

An artillery fuze or fuse is the type of munition fuze used with artillery munitions, typically projectiles fired by guns, howitzers and mortars. A fuze is a device that initiates an explosive function in a munition, most commonly causing it to detonate or release its contents, when its activation conditions are met. This action typically occurs a preset time after firing, or on physical contact with or detected proximity to the ground, a structure or other target. Fuze, a variant of fuse, is the official NATO spelling.

Stielgranate 41

The Stielgranate 41 was a German shaped charge, fin-stabilized shell, used with the 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun to give it better anti-tank performance.

30 cm Wurfkörper 42 Spreng

The 30 cm Wurfkörper 42 Spreng was an unguided spin-stabilized artillery rocket developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II.

Propaganda-Gewehrgranate

The Propaganda-Gewehrgranate was a non-lethal rifle grenade designed to deliver propaganda leaflets that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II.

Gewehr-Sprenggranate

The Gewehr-Sprenggranate was a high-explosive rifle grenade that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II.

Gewehr-Panzergranate

The Gewehr-Panzergranate was a shaped charge rifle grenade that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II.

Gewehr-Granatpatrone 40

The Gewehr-Granatpatrone 40 or GGP/40 for short was a shaped charge rifle grenade used by German forces during the Second World War. It was originally developed for Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger units to provide them with a light and portable anti-tank weapon.

Panzerwurfkörper 42

The Panzerwurfkörper 42 was an HEAT grenade that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The Panzerwurfkörper 42 was designed to be fired from a Leuchtpistole or flare gun in English.

Multi-Star Signal Cartridge

The Multi-Star Signal Cartridge was a non-lethal signal flare that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The Multi-Star Signal Cartridge was designed to be fired from a Leuchtpistole or flare gun in English.

Fallschirm Leuchtpatrone

The Fallschirm Leuchtpatrone or "parachute light cartridge" in English was a non-lethal star shell that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The Fallschirm Leuchtpatrone was designed to be fired from a Kampfpistole flare gun.

Nebelpatrone

The Nebelpatrone or "fog cartridge" in English was a non-lethal smoke grenade that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The Nebelpatrone was designed to be fired from a Kampfpistole flare gun.

Sprengpatrone

The Sprengpatrone or "explosive cartridge" in English was a rifle grenade that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The Sprengpatrone was designed to be fired from a Kampfpistole flare gun.

Kampfpistole

The Kampfpistole or "struggle pistol" in English was a flare gun introduced into German service during 1939 and served throughout World War II.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 United States. War Department. Military Intelligence Division (1943-01-01). Tactical And Technical Trends, Nos. 21-30.
  2. 1 2 unknown (1 August 1945). Catalog Of Enemy Ordnance Material. www.paperlessarchives.com/FreeTitles/CatalogOfEnemyOrdnanceMateriel.pdf: Office of the chief of ordnance. p. 324.
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