17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer

17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer
17 cm Minenwerfer n/A at the Verdun Memorial, Verdun, France
Type	Medium trench mortar
Place of origin	German Empire
Service history
In service	1913–1918
Used by	German Empire  Latvia[1]
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designer	Rheinmetall
Manufacturer	Rheinmetall
Produced	1913–1918
No. built	approx. 2361
Variants	17 cm mMW n/A
Specifications
Mass	483 kg (1,065 lbs)
Barrel length	a/A: 64.6 cm (2 ft 1 in) L/3.8 n/A: 76.5 cm (2 ft 6 in) L/4.5
Calibre	170 mm (6.69 in)
Recoil	hydro-spring
Carriage	box trail
Elevation	+45° to 90°
Traverse	25°
Rate of fire	20 rpm
Muzzle velocity	200 m/s (656 ft/s)
Effective firing range	300 m (325 yards)
Maximum firing range	1,600 meters (1,700 yd)
Sights	panoramic

The 17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer (17 cm mMW) was a mortar used by Germany in World War I.

Development and use

The weapon was developed for use by engineer troops after the

, which was in short supply. This caused a large number of premature detonations that made crewing the Minenwerfer riskier than normal artillery pieces.

A new version of the weapon, with a longer barrel, was put into production at some point during the war. It was called the 17 cm mMW n/A (neuer Art) or 'new pattern', while the older model was termed the a/A (alter Art) or 'old pattern'.

In action the mMW was emplaced in a pit, after its wheels were removed, not less than 1.5 meters deep to protect it and its crew. It could be towed short distances by four men or carried by 17. Despite its extremely short range, the mMW proved to be very effective at destroying bunkers and other field fortifications. Consequently, its numbers went from 116 in service when the war broke out to some 2,361 in 1918.^[2]

Two pieces of 17 cm mMW was also used by SS Heimwehr Danzig troops during the invasion of Poland.^[3]

Surviving examples

• The Central Museum of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, Shilo, Manitoba
• At the Australian War Memorial, Canberra
• Also in Auburn, Massachusetts, an early short barrel model survives at the American Legion Hall
• a/A (1917 Rh.MF. Nr.5763) at the Queensland Museum], Brisbane
• n/A (1917 Sächsische Maschinen Fabrik Nr 5184) at the Campbeltown Heritage Centre, Scotland
• 4980 outside the District Council Service Center, Roxburgh, Otago New Zealand.^[4][5]
• Wilbur Avenue, Cranston, Rhode Island
• Memorial Hall, Monson, Massachusetts
• Falls Park, Pendleton, Indiana USA
• Stavely Centennial Park in Stavely, Alberta has a short-barreled version (serial number 1972) of the mortar on display along with a
  Spandau machine gun.^[6]
• The Vytautas the Great War Museum https://www.vdkaromuziejus.lt/en/
• Royal Canadian Legion Branch #15 Harbour_Grace^[7]

See also

• Minenwerfer
• 7.58 cm leichte Minenwerfer
• 25 cm schwerer Minenwerfer

Photo Gallery

• 
  An early short barreled version on its carriage
• 
  The a/A model in transport mode, with wheels attached
• 
  The n/A model (with long barrel), at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra
• 
  1917 a/A mMW Nr.5753 at the Queensland Museum, Brisbane
• 
  The 1917 n/A model Minenwerfer in the grounds of Campbeltown Heritage Centre, Scotland
• 
  Rheinmetall 17 cm mortar captured by the 2nd Canterbury Infantry Bn on 2 August 1918 as a memorial at the Roxburgh Council Building, New Zealand
• 
  A diagram of a 17 cm chemical shell
• 
  A diagram of a 17 cm incendiary shell

Notes

References

• Jäger, Herbert. (2001). German Artillery of World War One. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: Crowood Press.
  ISBN 1-86126-403-8
  .

External links

• mMW on Landships