Panzerwerfer

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Panzerwerfer" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Panzerwerfer
Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier (Sd.Kfz. 4/1)
Type	Half-track multiple rocket launcher
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1943–1945
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Opel
Manufacturer	Opel
No. built	300
Specifications
Mass	7.1 tonnes (6.99 long tons or 7.83 short tons)
Length	6 m (19.69 ft)
Width	2 m (6.56 ft)
Height	3 m (9.84 ft)
Armor	6-14.5 mm (0.24-0.57 in)
Main armament	15 cm Nebelwerfer 41
Secondary armament	MG 34 or MG 42
Engine	one Adam Opel 6-cylinder petrol engine 69 PS (68 hp)
Power/weight	9.58 hp/tonne
Suspension	Overlapping torsion bar (track) Leaf spring (wheels)
Maximum speed	40 km/h (24 mph)

The German Panzerwerfer refers to either of two different types of

Development

The Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier, Sd.Kfz. 4/1, first went into production in April 1943, and was produced until March 1945. Hitler called for production of the vehicle in January 1942, and the vehicle saw its first tests on the Eastern Front in fall of 1943. Opel was the main manufacturer, producing most of the components, including the 3.6 liter, 6 cylinder Adam Opel engine, which had 68 horsepower and an 80-liter fuel capacity. Throughout the three years it was produced, 300 Panzerwerfer and 289 of its variant, the Munitionskraftwagen, were made.^[1]

Combat history

Campaign in the Soviet Union

The Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier was used for larger scale rocket barrages against Soviet positions where a large bombardment of a big area would be more effective than more accurate artillery fire. The Panzerwerfer's rocket barrages covered much larger areas and added more psychological elements to the fight: the amount of noise, smoke, splinters, and flying debris as the rockets hit and exploded was considerable. The extensive use on the Eastern Front showed that this weapon could be employed effectively on the Western Front as well. The weapon was finally introduced throughout the army on May 14, 1944, in France.^[2]

Campaign in France

The western

The Battle of the Bulge saw intensive use of German armored rocket launchers. The most concentrated, massed salvos were used in the Ardennes region of Belgium in 1944 during the weeks of the German offensive.

Panzerwerfer saw extensive use during April and May 1945, as the Soviets were quickly advancing on Berlin and the German forces employed rocket artillery in a defensive mode. Rocket launchers were used in large numbers defending positions inside of Germany and close to Berlin as the Soviets advanced from the east and the Allies from the west.^[5]

Vehicle performance and weapon specifications

The Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier weighed 7.1 tonnes, was six meters long, two meters wide, and nearly three meters high. It was capable of reaching speeds of up to 40 km/h. One of these half tracked vehicles generally carried a Nebelwerfer 41 launching system, which was specially designed to be mounted on the Opel-engine powered Panzerwerfer. The German engineers designed this system because of the conspicuous trails of smoke left behind by the Nebelwerfer batteries, which necessitated a self-propelled artillery piece for quick relocation after firing. The system contained 10 missile tubes, and generally carried 20 projectiles, enough for the vehicle to fire two full salvos. The effective range for a Panzerwerfer's rockets was about 4,000-6,500 meters, and the maximum range was less than 7,000.^[6]

Though intended to provide fire support and operate well behind the point of contact, some Panzerwerfer also had a machine gun mounted above the cab for protection against infantry attack.

Reputation

Known as the "Moaning Minnie" by Allied soldiers for the distinctive noise the rockets made when fired, it was less accurate than a dedicated artillery piece, but its ability to saturate an area with fire and its psychological effects on infantry made it a valuable asset.^{[citation needed]}

References