The 30 cm Raketenwerfer 56 was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple launchers which are fixed to a single platform, and shoots its rocket ordnance in a fashion similar to a volle ...
used in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. It served with units of the ''Nebeltruppen'', the German equivalent of the U.S. Army's ''
Chemical Corps
The Chemical Corps is the branch of the United States Army tasked with defending against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons. The Chemical Warfare Service was established on 28 June 1918, combining activities that until ...
''. Just as the ''Chemical Corps'' had responsibility for poison gas and smoke weapons that were used instead to deliver
high-explosive
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...
s during the war so did the ''Nebeltruppen''. The name "Nebelwerfer" is best translated as "Smoke Mortar". 694 saw service from 1944–45 in all theaters except Norway.
Description
The ''30 cm Raketenwerfer 56'' was a six-barreled rocket launcher mounted on the carriage of the
5 cm PaK 38 anti-tank gun
An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...
. Its ''
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.
Design
The 30 cm Wurfkörper 42 Spreng was conceptually similar to earlier rockets such as th ...
(Explosive missile)'' rocket was spin-stabilized and electrically-fired. The rockets had a prominent exhaust trail that kicked up a lot of debris, so the crew had to seek shelter before firing. This meant that they were easily located and
had to displace quickly to avoid
counter-battery fire
Counter-battery fire (sometimes called counter-fire) is a battlefield tactic employed to defeat the enemy's indirect fire elements (multiple rocket launchers, artillery and mortars), including their target acquisition, as well as their command an ...
. The rockets were fired one at a time, in a timed ripple, but the launcher had no capability to fire single rockets. ''15 cm Wurfgranate 41'' rockets could be fired using liner rails. When not in use the rails were strapped to the top of the launcher.
The same rocket was used in the
30 cm Nebelwerfer 42 launcher.
Organization and use
The ''30 cm Raketenwerfer 56'' was organized into batteries of six launchers with three batteries per battalion. These battalions were concentrated in independent ''Werfer-Regiments'' and ''Brigades''. It saw service on the
Eastern Front,
Italian Campaign and the
defense of France and Germany from 1944–45.
[Kameradschaft, vols. 1 and 2]
See also
*
30 cm Nebelwerfer 42
Notes
References
* Englemann, Joachim and Scheibert, Horst. ''Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliderung, Ausbildung, Führung, Einsatz''. Limburg/Lahn, Germany: C. A. Starke, 1974
* Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. ''Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945''. New York: Doubleday, 1979
* Kameradschaft der ABC-Abwehr, Nebel- und Werfertruppen e.V. ''Die Nebel- und Werfertruppe (Regimentsbögen)''. 2001
External links
Lexikon der Wehrmacht on Nebelwerfers(in German)
YouTube video of different kinds of Nebelwerfers in action
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
Rocket artillery
World War II artillery of Germany
300 mm artillery
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1944