8 cm Granatwerfer 34
| 8 cm Granatwerfer 34 | |
|---|---|
 A GrW 34 at the Festung Hohensalzburg | |
| Type | Medium Mortar |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1937 – 1952 |
| Used by | See § Users |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Rheinmetall |
| Designed | 1932 – 1934 |
| Manufacturer | Rheinmetall |
| Unit cost | 810 Reichsmark |
| Produced | 1934 – 1945 |
| No. built | 75,255[1] |
| Variants | See § Varirants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass |
|
| Barrel length | 1,140 mm (44.88 in) |
| Crew | 6 |
| Shell weight | 3.5 kg (7 lb 11 oz) |
| Caliber | 81.4 mm (3.20 in) |
| Elevation | +45° / +90° |
| Traverse | 10° / 23° |
| Rate of fire | 15–25 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 174 m/s (571 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 400–1,200 m (437–1,310 yd) |
| Maximum firing range | 2,400 m (2,620 yd) |
| Filling weight | See § Ammunition |
The 8 cm Granatwerfer 34 (8 cm GrW 34) was the standard German infantry mortar throughout World War II.[2] It was noted for its accuracy and rapid rate of fire.[3]
History
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The weapon was of conventional design and broke down into three loads (smooth bore barrel, bipod, baseplate) for transport.[2] Attached to the bipod were a traversing handwheel and a cross-leveling handwheel below the elevating mechanism.[4] A panoramic sight was mounted on the traversing mechanism yoke for fine adjustments. A line on the tube could be used for rough laying.[5]
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.[5]
A total of 74,336,000 rounds of ammunition were produced for the Granatwerfer 34 from September 1939 to March 1945.[1]
Variants
[edit]- 8 cm GrW 34/1 — An adaptation for use in self-propelled mountings.
- kz 8 cm GrW 42 — A lightened version with a shorter barrel.
Users
[edit]
Kz 8 cm GrW 42
[edit]| kurzer 8 cm Granatwerfer 42 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Medium Mortar |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943 – 1945 |
| Used by |  Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Rheinmetall |
| Designed | 1940 – 1941 |
| Manufacturer | Rheinmetall |
| Produced | 1941 – 1943 |
| No. built | 1,591 (1943)[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 26.5 kg (58.42 lb) |
| Barrel length | 740 mm (29.13 in)[3] L/9.2 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Shell weight | 3.5 kg (7 lb 11 oz) |
| Caliber | 81.4 mm (3.2 in) |
| Elevation | +40° / +90° |
| Traverse | 14° / 24° |
| Rate of fire | 15–25 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 174 m/s (571 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 1,100 m (1,200 yd) |
| Filling weight | See § Ammunition |
The kurzer 8 cm Granatwerfer 42 (kz 8 cm GrW 42) was a mortar used by Germany during World War II. Nicknamed the "Stummelwerfer" (Stump-Thrower)[7], 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 mortar system broke down into the standard three loads for transport.[8][9][10][11]
Ammunition
[edit]List of available ammunition for the Granatwerfer 34.[note 1]
| 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 |
See also
[edit]Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
[edit]- Brandt Mle 27/31 — Original French mortar design of the 1920s, after which all 3″/8 cm/81.4 mm/82 mm mortars of the Second World War era were patterned
- Ordnance ML 3 inch Mortar — British equivalent
- M1 mortar — US equivalent
Notes
[edit]- ^ Database of the Dresdner Sprengschule GmbH.
References
[edit]- Citations
- ^ a b c "Lexikon der Wehrmacht - Granatwerfer der Wehrmacht" [Wehrmacht Encyclopedia - Wehrmacht mortars]. www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de (in German).
- ^ a b United States War Department General Staff 1943, pp. 102
- ^ a b Chamberlain & Gander 1975, pp. 7.
- ^ United States War Department General Staff 1943, pp. 103–104
- ^ a b United States War Department General Staff 1943, pp. 102–112
- ^ Vukšić 2003, pp. 25, 61
- ^ "Kurzer 8cm Granatwerfer 42 (kz 8cm GrW 42) Medium Infantry Mortar". www.militaryfactory.com.
- ^ "kurzer 8 cm Granatwerfer 42, Eastern Front". www.historyofwar.org.
- ^ "kz 8-cm-GrW 42 (8cm minomet)". armedconflicts.com. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
- ^ "Kürzer 8 cm Granatwerfer 42 light mortar". dday-overlord.com. February 19, 2016.
- ^ "GRANATWERFER 42 (KURZ)". quartermastersection.com. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
- Sources
- United States War Department General Staff (May 25, 1943). German Infantry Weapons. Special series no. 14. Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off. OCLC 6337008.
- Chamberlain, Peter; Gander, Terry (1975). Mortars and rockets. New York: Arco Pub. Co. ISBN 0-668-03817-9. OCLC 2067459.
- Chamberlain, Peter; Gander, Terry (1979). Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces, 1939–1945. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-15090-3. OCLC 5071295.
- Vukšić, Velimir (July 2003). Tito's Partisans 1941–45. Warrior 73. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-675-1.
External links
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