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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
The German Panzerwerfer is one of two different types of
half-tracked multiple rocket launchers employed by Nazi Germany during the
Second World War. The two self-propelled artillery vehicles are the 15 cm
Panzerwerfer 42 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz.4/1 (based on the Opel Maultier,
or "mule," half-track) and 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Schwerer
Wehrmachtsschlepper (or Panzerwerfer auf SWS).
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 Panzerwerfers and 289 of its variant, the Munitionskraftwagen,
were made.
The Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier was used for larger scale
rocket barrages against positions of Soviet resistance 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.
When the western Allies first went into action against the
Panzerwerfer 42 after D-Day. American intelligence before D-Day pointed to the
use of rocket launchers such as the Nebelwerfer by the German Wehrmacht, but
besides that, they were overly unprepared for the effects of a mobile, armored,
camouflaged, and highly destructive rocket launcher mounted on a half-track
chassis. The British and Canadians were the first of the western Allies to see
the German rocket launchers in action against troop concentrations and Allied
positions. The 7th Werfer Brigade was sent to Normandy from Beauvais after
D-Day, and on June 10 it was in Falaise. The next day, the unit was about 10
kilometers from Caen. The unit was part of the attack on the Orne Bridge, which
was a British held position over the Orne River. The 84th Regiment of the
brigade, which was made up of the 83rd and 84th Regiments, had fourteen combat
ready Panzerwerfers, and the 83rd had about the same. Some other Werfer units
were the 101st SS Werfer Abteilung, 101st Stellungs-Werfer Regiment, and the SS
Werfer Abteilung 102, which was part of the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich.
The 7th Werfer Brigade fired 8,000 tons of ammunition, notably onto Hill 112
(during Operation Jupiter) in support of its recapture by Panzers on June 30.
The British were usually at the receiving end of the Panzerwerfers rockets in
Normandy, but the 15 cm Nebelwerfers were used in large numbers against
American, British, and Canadian troops throughout the summer of 1944.
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.
Panzerwerfers 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.
The Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier weighed 7.1 tons, 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.
Though intended to provide fire support and operate well
behind the point of contact, some Panzerwerfers also had a machine gun mounted
above the cab for protection against infantry attack.
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.
Specifications
Type: Half-track multiple rocket launcher
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1943–1945
Used by: Nazi Germany
Wars: World War II
Designer: Opel
Manufacturer: Opel
Number built: 300
Weight: 7.1 tons (6.33 long tons or 7.82
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/ton
Suspension: Overlapping torsion bar (track); Leaf
spring (wheels)
Speed: 40 km/h (24 mph)
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| Loading a 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. Note the canvas cover over the rocket projector barrels. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 heavily camouflaged with branches. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 in action. |
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| 15cm Panzerwerfer 42 on a Schwerer Wehrmachtschlepper (SWS). |
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| Heavily retouched version of the previous photo used for Allied intelligence publications. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. The fence sections leaning against the vehicles were used as "ladders" by the crews. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| Maintenance on a 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Firing 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| Loading 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| Loading 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| Loading 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier" ready to fire. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| Loading 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 (SdKfz 4/1) Opel "Maultier." |
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| A 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 follows an Sd.Kfz. 250, Russia, March 1944. |
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| An Sd.Kfz. 250 leads a column of 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 along a narrow village street, Belgium, June 1944. |
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| Another view of the Sd.Kfz. 250 leading a column of 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 along a narrow village street, Belgium, June 1944. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Abandoned 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Inspecting abandoned 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| The crew of this 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 of Wurf.-Abt. 11 prepares for firing, Scandinavia, 1944. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| A British soldier examines an abandoned Opel Maultier self-propelled Nebelwerfer, the 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 in the Falaise-Argentan area, 22 August 1944. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 with four tank "kills" marked on side of driver's door. |
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| Another view of the same 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Abandoned 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 being inspected by American soldier. |
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| Loading a 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Abandoned 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Crew loading 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Battery of 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Abandoned vehicles including a 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 and an Sd.Kfz. 251/22 Ausf. D, 7th Panzer Division, March 1945, Russia. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Loading 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Soviet officer inspecting 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1, Russia. |
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| Rear view of 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Abandoned 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. Sherman tank in the background. |
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| Crew with 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| A column of 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1, Russia. |
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| Crew loading a heavily camouflaged 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Painting of 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 for the Roden model kit. |
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| Crew loading 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Three abandoned 30cm Raketenwerfer 56s in front of munitionspanzers, Oelle, April 1945. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 on the move. |
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| Inserting an ERZ 39 initiator into a rocket in a 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Captured 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| American soldier on road with 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1 in background and dead German soldier in foreground. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Abandoned 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Loading an 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| Four view of an 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier 4/1. |
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| 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz.4/1 "Maultier"(Opel). |
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| Schwere Wehrmacht Schlepper Panzerwerfer 42. |
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