21cm Nebelwerfer 42 (21cm NbW 42)

History

The 21-cm-Nebelwerfer 42 (translated as "smoke launcher" or "nebel-thrower", abbreviated as "21-cm-NbW 42") was a combat artillery support system used by the German Army during World War II. The weapon is designed to fire a barrage of high-explosive missiles with a certain degree of accuracy at a concentration of enemy forces or personnel being excavated.

In addition to their apparent inherent lethal capabilities, these weapons can also be used to unleash unseen psychological effects on those unfortunate enough to be targeted by a salvo. Finally, from 1942 to the end of the war in 1945, 1,487 to 1,587 copies were delivered to the Bundeswehr.

While the basic concept of battlefield missiles has been around for thousands of years, it was not really revived until World War II. All major powers are intensively studying the development of this weapon, with the USSR leading the way in actual use on the front lines - using missiles from their famous "Katyusha" system in setting up large-scale ground offensives, from "soft" to make the first infantry booster. Unlike the Soviet Union, however, the Germans were the technological leaders in the field, opting to use their rocket systems as additional weapons to complement the artillery.

As a result, rockets were fully utilized on the Eastern Front, with Wehrmacht invaders going head-to-head with Red Army defendersthe two became the two largest battlefield rocket users of the war.

Despite the late stage of World War II, the use of barrage missiles has inherent advantages and limitations. Rocket weapons proved to be cheaper than other special systems in mass production, and their psychological impact on the enemy was unparalleled. The warhead can be modified to suit the operator's needs, and the throw is quick and ferocious, with explosions all over the target area after the blast. However, the rocket is still just a launch projectile attached to the basic "point A to point B" trajectory.

Therefore, this trajectory is always open to external influences, which greatly affects the rocket's journey from launch to impact. Combined with the uneven combustion of the propellant, a single rocket has little ability to hit a precise target, thus forcing the use of "barrage" firepower by deploying multiple rocket "projection" systems.

Although the Treaty of Versailles prohibited the development of heavy artillery in Germany, it had no effect on the development of rocket artillery. In 1931, German engineers secretly began working on several solutions for launching missiles with explosive and even poisonous tips to strike prospective enemies across Europe. The end result was a series of "Nebelwerfer" designs that proved to be very effective against German forces in conquests in the near future. This is the case with the implementation of the 21 cm Nebelwerfer 42 system.

On more than one occasion, its use was a key factor in Germany's victory during World War II - just as a machine gun could tip the scales in its master's favor in World War I, such as the Nebelwerfer 42 The system can also bring goodwill to the Germans.

The origin of the 21 cm Nebelwerfer 42 lies in the success of the Germans with 15 cm rocket weapons. In 1941, engineers decided to take the 15cm model and provide the Army with a larger caliber gun to provide more firepower, resulting in the 21cm (210mm/8.27in) Nebelwerfer supplied to the "Nebeltruppen" unit in 1942, the German equivalent of The specialty of the U.S. "Chemical Corps".

The 21 cm Nebelwerfer 42 used a set of five mounted launch tubes mounted on top of the cradle, arranged in a "star" pattern; two tubes near the bottom of the array, two tubes well spaced in the middle, and finally One starting tube is between and slightly above the top pair, with noticeable gaps between all tubes. The projector stand was originally designed to simply zoom in on a basic 15cm projector - complete with six launch tubes - but the larger aperture created balance issues during transport and launch, requiring the loss of one launch tube. Each launch tube has wires and is triggered by a "piston" explosion-type activation unit. The unit is equipped with a number of connecting cables to allow the weapon to be fired safely from a nearby location where it is desired to be covered.

The transport frame on which the launch tubes sit is a modification of the transport frame used for the PaK 35/36 anti-tank guns, although it has a specially designed stabilizer leg at the front for additional firing support. The carriage has two large wheels and appropriate tow arms, making the system highly mobile when attached to a support truck or similar vehicle. Additionally, the road wheels gave Nebelwerfer crews the flexibility to change their fire range simply by turning the system to a new firing direction.

The crew generally consists of four people.

Each Artillerie 21cm rocket - known as the "21cm Lassengranate 42" - is a specially designed projectile that mimics traditional artillery ammunition in appearance. An elongated nose cone provided the necessary aerodynamic flow, and the fuselage was cylindrical, resulting in a truncated base with no apparent stabilizing fins. However, this external design is a bit misleading, as the warhead usually found in the nose cone assembly of a projectile is actually mounted behind the tip - the tip is still hollow. The 14.3-pound motor is mounted on the front of the case, while the 22-corner "Venturi" is mounted on the case to give it the necessary rotational stability in flight. The ports are set at 16 degrees off-axis and provide a "pull" or clockwise rotation during flight.

About 22.4 pounds of explosives constituted the projectile's lethal payload - only high-explosive projectiles were used in the Nebelwerfer 42 (AP rounds were not developed). However, special liner rails can be installed in each launch tube to accommodate 15cm throwing grenade 41 series rockets, which themselves may be covered with high explosives, smoke or even poison.

In addition, the missile can be equipped with delayed fuze or shock detonation as required.

The launch action required the Nebelwerfer team to stay away from the prepared launch tube and take cover as much as possible. After the launch order is given, a crew member activates the launch piston, and the tubes respond, firing one missile at a time in a predetermined launch sequence until all missiles leave the tubes (note that the system does not launch individual missiles individually, only this rocket groups with staggered firing patterns). The crew can then move the projectors to different locations or load new projectiles into each launch tube for another lethal salvo.

It took only eight seconds to unleash a full salvo.

As expected, the launch of Nebelwerfer 42 was not without consequences. Each launch of the rocket sends out a lot of "bounces", creating a lot of dust and debris, and smoke (from the rocket) in the process.

This could actually communicate the approximate position of the artillery to an alert enemy on the receiving side, which in turn would allow the Nebelwerfer crew to receive a heavy artillery or similar missile response. In addition, the missile launch sequence created a perceptible noise level that was immediately detectable by the enemy, giving up the initiative to some extent.

Enemies now know the weapon type, the ammo used, and the approximate time to reload. However, no one can ignore the power of the Nibelover unit as a whole, especially when paired with other similar units or artillery, their overall effectiveness far outweighs the dangers on the battlefield.

On the Eastern Front, the Nebelwerfer system was often used in combination with artillery systems for double whammy in support of German Army ground operations. Nebelwerfer 42 operates in groups of six launchers, organized in groups of three per battalion, and operates as an independent brigade.

Beyond the Eastern Front, the Nebelwerfer team was used against Allied forces throughout North Africa, occupied France and Fascist Italy, the latter following the 1943 Allied campaign.

In fact, the 21cm Nebelwerfer 42 was so powerful that the Americans captured intact specimens and sent them back to the US for inspection; the US generally lags behind others in the design and production of similar rocket launchers Great country. In this regard, the Americans copied the Nebelwefer 42 under the name "T36". Although the system never entered production, it was an important test bed for the U.S.

Army.

The Luftwaffe also valued the Nebelwerfer 42 rocket and called it Werfer-Granate 21 ("WGr. 21", also known as "Bordrakete 21" - "BR 21") from 1943.

This version differed in the use of timed fuzes with larger warheads to strike large formations of Allied bombers that were disrupting German war infrastructure through day and night operations. These missiles are housed in specially designed single-shot launch tubes for use by German fighter jets, heavy fighter jets and special "bomber-destroyer".

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

5 x 21cm projectile or 5 x 15cm projectile with special tube adapter. HE warheads (21cm and 15cm), smoke (15cm) and poison gas (15cm); reload depends on ammunition carrier.

Changes