5 cm Granatwerfer 36

Granatwerfer 36

A leGrW 36 on display at
Festung Hohensalzburg
Type Mortar
Place of origin Nazi Germany
Service history
In service 1936 1945
Used by Nazi Germany
Kingdom of Bulgaria
Kingdom of Hungary[1]
Slovak Republic (1939–1945)
Wars Second World War
Production history
Designer Rheinmetall
Designed 1934
Produced 1936-1945
Specifications
Weight 14 kg (31 lb)[2]
Barrel length 46.5 cm (1 ft 6 in)[2]
Crew 2

Shell 0.9 kg (2 lb) TNT filled[2]
Caliber 50 mm (1.97 in)[2]
Elevation 42° to 90°
Traverse 33° 45'
Rate of fire 15-25 rpm
Muzzle velocity 75 m/s (246 ft/s)
Effective firing range 50 m (54.7 yd) min
510 m (557.7 yd) max
Maximum firing range 520 m (568.7 yd)
Sights Telescopic, later none

The 5 cm leichter Granatwerfer 36 (5 cm leGrW 36) was a light mortar used by Nazi Germany during World War II.

History

The mortar's development was started in 1934 by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG and it was adopted for service in 1936. Its intended role was to engage pockets of resistance that were beyond a hand grenade's throwing range. Until 1938, it used a complicated telescopic sight. By 1941, the Granatwerfer 36 was seen as too complex for its intended role. It fired too light a shell and had too short of a range. It was used as a platoon mortar and operated by a 3-man team. Production was terminated in 1941. By 1942, it had been gradually withdrawn from front line service. However, it remained in use with second-line and garrison units until the end of the Second World War in 1945. As ammunition stocks for the mortar dwindled during 1944-1945, coupled with the loss of the actual mortars, the Germans often relied on captured French[3] and Soviet 50 mm mortars. The 50 mm continued to be popular for the remainder of the war, simply because it was easily transported by two men, and provided the Infantry with a hitting power and range capability greater than any other weapon readily available at the squad or section level.

External links

References

  1. Lugosi, József (2008). "Gyalogsági fegyverek 1868–2008". In Lugosi, József; Markó, György. Hazánk dicsőségére: 160 éves a Magyar Honvédség. Budapest: Zrínyi Kiadó. p. 389. ISBN 978-963-327-461-3.
  2. 1 2 3 4 German Infantry Weapons. United States War Department. May 25, 1943. p. 96.
  3. lexicon-der-Wehrmacht.de mentions German use of former Maginot Line 50-mm mortars in the Atlantic Wall.
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