5 cm Granatwerfer 36
Granatwerfer 36 | |
---|---|
leGrW 36 | |
Type | Mortar |
Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
Service history | |
In service | 1936–1945 |
Used by | Wehrmacht Bulgarian Army Royal Hungarian Army[1] Slovakian Army (1939–1945) |
Wars | Second World War |
Production history | |
Designer | Rheinmetall |
Designed | 1934 |
Unit cost | 400 RM |
Produced | 1936–1943 |
No. built | 31,800[2] |
Specifications | |
Mass | 14 kg (31 lb)[3] |
Barrel length | 46.5 cm (1 ft 6 in)[3] |
Crew | 2 |
Shell | 0.9 kg (2.0 lb) TNT filled[3] |
Caliber | 50 mm (1.97 in)[3] |
Elevation | 42° to 90° |
Traverse | 33° 45'[4] |
Rate of fire | 15-25 rpm |
Muzzle velocity | 75 metres per second (250 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 50 m (55 yd) min 510 m (560 yd) max |
Maximum firing range | 520 m (570 yd)[4] |
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 By 1942, it had been gradually withdrawn from front line service.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[5] 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 infantry with hitting power and a range capability greater than any other weapon readily available at the squad or section level. A total of 22,112,000 rounds of ammunition were produced for the weapon from 1939 to 1943.[2]
External links
- German 5cm Leichte Granatwerfer 36
- Lone Sentry:50-mm Light Mortar, German
References
- 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 ISBN 0-385-15090-3
- ^ Lugosi, József (2008). "Gyalogsági fegyverek 1868–2008". In Lugosi, József; Markó, György (eds.). Hazánk dicsőségére: 160 éves a Magyar Honvédség. Budapest: Zrínyi Kiadó. p. 389. ISBN 978-963-327-461-3.
- ^ a b [1] (in German)
- ^ a b c d German Infantry Weapons. United States War Department. May 25, 1943. p. 96.
- ^ a b Chamberlain, Peter (1975). Mortars and rockets. Gander, Terry. New York: Arco Pub. Co. ISBN 0668038179. OCLC 2067459.
- ^ lexikon-der-Wehrmacht.de mentions German use of former Maginot Line 50-mm mortars in the Atlantic Wall.
- v
- t
- e
- FG 42
- G 98/40
- Gewehr 41
- Gewehr 43/Karabiner 43
- Grossfuss Sturmgewehr
- Karabinek wz. 1929
- Karabiner 98k
- M30 Luftwaffe drilling
- MKb 42(W) / MKb 42(H)
- MP 43/MP 44/StG 44
- StG 45(M)
- VG 1-5
other larger weapons
- 5 cm leGrW 36
- 8 cm GrW 34
- kz 8 cm GrW 42
- 12 cm GrW 42
- Blendkörper 1H
- Blendkörper 2H
- Fallschirm Leuchtpatrone
- Gewehr-Panzergranate
- Gross Gewehr-Panzergranate
- Gewehr-Granatpatrone 40
- Gross Panzergranate 46 & 61
- Gewehr-Sprenggranate
- Hafthohlladung
- Model 1924 Stielhandgranate
- Model 1939 Eihandgranate
- Model 1943 Stielhandgranate
- Multi-Star Signal Cartridge
- Nebelpatrone
- Panzerwurfkörper 42
- Panzerwurfmine
- Propaganda-Gewehrgranate
- Shaving Stick Grenade
- Splitterring
- Sprengpatrone
- Wurfgranate Patrone 326
- Wurfkörper 361
weapons
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- Browning Hi-Power as Pistole 640(b)
- M1911 as Pistole 660(a)
- PPSh-41 as MP 717(r)
- Radom wz. 35 Vis as Pistole 645(p)
- Puška vz. 24 as Gewehr 24(t)
- Puška vz. 33 as Gewehr 33/40(t)
- Lewis gun as leMG 137(e)
- Bren light machine gun as leMG 138(e)
- Kulomet vz. 37 as leMG 148(j)/MG 37(t)
- Browning wz. 1928 (BAR) as leMG 154/2(p)
- Beretta Model 38/42 as MP 738(i)
- ZB vz. 26 as leMG 146/1(j)
- Sten MK I-III as MP 748-750(e)
- PPS-43 submachine gun as MP 719(r)
- SVT-40 as Sl.-Gewehr 259(r)
- M1 Garand as Sl.-Gewehr 251(a)
- Kb ppanc wz. 35 as PzB 770(p)
- Bazooka as RPzB 788(a)
- M1917 Enfield as Gewehr 250(a)
- M1903 Enfield as Gewehr 249(a)
- M1 carbine as Karabiner 455(a)
- Thompson Model 1928 as MP 760/2(r)
of the Wehrmacht