The 8 cm Granatwerfer 34 (8 cm GrW 34) was the standard German infantry mortar throughout World War II.[3] It was noted for its accuracy and rapid rate of fire.[4]
History
A four-man crew of Waffen-SS soldiers firing on Yugoslavian partisans, December 1943.
The weapon was of conventional design and broke down into three loads (smooth bore barrel, bipod, baseplate) for transport.[3] Attached to the bipod were a traversing handwheel and a cross-leveling handwheel below the elevating mechanism.[5] A panoramic sight was mounted on the traversing mechanism yoke for fine adjustments. A line on the tube could be used for rough laying.[6]
The 8 cm GrW 34/1 was an adaptation for use in self-propelled mountings. A lightened version with a shorter barrel was put into production as the kurzer 8 cm Granatwerfer 42.
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.[6]
A total of 74,336,000 rounds of ammunition were produced for the Granatwerfer 34 from September 1939 to March 1945.[2]
Ammunition
List of available ammunition for the Granatwerfer 34.[7]
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 ISBN0-385-15090-3
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