Wurfrahmen40

Wurfrahmen mounted onSd.Kfz. 251

TheWurfrahmen40( "launch frame 40" ) was a German World War IImultiple rocket launcher.It combined a vehicle such as theSd.Kfz. 251halftrackor captured FrenchRenault UE Chenillettewithrocket artilleryto form a more mobile and protected artillery piece than the towedNebelwerfer.It was nicknamedStuka zu Fuss( "Stukaon Foot "or" Walking Stuka ") andHeulende Kuh( "Bellowing Cow" ).

Development

Sd.Kfz. 251-mounted Wurfrahmen in action against Polish positions during theWarsaw Uprising

Introduced in late 1940, the weapon system was a framework with adjustable base plates fitted over and alongside a vehicle which could hold300 mmhigh explosive(HE) rockets;280 mm HE and 320 mmincendiaryrockets were also used, the rockets being fired while in their loading crates. Although spin stabilized, the rockets were not as accurate as conventional artillery, and reloading was time-consuming due to their weight. Where feasible, rockets were ripple-fired in large numbers to quickly saturate a target. The system was successful as a support weapon for mobilePanzerformations, particularly in urban areas.

When used on the common mounting, the Sd.Kfz. 251 halftrack, a frame with six base plates were used, with three on each side. The Chenillette UE employed either two per side or four frames on the rear. TheHotchkiss H35mounting used two per side also. Some captured AmericanM3 halftracksalso mounted Wurfrahmen, with four frames at two per side.

See also

• Nebelwerfer
• Panzerwerfer
• AmericanT40 Whizbang
• U.S. Navy7.2-Inch Demolition Rocket

External links

Media related toWurfrahmen 40at Wikimedia Commons

• Germany's Rocket and Recoilless Weapons