5 cm Granatwerfer 36

Granatwerfer 36
A leGrW 36 on display at Festung Hohensalzburg
Type	Mortar
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
In service	1936 – 1945
Used by	Germany  Bulgaria  Hungary[1]  Slovakia
Wars	Second World War
Production history
Designer	Rheinmetall
Designed	1934
Produced	1936-1945
Specifications
Weight	14 kg (31 lb)
Barrel length	46.5 cm (1 ft 6 in)
Crew	2
Shell	0.9 kg (2 lb) TNT filled
Caliber	50 mm (1.97 in)
Elevation	42° to 90°
Traverse	33° 45'
Rate of fire	15-25 rpm
Muzzle velocity	75 m/s (246 ft/s)
Effective range	50 m (54.7 yd) min 510 m (557.7 yd) max
Maximum range	520 m (568.7 yd)
Sights	Telescopic, later none

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

History

Development 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 hand grenade 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 bomb and had too short a range. It was used as a platoon mortar operated by a 3-man team. Production was terminated in 1941. It was gradually withdrawn from front line service by 1942, but available mortars remained in use until 1945 with second-line and garrison units until the end of hostilities in 1945. As supplies of the Granatwerfer 36 dwindled during 1944-1945, the Germans often relied on captured French^[2] and Soviet 50 mm mortars. The 50 mm continued to be popular for the remainder of the war, simply by the fact that it was easily transported by two men, and it 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

• German 5cm Leichte Granatwerfer 36
• Die Waffen Ecke
• Lone Sentry:50-mm Light Mortar, German

References

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• 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

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