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8cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer


Self-Propelled Rocket Projector Vehicle


Nazi Germany | 1943



"The Germans copied the effective Soviet 82mm Katyusha rocket through their short-lived 8cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer approach."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one land system design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the 8cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer Self-Propelled Rocket Projector Vehicle.
1 x Opel 6-cylinder gasoline engine (SdKfz 4 Half-Track).
Installed Power
25 mph
40 kph
Road Speed
81 miles
130 km
Range
Structure
The physical qualities of the 8cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer Self-Propelled Rocket Projector Vehicle.
6
(MANNED)
Crew
19.7 ft
6 meters
O/A Length
7.2 ft
2.2 meters
O/A Width
8.4 ft
2.55 meters
O/A Height
16,094 lb
7,300 kg | 8.0 tons
Weight
Armament & Ammunition
Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the 8cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer Self-Propelled Rocket Projector Vehicle.
24 x 82mm rockets
AMMUNITION:
24 x 82mm rockets; Reloads dependent upon ammunition resupply vehicle.
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the 8cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer family line.
8cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer - Base Series Designation
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/06/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

So impressed (and in dire need) were the Germans with the simplicity of the Soviet 82mm M-8 Katyusha rocket line that they developed a copy as the "8cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer" (translating to "80mm Rocket-Multiple Launcher"). The German Army experimented extensively with battlefield rockets prior to the war and really held no use for them in the early campaigns until their commitment to the East Front and the invasion of the Soviet Union (June 1941) brought the country further into a stalled war. The result of that work became several rocket-projecting systems - some towed with others vehicle-mounted - that intended to proved a physical and psychological effect against the enemy through indirect fire. The copying of the Katyusha system was only natural in returning "fire with fire" for the Germans - such was the practice of all sides during the war - and in some ways honored the Soviet approach to simplicity and ease-of-use with friendly mass-production qualities.

The German battlefield rockets of other "Nebelwerfer" ("smoke mortar") designs relied on a fin-less rocket projectile which imparted spin stabilization through a complex internal arrangement - multiple Venturi jettisoning exhaust to impart the spin action. Nosecones were hollow with the explosive payload featured further aft - intended to detonated above the ground during impact. This internal arrangement complicated mass production which, in the end, really limited the availability of these potent weapon systems for the Germans. The Soviet approach, however, was perfectly centered on fast production for the masses.

As such, copying the Katyusha design was a logical approach: the Germans took the 82mm rocket and supported it through a 24-rail assembly. The rockets retained their fin-stabilized approach which aided accuracy during the flight path. The rockets proved much faster to mass produce in the numbers required and the launch rail assemblies were of a simple metal network design. The launcher units were then affixed to half-track vehicles for a self-propelled and mobile battlefield function - just as in the truck-centric Katyusha launchers for the Soviets.

Despite this new approach to the German battlefield rocket projector, Army factories were already tied up in production of other much-needed wartime implements. Therefore, it fell to the Waffen-SS to arrange for other manufacture means which, again, led to limited production totals and limited battlefield availability before the end of the war (though actual totals for the Raketen-Vielfachwerfer remain largely unknown). Some launchers were known to have been affixed to the rear quarters of the SdKfz 4 "Maultier" half-track vehicles - the "mule" of the German Army in World War 2. The vehicles were also fitted with other German rocket launchers including the 10-tube 15cm (150mm) Nebelwerfer types (as the "SdKfz 4/1 Panzerwerfer"). Other platforms for the German launchers became old captured French half-tracks obtained in the French invasion of 1940.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the 8cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.

Total Production: 300 Units

Contractor(s): State Factories - Nazi Germany
National flag of modern Germany National flag of Nazi Germany

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Image of the 8cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer
Image from the Federal German Archive by way of Wikipedia.

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The 8cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer Self-Propelled Rocket Projector Vehicle appears in the following collections:
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