The 20 cm leichter Ladungswerfer (20 cm leLdgW) was a spigot mortar

Mortar (weapon)

A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....

 used by Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It was used by engineers to demolish obstacles and strongpoints. It was gradually withdrawn from front-line service from 1942.

Propellant was placed at the top of the spigot and ignited when the projectile slid far enough down the spigot to complete the circuit. It fired HE

Explosive material

An explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...

(high explosive) and smoke rounds in addition to a special Harpunengeschosse (harpoon bomb) that carried a rope with hooks to clear mines or wire obstacles.

External links

• mortar page from TM-E 30-451 Handbook on German Military Forces on Lone Sentry
• Allied intelligence report on Lone Sentry

Sources

• 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