Wurfrahmen 40
Encyclopedia
The Wurfrahmen 40 was a German
World War II
multiple rocket launcher
. It combined a vehicle such as the SdKfz 251
halftrack
or captured ex-French Renault UE Chenillette with rocket artillery
to form a more mobile and slightly more protected artillery piece than the towed Nebelwerfer
. It was nicknamed Stuka zu Fuss ("Stuka
on Foot" or "Walking Stuka") and Heulende Kuh ("Bellowing Cow").
rockets were also used, the rockets themselves being fired while still in their loading crates. Although spin stabilized, the rockets were not as accurate as conventional artillery and reloading took a fair amount of time due to the heavy weight of the rockets themselves. As such, the rockets were ripple-fired in large numbers where feasible to quickly saturate a given target area. The Wurfrahmen 40 proved to be successful in service as a support weapon for the highly mobile Panzer formations, particularly in urban areas.
When used on the most 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. The Hotchkiss H35
mounting used two per side also. Some captured American M3 halftracks also mounted Wurfrahmen, with four frames at two per side.
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...
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...
multiple rocket launcher
Multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system. Like other rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers are less accurate and have a much lower rate of fire than batteries of traditional artillery guns...
. It combined a vehicle such as the SdKfz 251
SdKfz 251
The Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by Hanomag company during World War II. The largest and best armored of the wartime half-tracks, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle....
halftrack
Half-track
A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cross-country capabilities of a tank and the handling...
or captured ex-French Renault UE Chenillette with rocket artillery
Rocket artillery
Rocket artillery is a type of artillery equipped with rocket launchers instead of conventional guns or mortars.Types of rocket artillery pieces include multiple rocket launchers.-History:...
to form a more mobile and slightly more protected artillery piece than the towed Nebelwerfer
Nebelwerfer
The Nebelwerfer was a World War II German series of weapons originally designed to deliver chemical weapons. They were initially developed by and assigned to the Wehrmacht's so-called Chemical Troops ...
. It was nicknamed Stuka zu Fuss ("Stuka
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
on Foot" or "Walking Stuka") and Heulende Kuh ("Bellowing Cow").
Description
Introduced in late 1940, the weapon system consisted of a framework with adjustable base plates fitted over and alongside a vehicle which could hold 300 mm high explosive (HE) rockets; 280 mm HE and 320 mm incendiaryIncendiary device
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus....
rockets were also used, the rockets themselves being fired while still in their loading crates. Although spin stabilized, the rockets were not as accurate as conventional artillery and reloading took a fair amount of time due to the heavy weight of the rockets themselves. As such, the rockets were ripple-fired in large numbers where feasible to quickly saturate a given target area. The Wurfrahmen 40 proved to be successful in service as a support weapon for the highly mobile Panzer formations, particularly in urban areas.
When used on the most 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. The Hotchkiss H35
Hotchkiss H35
The Hotchkiss H35 or Char léger modèle 1935 H was a French light tank developed prior to World War II.Despite having been designed from 1933 as a rather slow but well-armoured light infantry support tank, the type was initially rejected by the French Infantry because it proved difficult to steer...
mounting used two per side also. Some captured American M3 halftracks also mounted Wurfrahmen, with four frames at two per side.