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 Germany
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7.6cm leichte MinenWerfer alte Art |
 Trench artillery
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Contributor :
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Location :
Australia
Canberra, ACT
Australian War Museum
Coordinates :
Lat : -35.28130 / Long : 149.14840
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General comments on this surviving gun :
Identical items in the same location :
1
Items covered by this file :
1
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A very rare (only survivor ?) German light minenwerfer 7.6cm lMW a/A, reckognizable mainly with its rectangular base, in the Australian War Museum collections (not accessible to the public ?)
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Historic and technical information
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Denomination :
7.6cm lMW a/A
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Origin :
(
RheinMetall)
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Historic context :
The trench mortars range ordered by the German Army well before the war start was supposed to include, aside to to the 17cm and 25cm monsters, a smallest light minenwerfer with a 75.8 mm caliber. Consequently, RheinMetall designed the '7.58 cm lMW (later named 7.58 cm lMW a/A)' ('lMW' = 'leichte Minen Werfer' = light mine thrower; 'a/A' = 'alte Art' = old version), on the same high technological basis (muzzle-loading, rifled bore and recoil recuperator).
This weapon was only a prototype in August 1914, and the first ones were delivered to the pioneers units (minenwerfer pioniere) after the first fights. Despite this late start compared to the larger calibers, this small mortar was anyhow promised to a great success. There were already 544 such mortars in service at the end of 1915.
This gun light weight (that could be carried just by two men) and its use simplicity (the shells were carrying their own propulsive charge and percussion igniter in a cavity at their base whereas the largest minenwefers needed a separate propulsive load), made of it a real success inducing the German army to increase its manufacturing to high levels
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Technical data :
- Complete description : Light 7.6cm trench mortar old mark
- Design year : 1914
- Calibre : 75.85 mm
- Weight in firing position : 90 kg
- Weight for transportation : 100 kg, by two men, on poles, or wheeled
- Tube length in calibres : 5.00 (380 mm total, 322 mm grooved part)
- Grooves : 6 7 degrees angle
- Projectile weight : 4.6 kg
- Initial speed : 59 to 104 m/s depending on the propulsive load
- Fire rate :
- Range : max 1050 m
- Elevation range : 45 to 75 degrees
- Direction range : 40 degrees total range
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Sources
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German Artillery of World War One Herbert Jager Crowood 2001
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Das Ehrenbuch der Deutschen Pioniere Major Paul Heinrici Verlag Tradition, Berlin 1931
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Die deutschen Minen- und Granatwerfer im Ersten Weltkrieg 1914-1918 Dr Tillmann Reibert epubli GmbH 2014
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German Trench Mortars and Infantry Mortars 1914-1945 Wolfgang Fleischer Schiffer Military / Aviation History 1996
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