"I am Blessed with Wurfrahmen" Topic

Help out a guy for whom WWII is a fringe period, please. A recent shipment of used microarmor fixed my Sdkfz 251 shortage, but included wurfrahmen models which were previously unknown to me. Sadly, neither the Spearhead nor the Command Decision org guides mention them that I can find. Does anyone know where in a division they would have been assigned, and in what numbers?

From: link after a very brief Google search.

The 28/32 cm NbW 41 units were organized into batteries of six launchers, three per battalion. They were deployed as independent Werfer-Regiments and Brigades, and assigned either to mechanized infantry (Panzergrenadiere) or engineers as well as "position rocket regiments" (Stellungs-Werfer-Regimenter). The first were created and trained after the Battle of France in 1940 but almost all saw service on the Eastern Front and well as the Italian Campaign, France and Germany after D-Day. It's on the eastern front that the need of a more mobile, better protected battery was thought of and based on the Sd.Kfz.251/1 II. They appeared depending on sources, in late 1942 or 1943 and stayed in limited numbers.

Article has a number of pictures, including one showing a rocket being launched.

Jim

Interesting question. My copy of the Spearhead TOE has 1 model (so 1 platoon effectively) of a 251/1 with Wurf 40 rockets in the Armoured Assault Company in the Engineer Battalion of the 1944 Panzer Division (page 4 of the TOE book). The Command Decision TOE book on page 55 has 4 Sdkfz 251/1s in its Pioneer Battalion for the 1944/5 Panzer Division – I think the "s" might stand for "Smoke" i.e. rockets as their TOE book does not normally use plurals. So potentially up to 4 stands per division?

What Andrew said, my Spearhead TOE also has the odd platoon of Wurhframen.

So (a) my fault reading Spearhead poorly, and I can use four of my five new friends? Excellent! Thank you all very much.

Based on the above:

For CD 3 per battalion (each is a battery of 6)

Should be the same for Spearhead

Limited to Italy and East Front (and probably few battalions)

@Robert

This is what I have:-

The Zehnling (10-pack; 15cm) was the armoured Maultier version, serving in one battery (8 vehicles) in each of the Werfer regiments. Best source I have is:- Emde, Joachim – Die Nebelwerfer: Entwicklung und Einsatz der Werfertruppe im Zwieten Weltkrieg (Development and deployment of the werfer troops in the 2nd WW). Obviously not so good if you don't speak German, but written by a serving member of Werferregiment 51 on the Eastern Front and contains lots of photos. It covers all towed single barrel and MRLs (15; 21; 28; 30 and 32cm launchers, most of which could also be fired straight from the crate using a frame on the ground). See also Nafziger; G – The German Order of Battle Panzer and Artillery in WWII and Niehorster, Leo – German WWII Organisational Series. But these aren't the rockets you're looking for …

A few years ago, I was asking myself exactly the same question, (although rather more of a rant after MANY HOURS of fruitless research). I'll try to save you some time.

According to Piet Duits (on AHF) the 28/32cm rockets mounted on the 251 halftrack were issued as per need as rounds of ammunition. Thus there doesn't seem to have been an allocation on the KStN. Dugdale does mention one frame set (schwerer Wurfrahmen 40) on one of seven 251s allocated to the Panzergrenadier Heavy Company in Panzer Brigade 105 (Normandy). By and large they seem to have been issued to Panzer grenadier units, as that's where the armoured half tracks were: the frames being easily dismounted when not required. Large numbers appear to have been issued – as stated above – to armoured combat engineer units, serving as "pocket rockets" in set piece assaults. I also have a veteran's reference to their use in the Grossdeutschland recce battalion. The rockets themselves were fired directly from the packing crate, bolted to the frame, a favourite mix having one of the 6 a Flamm variant (Chamberlain & Gander – WWII Fact Files: Mortars and Rockets). Presumably, the objective was to create the maximum mayhem over a wide area, while the assaulting troops/tracks closed for the assault! High accuracy and long range not required.

For my own gaming purposes I have 3 of 7 half track launchers in the Panzer Grenadier Regiment armoured engineer company of a '44 Panzer Division (KStN 1118a), which gives an artillery equivalent of about a Battalion – albeit limited to 1 salvo

Cheers

Kev

For gaming purposes, I presume that Stuka Zu Fuss launchers in most games should count more or less as single shot weapons, due to the not trivial re-loading times. Though the vehicles should in principle be able to provide some MG supporting fire after launching their barrage.

BTW. There is at least one example of those mountings for the rocket frames being bolted to a captured US halftrack – and an enterprising modeller has also built a version of this vehicle:

link

Had a look back and there was a similar discussion a while ago with some good comments.

TMP link

Also, thanks to an alert from a dedicated researcher over on Axis History Forum, there are a few KAN (equipment tables) available via Invenio from the Bundesarchiv, including for some Pioneer units. One is for the Armoured Company of a Panzer Pioneer Battalion on the accompanying 1944 KStN.

Unlike the KStN, the KAN includes mention of ammunition for Racketen-Abgangsgerat, which I think means similar to rocket projector. There are 36 rounds Spreng (HE) and 12 rounds Flamm (Incendidary?) under the heading of Wurfkorper. Right at the back are listed 12 schwere Wurfrahmen 40.

I don't know if the 12 sets meant a dozen complete firing units, sufficient for 72 rounds, or 12 frames, which would be paired up for six complete firing units, requiring 36 rounds. I'm tempted to say the latter, given the ammunition allowance.

The Wurfrahmen is also listed in several Mortar Platoons for Panzer Grenadier units on the later war KStN. I think they might have been a 'bolt on' for the 12-cm Mortar Pl in Armoured Panzer Grenadier Battalions. I don't think any of the related KAN for those units are in existence though.

Gary

The Wurfrahmen is also listed in several Mortar Platoons for Panzer Grenadier units on the later war KStN. I think they might have been a 'bolt on' for the 12-cm Mortar Pl in Armoured Panzer Grenadier Battalions.

The FOW V3 book Ardennes Offensive has 2 in the 12cm sGW43 platoon , for the Führerbegleit and Feldherrnhalle Gepanzerte Panzer Grenadier lists .

here are 36 rounds Spreng (HE) and 12 rounds Flamm (Incendidary?) under the heading of Wurfkorper. Right at the back are listed 12 schwere Wurfrahmen 40.

Could those be the ground-mounted launching frames which held four rockets each? You can find a picture of such launch frames in Wikipedia:

link

And for those into 1/35 scale gaming, Tamiya makes a plastic kit of a launcher with two crew members (cover art seems to show some kind of elevation control mechanism):

link