17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer

17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer
17 cm Minenwerfer n/A at the Verdun Memorial, Verdun, France
Type	Medium trench mortar
Place of origin	German Empire
Service history
In service	1913–1918
Used by	German Empire
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designer	Rheinmetall
Manufacturer	Rheinmetall
Produced	1913–18
Number built	approx. 2361
Variants	17 cm mMW n/A
Specifications
Weight	483 kg (1,065 lbs)
Barrel length	a/A: 64.6 cm (2 ft 1 in) L/3.8 n/A: 76.5 cm (2 ft 6 in) L/4.5
Caliber	170 mm (6.69 in)
Recoil	hydro-spring
Carriage	box trail
Elevation	+45° to 90°
Traverse	25°
Rate of fire	20 rpm
Muzzle velocity	200 m/s (656 ft/s)
Effective firing range	300 m (325 yards)
Maximum firing range	1,600 meters (1,700 yd)
Sights	panoramic

The 17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer (17 cm mMW) was a mortar used by Germany in World War I.

Development and Use

The a/A model in transport mode, with wheels attached

The n/A model (with long barrel), at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra

1917 a/A mMW Nr.5763 at the Queensland Museum, Brisbane

The 1917 n/A model Minenwerfer in the grounds of Campbeltown Heritage Centre, Scotland

The weapon was developed for use by engineer troops after the Siege of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. It illustrated the usefulness of this type of weapon in destroying bunkers and field fortifications otherwise immune to normal artillery. It was a muzzle-loading, rifled mortar that had a standard hydro-spring recoil system. It fired 50 kilogram (110 lb) HE shells, which contained far more explosive filler than ordinary artillery shells of the same caliber. The low muzzle velocity allowed for thinner shell walls, hence more space for filler. Furthermore, the low velocity allowed for the use of explosives like Ammonium Nitrate-Carbon that were less shock-resistant than TNT, which was in short supply. This caused a large number of premature detonations that made crewing the minenwerfer riskier than normal artillery pieces.

A new version of the weapon, with a longer barrel, was put into production at some point during the war. It was called the 17 cm mMW n/A (neuer Art) or new pattern, while the older model was termed the a/A (alter Art) or old pattern.

In action the mMW was emplaced in a pit, after its wheels were removed, not less than 1.5 meters deep to protect it and its crew. It could be towed short distances by four men or carried by 17. Despite its extremely short range, the mMW proved to be very effective at destroying bunkers and other field fortifications. Consequently its numbers went from 116 in service when the war broke out to some 2,361 in 1918.^[1]

Surviving Examples

• The Central Museum of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, Shilo Manitoba
• At the Australian War Memorial, Canberra
• Also in Auburn, Massachusetts an early short barrel model survives at the American Legion Hall.
• a/A (1917 Rh.Mf. Nr.5763) at the Queensland Museum, Brisbane
• n/A (1917 Sächsische Maschinen Fabrik Nr 5184) at the Campbeltown Heritage Centre, Scotland

Notes

1. The data for this weapon differs between sources and cannot be considered definitive. Data provided has generally been for an a/A mortar as given at the US Army Field Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma

See also

• Minenwerfer

References

• Jäger, Herbert. (2001). German Artillery of World War One. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-403-8.

External links

• mMW on Landships