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German 8cm Granatwerfer 34 |
World War II |
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A Subject of Mortars in Miniature.com |
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Click on all photos and scans to enlarge... |
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| The Kit: This is another kit from Tamiya, also in 1/35th scale and also molded in styrene plastic. A very direct, and easily built kit right out of the box. I do however suspect the muzzle end of the tube's accuracy. In pictures that I've seen of the actual weapon, it appears that there should be some sort of a stiffener ring up towards the muzzle end, but I decided to have a go at it right out of the box. This is an early version of the Granatwerfer 34 with its rectangular baseplate and bipod supported steel tube barrel, and turnscrew for securing the barrel clamping collar. Later improved versions sported a circular baseplate and simplified T-shaped bipod. |
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The Details:
The only add-ons made to this were a couple of pieces of .010in thick Evergreen
styrene to the inside of the kit's ammo can. There were some serious ejector pin
marks there that could not easily be sanded out, so I opted to just cover them
over with the sheet styrene.
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The Base and Groundwork:
Scrap oak cut as the other bases in this
collection, to 3-1/2 inches in diameter, stained with a natural stain and sealed
with Polyurethane. Sculptamold built-up to resemble a shell crater with
stones and wood bits pressed in for the debris.
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Painting, Weathering and Finishing:
PollyS/PollyScale Acrylic Paints were used throughout. Winsor
and Newton Oils thinned with Loew-Cornell Odorless Brush Cleaner and
Thinner were used for the washes. Dry brushed in part with PollyS Metalline
series Acrylic Paints. PollyScale Acrylic Flat Coat was then applied
overall to the finished project.
General Info:
Development started 1923/1933 and was adapted for service in 1934. In
production and in use until the end of World War II. The GrW 34 was well
regarded by the soldiers that use this weapon, and it had a remarkable
reputation as a sturdy, reliable and accurate weapon.
Normal assignment was six 81mm mortars per mortar platoon within each
rifle company.
Production requirements in 1943-44 were for 1,100 Granatwerfer 34's to be
delivered per month, however in December 1944, some 3,950 were delivered to the
German forces. The Emergency Armaments Program of 1945 called for an increase to
4,000 units and 6,000,000 rounds of ammunition, but in reality only 2,000 units
were produced and delivered in March of 1945. Production figures were not
available for the remaining month of the war in Europe.
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Normal mode of transporting this weapon over long distances was by horse-drawn ammunition and weapons cart and the driver was officially part of the weapon's crew of seven. The weapon could also be carried by a 3-man load and eventually, various self-propelled carriers were developed and deployed. The majority of these carriers were based on the SdKfz series of Half-Track. |
| Actual Data: German Designation: 8cm GrW 34 Caliber: 81.4mm Length of barrel (L/14.1): 1143mm Length of bore: 1033mm Weight traveling (3 loads): 64kg Weight in action (steel barrel): 62kg; (alloy barrel): 57kg Traverse: 10° to 23° Elevation: +45° to +90° Muzzle Velocity: 174m/sec Bomb weight: 3.5kg Maximum Range: 2400m Rate of fire: 15-25rpm Barrel life: 16,000 to 20,000 rounds Original designers: Rheinmetall-Borsig AG |
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Granatwerfer 34 (8cm) |
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German WW II |
References:
"German Trench Mortars and Infantry Mortars, 1914-1945", Wolfgang
Fleischer. Schiffer Military/Aviation History.
"Weapons of the Third Reich", Terry Gander and Peter
Chamberlain
Mr. Michael H. Pruett - United States
Mr. Øyvind Leonsen - Norway
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German 8cm Mortar, Granatwerfer
34 |
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