38 cm schwerer Ladungswerfer

The 38 cm schwerer Ladungswerfer (38 cm sLdgW) was a spigot mortar used by Germany during World War II, as an upgrade to the 20 cm leichter Ladungswerfer. It was used by engineers to demolish obstacles and strongpoints, firing the 149 kg 38-cm Wurfgranate 40 up to 1,000 m, as well as smoke shells. At 1,658 kg and with disassembly requiring nine loads, it proved to be too heavy for its role and it was gradually withdrawn from front-line service.^[1][2]

Key Information

38 cm schwerer Ladungswerfer
Type	Spigot Mortar
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	Second World War
Production history
Designer	Rheinmetall
Specifications
Mass	1,600 kg (3,500 lb)
Barrel length	168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Diameter	38 cm (1 ft 3 in)
Shell	149 kilograms (328 lb)
Caliber	169 millimetres (6.7 in) (spigot diameter)
Elevation	37° to 85°
Traverse	360°
Maximum firing range	1,000 m (1,100 yd)
Filling weight	110 pounds (50 kg)
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• Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3