17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer


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

Development and use

The weapon was developed for use by engineer troops after the Siege of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, designed to combat heavier mortars by flinging a lighter shell further in defense of a fortress. It was a muzzle-loading, rifled mortar that had a standard hydro-spring recoil system. It fired 50 kilogram 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. It was also capable of firing 40 kg gas shells.
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 or 'new pattern', while the older model was termed the a/A or 'old pattern'. The a/A models were also modified into the 16a & 16b, with the 16a having a barrel extension screwed onto the old barrel, and the b being created by replacing the barrel of the old model with a rifled barrel blank which was 4cm shorter than the new model barrels.
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.
Two pieces of 17 cm mMW was also used by SS Heimwehr Danzig troops during the invasion of Poland.

Surviving examples