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Panzerwerfer

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Shoot-and-scoot (alternatively, fire-and-displace or fire-and-move ) is an artillery tactic of firing at a target and then immediately moving away from the location from where the shots were fired to avoid counter-battery fire , e.g. , from enemy artillery.

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19-713: The German Panzerwerfer refers to either of two different types of half-tracked multiple rocket launchers employed by Nazi Germany during the Second World War . The two self-propelled artillery vehicles are the 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz.4/1 (based on the Opel Maultier , or "mule", half-track) and 15 cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Schwerer Wehrmachtsschlepper (or Panzerwerfer auf SWS ). The Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier, Sd.Kfz. 4/1, first went into production in April 1943, and

38-432: A hide, came into action when given a nuclear fire mission, fired and immediately came out of action and moved to another hide adjacent to another firing position. These tactics became normal for missile units worldwide and were successfully used by Iraqi missile units in the 1990–1991 Gulf War . Similar tactics were adopted by M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) platoons when it entered service, although in this case

57-446: A truck chassis made it comparatively light and mobile, while its quick 7-10 second full salvo, slow reload, and complete lack of protection made switching positions its main tactic and best defence. Shoot and scoot tactics were first adopted by NATO in the early 1960s by its nuclear artillery units using towed 8-inch howitzers and truck-mounted MGR-1 Honest John rockets. These operated as single guns or launchers, typically deployed to

76-676: Is affected by the rate of fire of the manoeuvring guns and the time it takes them to come out of action. However, it is also very wearing on the gun crews and for sustained use relief crews are essential. South African Defence Force G6 Howitzers used the technique very effectively in Angola against Cuban forces in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale . Trained by the German Bundeswehr , the Ukrainians have been using this tactic during

95-485: The Munitionskraftwagen , were made. The Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier was used for larger scale rocket barrages against Soviet positions where a large bombardment of a big area would be more effective than more accurate artillery fire. The Panzerwerfer's rocket barrages covered much larger areas and added more psychological elements to the fight: the amount of noise, smoke, splinters , and flying debris as

114-594: The Nebelwerfer by the German Wehrmacht , but they were unprepared for the effects of a mobile, armored, camouflaged, and highly destructive rocket launcher mounted on a half-track chassis. The British and Canadians were the first of the western Allies to see the German rocket launchers in action against troop concentrations and Allied positions. The 7th Werfer Brigade, made up of the 83rd and 84th Regiments,

133-572: The 102nd SS Werfer Abteilung, which was part of the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich . The 7th Werfer Brigade fired 8,000 tons of ammunition, notably onto Hill 112 (during Operation Jupiter ) in support of its recapture by German forces on June 30. The British were usually at the receiving end of the Panzerwerfer rockets in Normandy, but the 15 cm Nebelwerfers were used in large numbers against American, British, and Canadian troops throughout

152-696: The 1830-1850s. According to the Russian historian and professor Nikolay Smirnov, he was one of the first commanders to use this tactic. The need for such tactics in World War II became obvious from the noticeable smoke signature produced by the use of anti-tank infantry weapons such as the German Panzerfaust anti-tank grenade launcher, the American M1 bazooka and its German Panzerschreck derivative anti-tank rocket launchers, and also by

171-639: The Soviets advanced from the east and the Allies from the west. The Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier weighed 7.1 tonnes, was six meters long, two meters wide, and nearly three meters high. It was capable of reaching speeds of up to 40 km/h. One of these half tracked vehicles generally carried a Nebelwerfer 41 launching system, which was specially designed to be mounted on the Opel-engine powered Panzerwerfer. The German engineers designed this system because of

190-686: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 551944856 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:35:57 GMT Shoot-and-scoot The first recorded use of this tactic came from the Caucasian War where the Chechen Naib Talkhig of Shali became famous for his shoot-and-scoot tactics, termed nomadic artillery by Russians, in

209-535: The conspicuous trails of smoke left behind by the Nebelwerfer batteries, which necessitated a self-propelled artillery piece for quick relocation after firing . The system contained 10 missile tubes, and generally carried 20 projectiles, enough for the vehicle to fire two full salvos. The effective range for a Panzerwerfer's rockets was about 4,000-6,500 meters, and the maximum range was less than 7,000. Though intended to provide fire support and operate well behind

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228-440: The counter-battery threat is high. These areas cover several square kilometres and the guns move around in them in pairs. The difficult decision is deciding how long guns can remain in one place before moving. This requires judgement about the enemy's counter-battery responsiveness. In these areas, the battery's command elements remain in one place and there are various options for replenishing the guns' on-board ammunition. The tactic

247-524: The launchers usually went first to a reload site after firing. It may be used by Indian Pinaka MBRL or Russian Grad , Uragan , and Smerch , although originally systems like Grad used more traditional tactics. The tactic has also been adapted for more general use with self-propelled gun batteries (such as the US M109 Paladin or German PzH2000 ). A refined version are gun manoeuvre areas developed by UK for use by AS-90 batteries when

266-469: The point of contact, some Panzerwerfer also had a machine gun mounted above the cab for protection against infantry attack. Known as the "Moaning Minnie" by Allied soldiers for the distinctive noise the rockets made when fired, it was less accurate than a dedicated artillery piece, but its ability to saturate an area with fire and its psychological effects on infantry made it a valuable asset. Half-track Too Many Requests If you report this error to

285-602: The rockets hit and exploded was considerable. The extensive use on the Eastern Front showed that this weapon could be employed effectively on the Western Front as well. The weapon was finally introduced throughout the army on May 14, 1944, in France. The western Allies first went into action against the Panzerwerfer 42 after D-Day . American intelligence before D-Day pointed to the use of rocket launchers such as

304-625: The summer of 1944. The Battle of the Bulge saw intensive use of German armored rocket launchers. The most concentrated, massed salvos were used in the Ardennes region of Belgium in 1944 during the weeks of the German offensive. Panzerwerfer saw extensive use during April and May 1945, as the Soviets were quickly advancing on Berlin and the German forces employed rocket artillery in a defensive mode. Rocket launchers were used in large numbers defending positions inside of Germany and close to Berlin as

323-479: The various models of Nebelwerfer and Wurfrahmen 40 German barrage rocket systems. In modern times, moving after firing is important, as there are a multitude of electronic systems, such as counter-battery radar that can automatically detect artillery fire in near real-time and direct counter-battery fire from friendly artillery. Shoot and scoot was originally made possible and used by Soviet Katyusha rocket artillery, whose rudimentary construction of rails on

342-548: Was produced until March 1945. Hitler called for production of the vehicle in January 1942, and the vehicle saw its first tests on the Eastern Front in fall of 1943. Opel was the main manufacturer, producing most of the components, including the 3.6 liter, 6 cylinder Adam Opel engine, which had 68 horsepower and an 80-liter fuel capacity. Throughout the three years it was produced, 300 Panzerwerfer and 289 of its variant,

361-625: Was sent to Normandy from Beauvais after D-Day, and on June 10 it was in Falaise ; the next day, it was about 10 kilometers from Caen . The unit was part of the attack on the Orne Bridge, which was a British held position over the Orne River . The 84th Regiment of the brigade had fourteen combat ready Panzerwerfer, and the 83rd had about the same. Some other Werfer units were the 101st SS Werfer Abteilung, 101st Stellungs-Werfer Regiment, and

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