The Nebelwerfer

The Nebelwerfer (German for "smoke launcher", a code name to obscure the real nature of the weapon) was a German towed rocket artillery piece, developed in the 1930s and used in World War II against light infantry targets. It had six 150 mm barrels, from which it fired 75 pound rockets; a full salvo spread over a period of ten seconds. The loud screeching noise of the rounds led U.S. soldiers in the Sicily campaign to nickname the gun the "Screaming Mimi", and "Moaning Minnie". It (as well as the Katyusha) is considered to be the beginning of modern multiple rocket launcher artillery. The Nebelwerfer 41 was a rocket-launching artillery piece which had six barrels. Each barrel fired a 75 pound 150 mm rocket out to a range of about 6800 metres (about 4.2 miles). The ammunition was known as Wurfgranate 41, German for "rocket grenade". A later version, the Nebelwerfer 42 had five 210 mm barrels and could fire its 250 pound projectiles out to a distance of nearly 8000 metres (about 5 miles). The 210 mm version was equipped with removable internal rails in the tubes to allow for the use of the 150 mm rocket. Both types were towed pieces which were mounted on the modified carriages of a light pre-war anti-tank gun. The small size and light impact of its weaponry made the Nebelwerfer practically useless against armored targets such as tanks and personnel carriers, but the dense and sustained penetration of its multiple rockets made it extraordinarily lethal when used against...