Armored Rocket Launcher Battery

The Panzerwerfer 42 is the name for the German half-tracked multiple rocket launcher.

The 15cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd Kfz 4/1 (based on the Opel Maultier, or "mule", half-track) first went into production in April 1943, and was produced until March 1945.

It was mainly produced by Opel. During its production 300 Panzerwerfers and 289 Munitionkraftswagen were made. The Munitionkraftswagen, or Sd Kfz 4, was the exact same vehicle without the rocket launcher and was used for ammunition re-supply.

The Panzerwerfer was armed with a 15cm 10-barrel rocket launcher, which traversed 270 degrees, could be elevated up to 80 degrees, and was guided with the RA35 optical sight. It had a crew of three, a commander/driver, a radio operator, and a gunner. It was also armed with loose machine-gun for self-defense.

The Panzerwerfer 42 saw action on both fronts, seeing its first combat in Russia in late 1943. The rocket launcher was used for larger scale rocket barrages against positions of Soviet resistance where a spread bombardment of a large area would be more effective than more accurate artillery fire. The Panzerwerfer 42s rocket barrages covered much larger areas and had the added psychological effect on those under the tremendous noise, smoke, shrapnel, and flying debris of the barrage.

The weapon was also deployed on the western front. The British and Canadians were the first of the western Allies to see the German Panzerwerfer 42 rocket launchers in action against troop concentrations and Allied positions.

The Horstmann Carden-Lloyd suspension, wheels, and tracks of the Panzerwerfer 42 were simple and didn’t require much maintenance.

Due to the weight of the vehicle (8.5-tons) its climbing and fording ability was low. It’s ground clearance was only about a foot, which made traversing rough terrain more of a challenge than if it was a fully tracked vehicle. However, this was little disadvantage operating on the naturally flat terrain of the Russian steppes.

The effective range for a Panzerwerfer 42’s rockets was about 4,000-6,500 meters, and the maximum range was less than 7,000.

The metal rocket casings were thin, which created a large amount of shrapnel on impact.

Combat tactics usually called for a group of three to six vehicles to bombard a specified position. On some occasions crews operated from different locations, but within the same firing range to reach a predetermined target.

Contents:

• four Panzerwerfer 42 (with 15cm & 8cm rocket options) & with Loading Crew
  
• one Command SMG team
  
• one Observer Rifle team
  
• one Kfz 15 field car with driver
  
• one Kübelwagen
  
• two Small bases