Nebelwerfer

Nebelwerfer - the German rocket artillery from World War 2 - is quite often mentioned, yet at the same time very little is known about them. This video covers the Nebeltruppe (Smoke Troops / Smoke Arm), 15-cm-Nebelwerfer 41, schwere Wurfgerät 40 and 41, Wurfrahmen 40, 28/32-cm Nebelwerfer 41, 21-cm-Nebelwerfer 42, 30-cm-Nebelwerfer 42, Panzerwerfer 42, 30 cm R-Werfer 56, 20 cm Leichter Ladungswerfer and
38 cm schwerer Ladungswerfer. Besides the general information on the Nebelwerfer themselves.
15-cm-Nebelwerfer 41 footage recorded during Militracks 2019 at the Overloon War Museum: www.militracks.nl - www.oorlogsmus...
»» SUPPORT MHV ««
» patreon - see videos early (adfree) - / mhv
» subscribe star - www.subscribes...
» paypal donation - paypal.me/mhvis
» KZbin Membership - / @militaryhistoryvisual...
»» MERCHANDISE ««
» teespring - teespring.com/...
» SOURCES «
BAMA: RH 1/1405: H.Dv. 210/2 (Anhang): Der Nebeldarstellungszug (mot) - Ausbildungvorschrift für die Nebeltruppe. Berlin, 1938.
BAMA: RH 1/1402: H.Dv. 210/1b: Allgemeine Ausbildung zu Fuß - Ausbildungsvorschrift für die Nebeltruppe. Berlin, 1938.
BAMA: RH 1/1406: H. Dv. 210/3: Ausbildungsvorschrift für die Nebeltruppe. Schießvorschrift. Vom 4. 11. 1939. „Offene Worte“: Berlin 1939.
BAMA: RH 1/1403: H.Dv. 210/2d: Die schwere Werferbatterie (mot.) - Ausbildungsvorschrift für die Nebeltruppe. Berlin, 1942.
BAMA: RH 1/260: OKH: H.Dv. g 92: Handbuch für den Generalstabsdienst im Kriege. Teil II. Reichsdruckerei: Berlin, 1939.
H.Dv. 119/981: Schußtafel für den 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41 mit der 15 cm Wurfgranate 41 Spreng und der 15 cm Wurfgranate 41 Nebel mit Schwarzpulvertreibsätzen. März 1942.
Emde, Joachim: Die Nebelwerfer. Entwicklung und Einsatz der Werfertruppe im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Podzun-Pallas-Verlag: Dorheim, o.J. (1979?).
TM-E 30-451: Handbook on German Military Forces. War Department: March 1945.
TM-E 30-451: Handbook on German Military Forces. War Department: September 1943.
Wiener, Fritz: Die Nebelwerfer 1939-1945. In: Schirmer, Friedrich (Hrsg.); Wiener, Fritz (Hrsg.): Feldgrau. Heft 3. / 1. Juni 1959. Burgdorf/Han. 1959.
Catalog of Enemy Ordnance Material (German). Office Chief of Ordnance. 1945.
Spielberger, Walter; Doyle, Hilary Lous, Jentz, Thomas L.: Halbkettenfahrzeuge des deutschen Heeres. Motorbuch Verlag: Stuttgart, 2012.
Hahn, Fritz: Waffen und Geheimwaffen des deutschen Heeres 1933-1945. Dörfler Verlag: Eggolsheim, o.J.
» IMAGE SOURCES FOR PHOTOS USED «
Catalog of Enemy Ordnance Material (German). Office Chief of Ordnance: 1945.
TM-E 30-451: Handbook on German Military Forces. War Department: March 1945.
#Nebelwerfer #WW2 #RocketArtillery

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

Want to see more content that requires archive research? Consider supporting me. You get early access (no ads) etc., learn more here: » patreon - www.patreon.com/join/mhv OR » subscribe star - www.subscribestar.com/mhv »» Nebelwerfer Tactics: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnmziqF-bNOMi9k »» ERRORS * at around 4:00 - 40 to 50 m the unit for the values in [] 131 to 164 are feet. (thanks to Patreon Galtur) * 13:08 - Caption "38 cm leichter Ladungswerfer" should be "38 cm schwerer Ladungswerfer" (thanks to Patreon Galtur)

[@f4fphantomii468]

This comment was made 3 days ago, but apparently his video was released 10 minutes ago. Upload-Schedule again?

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

@@f4fphantomii468 Nearly all my videos are uploaded before release, since a) they have to be reviewed by KZbin for monetization, which takes a while and b) with my second channel I release 2 videos / week, this requires quite some planning and also backlog, as such, c) Patreon & Subscribestar Supporters of the Tier Feldwebel/Sergeant (and above) get early access as well (with no ads). Visualized videos are always released on Tuesday, every two weeks. Not Visualized videos every Friday and every Tuesday, when there is no Visualized Video. Link to not Visualized Channel: kzbin.info

[@isaiahwolftail867]

Man that metal is thin it surprising to see how thin all their materials actually were n how slow the bullets were

[@readhistory2023]

Metalstorm is the 2000's version .kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH2xpnWnZbOEgKc

[@jothegreek]

See plz my post

[@JokiMBS]

Hans:*Slaps the Nebelwerfer* Hans:"This baby can werf so much nebel"

[@kashual]

wO0sh

[@Its_shiki_time4876]

I'm not gonna like your comment because it has 69 and your comment is n i c e

[@QemeH]

Fritz:*slaps the deck of Bismarck* Firtz: This baby can schlacht so many schiffe :D

[@eagletanker]

(Transmission somehow breaks)

[@loliprotectionservices9953]

loli protection agency oh its you again

[@scambroselauntrellus3681]

It werfs nebels. simple.

[@chaospilot2142]

And a flammenwerfer werfs flammen.

[@Arthurzeiro]

@@chaospilot2142 And yet the Panzerwerfer does NOT werf panzers.

[@DokutahShikikanSensei]

And the Panzerschrek schreks panzers, Granatwerfer werfs granat, the StuG III gerschutz sturm and the Hetzer, gotta Hetz.

[@I_like_big_bombs]

@@Arthurzeiro Sehr falsch. It can NOW

[@TheSuspectOnFoot]

I only came here to see how close Badjur's pronunciation was

[@ErokLobotomist]

Nebeltruppe sounds like the name of a German Stoner Metal band lol

[@matthewlee8667]

“Engineer!” “Yes commandant?” “You remember those Russian rocket trucks we encountered?” “Yes commandant...” “Make them *round*”

[@l.h.9747]

Im sorry, i dont get it.

[@matthewlee8667]

Luca Hadwiger Katyusha rocket launcher

[@l.h.9747]

@@matthewlee8667 yes but why round ?

[@matthewlee8667]

Luca Hadwiger nebelwerfer is a round circle of rocket tubes as opposed to the flatbed shape of the katyusha rocket launchers

[@davidgrover5996]

Jawohl.

[@esbendit]

When Denmark was liberated at the end of the war, some resistance members found a Nebelwerfer, and managed to shut down the harbour in the city of Århus with the smoke cloud.

[@esbendit]

@@mcpuff2318 I dont know, sadly. I herad the story while at the occupation museum in Aarhus.

[@ChocorocK]

"Sven! What the hell did you do? " "I wanted to werf some nebel Olaf."

[@based_futurism_enjoyer]

"liberation" .. someone call the cringe department .

[@thecanadiankiwibirb4512]

Christian National Socialism I’m confused. You feel that Denmark should still be part of Nazi Germany? Why?

[@based_futurism_enjoyer]

@@thecanadiankiwibirb4512 no , Denmark was not part of Germany , it was under supervision temporarily , the point is , it wasn't liberated , because it wasn't oppressed at all . Axis should have won . period .

[@RandomGuy17768]

The American G.I had a nickname for the nebelwerfer, " Screaming Mimi" my great grandfather's platoon was pinned down and almost wiped out from a nebelwerfer 42. He said it was a sound that he never forgot. He didn't like Hitler's buzzsaw either. He was a 1st I.D infantryman, and as a little kid growing up I tried to listen to all his war stories.

[@YTLSF]

Ah yes, the 420th Smoke Troops Bataillon and their infamous blitz on White Castle

[@bossbeartherock6034]

Poor boiz on staff never stood a chance .

[@tacticalfall4505]

That’s just perfect

[@QemeH]

My grandfather was a civil land surveyor by trade and got pressed into service by the Wehrmacht because he was the perfect FO for artillery. He wasn't in a Nebel squad, but he did direct fire missions during the german retreat in Hungary and Austria in the last months of the war. He rarely ever talked about the war and what he did as he was not in the slightest proud of what he did. But sometimes he would get a bit drunk and tell his grandchildren the stories. And concerning the movement of artillery after fire, he said (and I'm quoting from memory here): It was doctrine to watch for the muzzle flash of enemy artillery, walk on your guys as fast as possible and as soon as you hit, your artillery ditches while you continue to observe. That way you can easily determine if you hit (fire stops), they move (artillery can't be moved stealthily) or if they stay (fire continues on the position your guys were at). In theory that sounded really good, but as soon as they were out in the field they realised that moving an artillery battery wasn't as easy as on the training field. Wheels popped, special forces disrupted the lines, communication broke down, etc. (everything that games like HoI 4 call "organisation"). So if you could fire three or four rapid fire missions from the same ditch, while the enemy was still trying to walk their fire onto your guys, you had a considerable advantage. That only compounded when the enemy caught on to this and also stayed in their positions - it became a game of chicken: the battery to move first would have their supply train or infantery hit way harder than the battery who moved second.

[@brokenpotato438]

I know it's been 4 years but this was very interesting to read. Not a lot of info out there about counter-battery warfare from WW2. I always assumed it was done via random, non corrected fire on suspected enemy firing positions

[@QemeH]

@@brokenpotato438 I don't know about doctrine or how it was done in general, but my grandfather always said that they wanted him because he could do the specific math needed to triangulate a position very fast (as he was trained on it as a civil land surveyor - back in those days they didn't have lasers and GPS cartography, if you wanted to draw proper boundaries on a map, you needed to triangulate your way through the countryside) - the obvious upside being that target coordinates would be more accurate more quickly. The fire was still relatively inaccurate, so hits were scored by volume and not by hyper precision - but still: if you dared to shoot thrice instead of twice before moving, you could potentially wreak a lot more havok on the enemy battery...

[@brokenpotato438]

@@QemeH Because hits were scored by volume of fire, I always thought the nebelwerfer would be used as a counter battery weapon since a battery of them could get many shots off quickly but this video taught me otherwise. Thanks for replying, I'm glad your grandfather survived the war

[@SomeOne-pd6vm]

Hey, if you ever find yourself in Ottawa, Canada, the military history museum has one of the only intact nerbelwerfers left in the world. You should check it out some time !

[@justarandomguy37]

@Loli4lyf men if you re-create a me 109 is not a real me 109

[@alltat]

@Loli4lyf The barrels aren't the interesting part. You'd have to know how the stabilizing, aiming, and firing systems worked to recreate one.

[@Valkyrie_Yukikaze]

Loli4lyf To making rocket artillery is not that simple. Both my grandfather and father were work in a Chinese rocket artillery factory and they told me it is not a easy job to make rocket artillery if a person is inexperience. A skilled worker however can doing better but still hard.

[@Valkyrie_Yukikaze]

@Loli4lyf Depend on how historical accuate and functional you want it to be.

[@Valkyrie_Yukikaze]

@Loli4lyf Actually no. They are in Chinese military factory in 60s and 70s. Most of their products are used by PLA and also sell to countries like Iran, Iraq, and Yugoslavia countries at that time. You can search for Type-63 Rocket Artillery. The new rocket artillery with those precission aiming maybe come into production in late 80s, 90s or 2000.

[@mensch1066]

The heart for organization at 13:57 is just perfect!

[@kmech3rd]

Much more effective than the "Nederlanderwerfer" for chucking Dutch soldiers at the enemy.

[@PlutoTheSynth]

I don’t think that’s a real thing lol

[@Juanthar]

Don't forget the Nebelwerker which made the smoke by hand by crushing air

[@dwaynethemineraljohnson412]

Lol we dutch were no nazi's but you can maybe ask some NSB'ers the betrayours of our country

[@BayaRae]

The Nebelwerfer: It just werfs.

[@BayaRae]

@@ErrantChordier Yes.

[@750suzuki]

Compared with our modern NebelTwerker, which, as a close range weapon, twerks. Remember, Werfing for long distance, Twerking for up close and personal. When those twerking cheeks start clapping, you know it's personal. Thus ends the lesson.

[@PXCharon]

Bethesda Softwerfs (tm)

[@holish.t]

A granatwerfer werfs Granaten A Nebelwerfer werfs nebel A Flammenwerfer werfs flammen A Panzerfaust fausts panzer and a Fallschirmjäger jagst Fallschirme Yea german is easy

[@1stMemberEver]

Another great video loaded with information. One of the best channels in KZbin and I'm not a military history freak.

[@rutabagasteu]

Thank you. I have read number of books on WW2, but this is the first time I learned other than the minimum on these weapons.

[@kevman2296]

"Something you probably know from company of heroes" You know your target group :D

[@I_am_Diogenes]

Another good one . I love the amount of information you include in your videos . Plenty of material to fuel discussions .

[@g.zoltan]

So this is what the Baguettewefer 40 derived from.

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

yeah :)

[@austinpundit6321]

But that was copied from the French Army, right?

[@fulcrum2951]

@@austinpundit6321 the ammunition was copied, the weapon however is original

[@billshaffer9689]

I'm guessing but if the baguettes are stale the range increases???

[@wudruffwildcard252]

@@billshaffer9689 After several days the baguette hardens and becomes even deadly!

[@Sofus.]

Another German rocket system was the 8 cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer a copy of The Soviet BM-8 Katyusha. Which was developed by SS and mounted on the armored SOMUA MCG and Sd.Kfz. 4 half-track. Another interesting topic is signal rockets and dummy cities.

[@daveybernard1056]

I'm in California-- I know plenty about dummy cities.

[@frederikbeck6464]

I live in a city which was used as a dummy city for Berlin.

[@512TheWolf512]

@@daveybernard1056 my condolences

[@rwps3677]

@@daveybernard1056 F

[@V0YAG3R]

Sofus Lol, no

[@lmyrski8385]

Would have liked to have learned something of the weapon's effectiveness and successes. Still, it was very interesting! Thanks!

[@csec95]

According to a German memoir I read (otto carius's) him and his unit got hit by friendly fire from a nebelwerfer battery. He described the way that from inside the tank (a tiger 1) the shockwave from the explosions blew all the hatches and sucked the air out. The effect he felt of suddenly not being able to breath seems to have impressed him, as he comments how it made the Russian artillery seem like amateurs (and trust me he gets shelled by the Russians a lot in his memoir). The effect on the infantry (or engineer? I can't remember at the moment) platoon around his tanks is less well described, but casualties were heavy to the point that the entire platoon was render combat ineffective on the spot.

[@j.f.fisher5318]

@@csec95 this kinda reinforces my assumption that the doctrinal change to remaining in place after firing may have been motivated by allied counterbattery prioritizing and getting skilled in rapidly shelling nebelwefer batteries immediately after firing.

[@RobinTheBot]

@Magni56 I'll disagree and say it was both. Anyone who has described being hit by them has described hating them to their core, and the gunners tended to targets they hated. The fact they were easy targets just made it all an even easier choice.

[@RobinTheBot]

@Magni56 absolutely true, but remember these are boots. You piss one off there's good odds you pissed them all off. The gunner whose buddy was in the infantry will hate them almost as much as his buddy, and with such an easy target why not make them a priority?

[@ohlordy2042]

@@csec95 The British and Americans weren't too impressed with Nebelwerfer capability. I've read numerous British reports from front line troops who regarded the 15cm version as being "a lot of smoke and noise, but having little effect ". They were certainly very inaccurate (there are firing tables online that can be viewed) with CEP values orders of magnitude larger than artillery. And they had a pretty narrow effective range. At ranges below 3km the range error of the 15cm rockets was several hundred meters. I've also read British technical reports discussing the urgency of developing their own mass launch rocket system (which they eventually did near the end of the war). The conclusion was that it was a low priority because the weapon was considered to be of very "niche" use.

[@andrewklang809]

1:45 The numbers on the Construction battalions is enormous, especially since it apparently doesn't include engineer or logistical corps. I think it'd be really interesting to see a video on them, and just how militarized they were over the course of the war.

[@andrewklang809]

@Persona non grata Perhaps later in the war, but the table was from 1939.

[@roryokane5907]

Nebelwerfer: *werfs incendiary projectile* Flammenwerfer: Am I a joke to you?

[@MrOiram46]

It werfs Flammenwerfer tanks

[@guardduck987]

In case you didnt know: the Flammenwerfer was a flamethrower.

[@DoubleD_83]

Just started to follow your account. Good work for the extended research. Keeping it simple and easy to listen. And staying on the metric system, not going back and forth with converting every measurement to inches. Of course do to mainly keeping focused on German tactics and weaponry. Thanks for all the information. Greetings from the Netherlands (Holland) 🇳🇱

[@ZaffBox]

Finally something covering the need to werf my nebels!

[@TheWorldEnd2]

What about the flamen though?

[@Many_Miles_Away]

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" -Nebelwerfer crew ca. 1944

[@4T3hM4kr0n]

"THE GUNS! AREN'T! HERE! THE KRAUTS MUST HAVE MOVED THEM SOMEPLACE ELSE!

[@JakvsMetalheads999]

4T3hM4kr0n! Well hell, keep moving, we're sitting ducks out here! Head for Rally Point Baker and set up that roadblock, Taylor and I will look for the guns from there!

[@Mati_Panzer]

last time I was this early, the panzer 38(t) was still called LT vz. 38

[@thomasescher9661]

I was looking for these precious informations since a lot of years.... Thanks for this video !

[@machinegunpreacher2469]

I say this in regards to the final quote you mentioned. (This is a *positive* comment by the way, in case anybody misunderstands.) A thing we have to remember about memoirs (I get told all the time by professors that memoirs can be inaccurate, etc. which is true sometimes [not thinking about Guderian or anything]) is that memoirs of frontline troops are accounts of isolated incidents. One isolated man or group record the circumstances that they have to overcome; these often include trying times requiring outside-the-box thinking. Which relates to another thing I hear about memoirs: "oh, but that - insert weapon, vehicle, etc. here - was not how they were deployed/used." Fair enough. However, improvisation, particularly life-saving improvisation, up to and including flat out misuse of a weapons system or vehicle takes place in every conflict. The Bofors 40mm is a prime example. The Canadians "misused" this anti-aircraft gun to clear dozens upon dozens of German MG nests in France. In Korea, Shermans were rolled up onto mounds and used as howitzers; and we all know the 1001 ("other") uses troops have for condoms. Just because "you didn't use them that way" in standard procedure, doesn't mean it didn't happen. So (not saying Herr Kast did this, he did not) we can't always dismiss memoirs, etc. that note non-standard or, again, even misuse of equipment in conflicts. Anyway, thank you very much for taking the time to make this video. The 'Werfer has always fascinated me and there is just not enough material dedicated to it at the moment. Thank you for working on changing that.

[@jeremymorrall6750]

My late father encountered these things in Italy. They were known as 'Moaning Minis' or 'Sobbing Sisters'. He said that, when under fire from them, if the first explosion was loud, (which meant it landed near you), you were generally o.k. as the others 'walked' away from you. On the other hand, if the first rocket that landed was quiet, it usually meant the rocket landed away from you, which meant 'get down and stay down!', because the remaining rockets 'walked' up to you.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

Thanx so much! Not a commonly used weapon, but when they were deployed in the right place at the right time, they were devastating. I'm a bit surprised you didnt mention their terror factor. It wasnt just the blast radius, but the "Screaming Mimis" had a powerful demoralizing effect too. From what I heard in an interview, U.S. infantry soldiers feared them terribly.

[@Lancasterlaw1175]

Huh, I always heard Moaning Minnie over here in the UK, I wonder which one came first.

[@antonirosol3085]

nebelwerfer in Poland was called "krowa" (cow) or "szafa" (wardrobe) because it makes a specific sound when fired

[@user-ke2us6gk3u]

Another great video. Never fail to impress, really enjoy all the sources as well!!!

[@WildBillCox13]

Standoff detonations. Reminds me of the detonator probe on some HEAT rounds. Same general intent: maximize the weapon's effectiveness.

[@WildBillCox13]

The 10.5cm Mortar was a complex weapon, as I recall from my reading. Rate of fire was painfully slow, despite the greater range and accuracy, vis a vis standard GrW.

[@AnthonyEvelyn]

Growing up reading accounts from Allied infantrymen who experienced the screaming moans of Nebelwerfers incoming, is that they feared it with dread. 280mm and 320mm HE and Flame projectiles aint no joke. Very good information on these vicious Nebelwerfers, thanks a lot.

[@toonotsleep8]

As a primary English speaker it is doubly chilling to read at 1.22 'vergiften' yikes - Amazing video as always

[@toddwebb7521]

According to both US and British stats they caused less casualties than thier number of regular artillery or mortar shells but troops where way more scared shitless and less likely to advance against it because of the psychological effect of the noise and smoke

[@LordAnestis]

Company of Heroes made me appreciate the German weaponry of WW2.

[@Mr-Ad-196]

Lol I like how it said anti infantry... But I used it as a anti tank.....spam like 8 or more and rain death from above...

[@oceanhome2023]

So many observers would comment on the sound of all of these rockets saying how scary the sound is . I don’t think that a normal microphone captures the sound , I does sound different when we hear it here but I think you actually have to be PRESENT to hear the moaning etc that differentiates these weapons !

[@fuferito]

Just a friendly correction I know you appreciate in your feedback. When reciting numbers in English, it is correct to name each number individually after the decimal point.

[@pilotwhaleproductions5880]

As a native English speaker I disagree, it is common when dealing with two decimal places to treat the hanging numbers as normal, ie 1.12 is “one point twelve”; ‘.45’ is “point forty five” etc

[@tf2664]

The Nebelwerfer actually sounds terrifying

[@FedorFox]

If you speak German it just sounds confusing, considering that it didn't only fire smoke shells.

[@ZeFluffyKnight]

@@FedorFox Pretty sure he is referring to the actual firing sound.

[@logoseven3365]

TF2 Grandpa said it was, but they didn’t fear them as much as standard artillery. They were easy to locate, slow reloads, shorter range(?), and inaccurate. That’s hardcore when you have a preference of what weapon you prefer to have firing at you.

[@EpicRenegade777]

@@logoseven3365 i guess it would be the same as being happy you are fighting italians over german soldiers.

[@0Turbox]

@@FedorFox Why? It's named after Rudolf Nebel, who invented it.

[@barthoving2053]

Only the 15cm Wurfgranate 41 had the complex lay out of the charge behind the rocket engine. Unlike the later German rockets, this rocket was still designed to dispense chemical gas or smoke. Having your gas smashed into the ground or explode a meter above it probably makes a much bigger impact then with a high explosive. And compared to the 10cm mortar the rocket also developed a much higher top speed and reach it further down it's trajectory. Having the engine in the back allowed for the explosive compartment to bulge out and thus carrying a heavier payload in the same length. A concept both the Germans as the Western allies applied in many of their later WW2 rockets which mainly meant to deploy high explosive.

[@jrd33]

Very informative video, thank you. Regarding A/T guns - I have a source which says the Schwere Fallschirm Werfer Abteilung 21 in Holland in September 1944 included an A/T platoon equipped with 7.5cm A/T guns. I always thought this seemed strange but it matches what you said.

[@juanfervalencia]

thank you very much, I really appreciate what you do, I always learn something new.

[@BattalionCommanderMK]

Nice explanation please make more!

[@Krjstofur]

I love your channel so f’ing much. Danke mein Freund. 🤙🏻🍺

[@Duececoupe]

Found this very interesting, very much appreciated! 👍🏻

[@peterbehnis3605]

Wow!!!!!!! Sehr detailreich!!!!!👍👍👍👍 Sehr gut übersetzt!!!!!👍👍👍 Einfach klasse gemacht und mit sehr viel Liebe gestaltet!👍👍👍👍 Sau gutes video!!!! Cool

[@ramal5708]

It throws nebel(fog) to its operators and people nearby, but werfs or throws rocket at its targets

[@gtu660]

6:57 did i hear company of heroes 1 walking stuka halftrack?

[@prome3439]

Yes u did, Stuka zu Fuß^^

[@maxwell120L55]

The Nebelwerfer is such a good weapon to use in MoW:AS2 as long as it doesn't crash my game from the sheer ammount of buildings I destroy with it

[@mchrome3366]

Another great video. Thanks.

[@Temeluchas]

Soviet sources seem to somewhat agree with your conjecture on 5:30 - "Полевая реактивная артиллерия в Великой Отечественной войне. М., Воениздат, 1955" (Field rocket arillery in the Great Patriotic war) which at the time (in 1955) was limited to military academies, stated that 15-sm nebelwerfer rocket warhead's thin walls produced only a small amount of fragments, which somewhat negated advantages of warhead detonating above ground. But at the same time above ground detonation and rather small blasting limited destructive potential against fortifications. At the same time, the opinion given on 21-sm rockets was really praising.

[@mcsmash4905]

the first time when i saw these things was a long time ago during the very first mission of call of duty 2

[@kaiserschnitzel89]

I, for one, love werfing nebels in my spare time as a wehraboo.

[@skapunker1986]

such an awesome experience it was, facing these in early 2002 in Medal of Honor: Allied Assault !!!

[@ramal5708]

German High Command: Can you make rocket launcher that also werfs nebel(fog)? Engineers: Jawohl

[@Mr.Pallanza]

Ahh. The Infamous Nebelwerfer. I remember the countless multiplayer skirmishes I had in Company of Heroes. Squeezing the Allies in a tight corridor in Red Ball Express and Werfing some Nebels. Good times.

[@captin-crane3324]

This thing had more drop than a mortar, meaning it can be fired at a ranged arc. Making them capable of firing in an enclosed space or spaces not visible from the sky. And the low velocity let them fire behind cover making them hard to destroy by plains or tanks. But they were very easy to track.

[@danielgreen3715]

Excellent thankyou really want to know about these as there dont seem to be many models left working order unlike many other weapons from the time great video

[@Heroltz998]

I did learn something new about Nebelwerfers. Quite a lot, actually.

[@ModellingforAdvantage]

Useful review of the equipment.

[@steveweidig5373]

I think the inclusion of a 5cm PaK 38 was due to it's rangefinder, since the firing range of a 5cm PaK 38 and the 28/32 Nebelwerfer 40/41 had similar firing ranges and the range could be more precisely measured on flat terrain with a it's rangefinder. Also, due to sitting pretty close to the frontline as a result of it's short range, having some capabilities to defend itself against scout vehicles was certainly not useless either. By that time the 3.7cm Pak 36 had been mostly phased out and the 7.5cm Pak 40 would have been too cumbersome for that role, so the 5cm would be the best fit.

[@lewcrowley3710]

The tube launched rockets attained spin from both the nozzle arrangement (splayed out), and also there are rails inside the tubes. They are visible in the video. More accurate than Soviet katyushas, but they were blast weapons, not fragmentation weapons like the Soviets. When fired into cities/towns, they created enough secondary missiles that they were effective. The fuel warheads were used against the british airborne troops if I recall.

[@Sapeidra]

this champ travelled to germany only to look up the instruction manual for this video!

[@Kevin_Kennelly]

Thank you. I now have Nebel knowledge.

[@kahoki]

Interesting statistics on the composition of the 1939 Wehrmacht - who knew that there were almost twice as many Veterinary Services (44,418) than Armor Forces (23,567) - is there any additional information on animal husbandry in WW II? It seems like an overlooked aspect of the logistics arm compared to the focus on hardware.

[@Sappihappo]

Given that 80% of the Heer was horse-drawn, I'm not that surprised.

[@damniel__]

the title is 9/10 clickbaity. A fullstop would make it perfect^^ (I love it tho)

[@mallardofmodernia8092]

Ahoy I presume.

[@kiwivogel]

The payload at the back likely had a negative impact on stability (and as such accuracy). Rockets typically want their center of mass as far forward (or up) as possible. Compare balancing a upright broom on your finger. This works with the brush end up but not the other way around.

[@kennethbruhn4535]

Dear bud I am planning on making a lego mock for this using legos so thanks for making this video its gonna help me

[@Joaosantos22114]

Its iconic sound while firing at the distance still is one of the biggest memories I have from the COD and Company of Heroes. Really neat.

[@grahamrider9026]

Much thanks for this research!

[@Jinseual]

Nice to know he's also a fan of company of heroes.

[@dermotrooney9584]

Thanks. For a while I've been in an argument about NBW firing at very short range and you've helped settle it in my favour. Petty VICTORY!

[@clothar23]

Never underestimate pettiness. It's been the motivation for some of the greatest discoveries in human history.

[@dermotrooney9584]

Thank you@@clothar23 I am the king of petty point scoring. 😁

[@jamesstaggs4160]

Even though they were totally ineffective, I used to love using these things back in the original Steel Panther for PC.

[@hissingoose]

I didn’t know I could know this much about the nebelwerfer

[@robertalaverdov8147]

I always wondered why the Germans didn't just mount these things on truck chassis in significant numbers. The Soviets fielded thousands of Katyusha trucks and the platform allowed for larger missiles and quick shoot and scoot tactics. Sure fuel is an issue but then they go ahead and mount one on a half track; itself a specialized vehicle that guzzles fuel and is maintenance intensive . Actually the half track makes total sense with the Germans, they love complicated solutions.

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

Interesting question, I need more data on the Katyusha's as well. There might have been a good reason for this.

[@demonprinces17]

Did some, but didn't have enough vehicles

[@robertalaverdov8147]

@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized I would venture to guess the shortage of rubber. Though synthetic rubber production did better than synthetic oil when it came to wartime needs. The Germans also captured thousands of trucks in 1940 along with 7000 tons of rubber in Holland, it's own stock being only 1800 tons. However I suspect all these were used up in the initial phases of Barbarossa.

[@JustSomeCanuck]

A lot of the trucks used by the Red Army came from the US (Lend-Lease). Having American assembly lines churning out your vehicles helps ;) From Wikipedia: "The United States delivered to the Soviet Union from October 1, 1941, to May 31, 1945 the following: 427,284 trucks, 13,303 combat vehicles, 35,170 motorcycles, 2,328 ordnance service vehicles, 2,670,371 tons of petroleum products (gasoline and oil) or 57.8 percent of the high-octane aviation fuel"

[@talltroll7092]

The packing crates the rockets came in could be mounted directly to some halftrack chassis, and fired directly without ever being unpacked. Why bother going through an inefficient extra step with trucks?

[@thomasbernecky2078]

Fog Thrower; a rare example of German being less, rather than more descriptive.

[@TheLtVoss]

Less than what?

[@Theorist1984]

Congratulations on a very interesting channel.

[@jhonnythejeccer6022]

Guten tag. Schönes video

[@pricelesshistory]

4:25 Is firing order seen from behind the launcher?

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

Yes

[@JamesHarrison008]

That's why you clear backblast when firing rpgs and such. To avoid toasting the guy behind you

[@piotrgrzelak2613]

@@JamesHarrison008 It's more about giving a concussion with the propellant charge of rpg-7. This rocket however would probably throw you like a ragdoll and burn if you stood there.

[@JamesHarrison008]

@@piotrgrzelak2613 really? Interesting. But with that force how did they avoid it from leaping into the air, dosent seem like they have anything locked in the ground

[@piotrgrzelak2613]

@@JamesHarrison008 I'm not sure which weapon are you asking about, but both work on a no-recoil principle. The werfers rocket apparently didn't move the launcher too much, if alternating rails was enough to make it accurate on the rather short ranges it reached. For the purpose of smoke laying that wasn't even that important

[@steveholmes5207]

The Americans called it the screaming memie wicked piece of kit a very distinctive sound

[@FeedMeMister]

@Mialisus This is the content I hit history channel comment sections for.

[@Xoruam]

We used to call it "szafa", i.e. "wardrobe" in Poland because of that sound.

[@mattislindehag3065]

If your wardrobe makes nebelwerfer noises you need to oil the hinges.

[@RangaTurk]

It would be interesting to know if any of this equipment was captured within the perimeters of the Stalingrad Pocket. Would have been kind of useful during the thunderclap operation when fired from the direction of the pocket. Great video, I have learned much about the history of these units and the equipment in question.

[@diehard2705]

I’m kind of disappointed that the infamous baguettewerfer wasn’t even mentioned. I know it has its own separate video, but as an integral part of the German army I hoped it would at least get a mention.

[@typxxilps]

Nebelwerfers on Pioneer halftracks make sense considering building a bridge needs protection or fog to get the work done.

[@Houston96-l4n]

“THIS IS A NEBELWERFER. IT WERFS NEBELS.” -Guy on 4chan in July 31st, 2009

[@Bartholomeow141]

always been fascinated with the nebelwerfer... it looks so much like a revolver cylinder to me

[@Rynewulf]

These remind me a lot of medieval ribaults and east asian hwatchas. Mainly the frame being used to house and guide projectiles, it seems like quite an old idea

[@luvr381]

I've always found it surprising that with the intensity of conflict, that use wasn't made of poison gas in WW2.

[@violentscorl697]

Ender I have wondered that too. Have you found out anything?

[@ArcturusOTE]

@@violentscorl697 My best guess is they found out that using chemical weaponry isn't really necessary or as effective as artillery would (after all, more soldiers in tGW died from artie instead of gas)

[@nomobobby]

I always heard that Germans were always scared to deploy gas after tGW and refused to use it. The allies refused to be the first to use it. But idk if that’s true...

[@NC7491]

@Britannic Richard Evans talks about it in his trilogy. Some advocated for it towards the end of the war, but probably for the reason mentioned above, they did not prevail.

[@ayoutubecommenter1827]

Hitler was very opposed to chemical warfare, considering he himself was a victim he knew how evil it was, and that it's a game not worth playing

[@edi9892]

I wonder how the Panzerwerfer was used. I assume that it was more like a Katyusha, as it's a rather big target, but a mobile one...

[@alexsky88749]

I think it was used as a barrage weapon, to prevent the enemy from progressing in a specific zone. Sending massive volleys of destructive rockets in a under 10 seconds would devastate a compact zone and shock the enemy..But in terms of effectiveness I don't think it could destroy enemy tanks. Only infantry and light vehicles I guess. I read that it was used to destroy barb wires positions too. I wonder if it was used to detonate land mines too?

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

You had me at flame oil. 🔥

[@eugeneoliveros5814]

In that weird game Battlefield 5, in both the campaign, and some of the combined arms missions, you can find enemy halftracks with the rocket launchers

[@sapperjaeger]

Surprisingly interesting content....toll!

[@prome3439]

6:58 OMG yes, Stuka zu Fuß! Damn u mentiont a game, you are awesome^^

[@mbr5742]

That term was used in scale modelling circles before the days of the modern internet

[@prome3439]

@@mbr5742 Uhm no, it is literaly the name of the weaponized vehicle. I mean the Halftracks that where outfitted with the nebelwerfer version, the bigger one in wooden cases. they where called Stuka zu Fuß. It has nothing to do with any circles or modelling

[@Conn30Mtenor]

One of the my dad's friends was a Canadian soldier in Italy during the war. He and his buddies hated them.

[@raddirector99]

I’m trying to find a Nebelwerfer ringtone for my wife. Any suggestions?

[@Sacto1654]

While the system worked, there was one massive disadvantage: you could clearly see the smoke coming out from the _Nebelwefer_ rocket. As such, _Neberwefer_ positions were could subject to severe counter-battery fire from enemy artillery.

[@lordanonimmo7699]

The same for the katyusha,but the soviets instantly changed their position.

[@paullakowski2509]

that's why god invented Panzerwerfer

[@gepbalta]

That Schwerer Wehrmachtschlepper is the coolest name that a warmachine ever got.

[@juliussigurorsson3509]

Future video perhaps? Sometimes we can see pictures of Sherman tanks with sand bags filled with concrete on their armor. Some say it was to protect against panzerfaust but other said it only made them heavier and streamlined the metal rod from the panzerfaust and made it worse for the tank. Any knowledge or thoughts?

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

*Young German. Time for National Service approaching? Don´t know how to serve the Vaterland? Join new and exciting arm of service: Smoketroops!* - Non-smokers need not apply -

[@emilsinclair4190]

It is literally more like fog

[@TheLtVoss]

As a german guy Smoke =Rauch, Nebel = Fog but nice try dude

[@WarblesOnALot]

@@emilsinclair4190 Ach, So ! Zey vere clearly, All VAPERS !!! eCigarettes neffer effer did outrage Herr Fuhrer, durr beloved "Grofaz" (Grosster Feldherr Aller Zeiten). He vas alvays farr too busy pattink himself on durrr Back as to neffer effer encounter General AA Gunfire from out & about about.. Such is Life, ;-D

[@lordilluminati5836]

Considering all the incendiaries they used, smoking was probably frown uppon

[@lordilluminati5836]

@James Harding my comment was a joke too

[@terrydelorme]

Thank you. 감사합니다.