17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer

Medium trench mortar

17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer
17 cm Minenwerfer n/A at the Verdun Memorial, Verdun, France
Type	Medium trench mortar
Place of origin	German Empire
Service history
In service	1913–1918
Used by	German Empire Latvia^[1]
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designer	Rheinmetall
Manufacturer	Rheinmetall
Produced	1913–1918
No. built	approx. 2361
Variants	17 cm mMW n/A
Specifications
Mass	483 kg (1,065 lbs)
Barrel length	a/A: 64.6 cm (2 ft 1 in) L/3.8 n/A: 76.5 cm (2 ft 6 in) L/4.5

Calibre	170 mm (6.69 in)
Recoil	hydro-spring
Carriage	box trail
Elevation	+45° to 90°
Traverse	25°
Rate of fire	20 rpm
Muzzle velocity	200 m/s (656 ft/s)
Effective firing range	300 m (325 yards)
Maximum firing range	1,600 meters (1,700 yd)
Sights	panoramic

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The 17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer (17 cm mMW) 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. It illustrated the usefulness of this type of weapon in destroying bunkers and field fortifications otherwise immune to normal artillery. It was a muzzle-loading, rifled mortar that had a standard hydro-spring recoil system. It fired 50 kilogram (110 lb) 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.

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 (neuer Art) or 'new pattern', while the older model was termed the a/A (alter Art) or 'old pattern'.

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.^[2]

Two pieces of 17 cm mMW was also used by SS Heimwehr Danzig troops during the invasion of Poland.^[3]

Surviving examples

The Central Museum of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, Shilo, Manitoba
At the Australian War Memorial, Canberra
Also in Auburn, Massachusetts, an early short barrel model survives at the American Legion Hall
a/A (1917 Rh.MF. Nr.5763) at the Queensland Museum], Brisbane
n/A (1917 Sächsische Maschinen Fabrik Nr 5184) at the Campbeltown Heritage Centre, Scotland
4980 outside the District Council Service Center, Roxburgh, Otago New Zealand.^[4]^[5]
Wilbur Avenue, Cranston, Rhode Island
Memorial Hall, Monson, Massachusetts
Falls Park, Pendleton, Indiana USA
Stavely Centennial Park in Stavely, Alberta has a short-barreled version (serial number 1972) of the mortar on display along with a Spandau machine gun.^[6]
The Vytautas the Great War Museum https://www.vdkaromuziejus.lt/en/
Royal Canadian Legion Branch #15 Harbour_Grace^[7]

Photo Gallery

An early short barreled version on its carriage
The a/A model in transport mode, with wheels attached
The n/A model (with long barrel), at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra
1917 a/A mMW Nr.5753 at the Queensland Museum, Brisbane
The 1917 n/A model Minenwerfer in the grounds of Campbeltown Heritage Centre, Scotland
Rheinmetall 17 cm mortar captured by the 2nd Canterbury Infantry Bn on 2 August 1918 as a memorial at the Roxburgh Council Building, New Zealand
A diagram of a 17 cm chemical shell
A diagram of a 17 cm incendiary shell

Notes

^ Dambītis, Kārlis (2016). Latvijas armijas artilērija 1919.-1940.g.: Vieta bruņotajos spēkos, struktūra un uzdevumi [Artillery of the Latvian Army (1918–1940): structure, tasks and place in the Armed forces] (PhD thesis). University of Latvia. p. 225.
^ The data for this weapon differs between sources and cannot be considered definitive. Data provided has generally been for an a/A mortar as given at the US Army Field Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.
^ Michaelis, Rolf (2003). SS-Heimwehr Danzig (in Polish). Wydawnictwo Militaria. p. 59. ISBN 8372191824.
^ Fox, Dr Aaron. "Distribution". Silent Sentinels. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
^ Cooke, Peter (2013). Great Guns: The Artillery Heritage of New Zealand. Defence of New Zealand Study Group. ISBN 9780473255558.
^ "Harold A. Skaarup web pages".
^ "Artillery in Canada (10) Newfoundland and Labrador: Happy Valley, Hour Buffet, Grace, and Main, Hearts Content, Hearts Delight, Holyrood, la Poile, Mortier, Paradise, Port Rexton, Seal Cove, Spaniard's Bay, St. Georges, Tilting, Trepassey, and Trinity". Artillery in Canada (10) Newfoundland and Labrador: Happy Valley, Hour Buffet, Grace, and Main, Hearts Content, Hearts Delight, Holyrood, La Poile, Mortier, Paradise, Port Rexton, Seal Cove, Spaniard's Bay, St. Georges, Tilting, Trepassey, and Trinity. Retrieved 12 June 2023.