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- German 8cm Granatwerfer 34 -
World War II
Granatwerfer 34
The Kit:
This kit is from Tamiya, in 1/35th scale and molded in styrene plastic. It appears to be of an early version with its rectangular baseplate and bipod supported steel tube barrel as well as the turnscrew for securing the barrel clamping collar. Later improved versions sported a circular baseplate and simplified T-shaped bipod.
Granatwerfer 34
Granatwerfer 34
The Details:
The only add-ons made to this were a couple of pieces of .010 in. thick Evergreen styrene to the inside of the kit's ammo can. There were some serious ejector pin marks there that could not easily be sanded out, so I opted to just cover them over with the sheet styrene.
Granatwerfer 34
Base and Groundwork:
Scrap oak cut to 3-1/2 inches in diameter, stained and sealed with Polyurethane. Sculptamold built-up to resemble a shell crater with stones and wood bits pressed in for the debris.
Granatwerfer 34
Painting, Weathering and Finishing:
PollyS/PollyScale Acrylic Paints and flat and gloss coats were used throughout. Winsor and Newton Oils thinned with Loew-Cornell Odorless Brush Cleaner and Thinner were used for the washes. Weathering was accomplished in part by using Berol Prismacolor art pencils.

General Mortar Info:

  

Development started 1923/1933 and was adapted for service in 1934. In production and in use until the end of World War II. The GrW 34 was well regarded by the soldiers that use this weapon, and it had a remarkable reputation as a sturdy, reliable and accurate weapon.

Normal assignment was six 81mm mortars per mortar platoon within each rifle company.

Production requirements in 1943-44 were for 1,100 Granatwerfer 34's to be delivered per month, however in December 1944, some 3,950 were delivered to the German forces. The Emergency Armaments Program of 1945 called for an increase to 4,000 units and 6,000,000 rounds of ammunition, but in reality only 2,000 units were produced and delivered by March of 1945. Production figures were not available for the remaining month of the war in Europe.

Granatwerfer 34

 Normal mode of transporting this weapon over long distances was by horse-drawn ammunition and weapons cart and the driver was officially part of the weapon's crew of seven. The weapon could also be carried by a 3-man load and eventually, various self-propelled carriers were developed and deployed. The majority of these carriers were based on the SdKfz series of Half-Track.
Actual Mortar Data:  
German Designation: 8cm GrW 34 Granatwerfer 34
Caliber: 81.4mm
Length of barrel (L/14.1): 1143mm
Length of bore: 1033mm
Weight traveling (3 loads): 64kg Granatwerfer 34 (8 cm)
Weight in action (steel barrel): 62kg; (alloy barrel): 57kg
Traverse: 10° to 23°  
Elevation: +45° to +90° Granatwerfer 34 Postage Stamp
Muzzle Velocity: 174m/sec
Bomb weight: 3.5kg WW II Postage Stamp
Maximum Range: 2400m  
Rate of fire: 15-25rpm  
Barrel life: 16,000 to 20,000 rounds  
Original designers: Rheinmetall-Borsig AG  
Sources:
"German Trench Mortars and Infantry Mortars, 1914-1945", Wolfgang Fleischer. Schiffer Military/Aviation History.
"Weapons of the Third Reich", Terry Gander and Peter Chamberlain
Mr. Michael H. Pruett - United States
Mr. Øyvind Leonsen - Norway
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Unless otherwise specified, all models built, painted, photographed and are owned by the author.
Mortars in Miniature, Created and Maintained by Kevin Robert Keefe, Copyright © 2001 - 2010.
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