"Hammer" Anti-Tank Weapon

[Manuferey]

Here is a picture from ebay taken from the German manual of the last German man-portable AT weapon prototype, the "Hammer". I understand that the caliber was 105 mm and it had a crew of 3. The ebay caption mentions the name of "Thor's Hammer".

I found some information in German in lexikon-der-wehrmacht in http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Waf ... anonen.htm.



Emmanuel

[Grzesio]

Nice find! There's a better known version of this photo showing the weapon without the wheels.
It could show a 220 cm version of the Hammer indeed...

Regards

Grzesio

[kfbr392]

It seems the above picture was taken before the fall of 1944 and shows the first version of the Hammer (later termed Panzertod) with the 2200mm launch barrel, designed in the winter of 1943/44 and never produced in numbers or issued to the front.
The final version, of which there seems to be no photo anywhere on the web or in books (only sketch drawings), had a 1365mm launch tube, and only two "in Erprobung", probably translating as "issued to field troops for combat trials"; all according to Fritz Hahn (via Lexikon der Wehrmacht website):

Eine weitere Entwicklung in dieser Gruppe war der »Hammer«, eine Waffe, die zwischen dem Panzerschreck und den Panzerwurfkanonen einzuordnen ist. Diese Entwicklung entstand eigentlich aus der Forderung, die Reichweite des Panzerschrecks von 200 m auf 500 m zu steigern. Rheinmetall entschied sich hier für das System der kammerlosen Kanone, dabei ist die Treibladung um den Schaft der Wurfgranate angeordnet. Aus dem 2200 mm langen Rohr wurde die etwas geänderte Werfergranate 5071 von 81,4-mm-Kaliber verschossen, die bereits bei der PWK Verwendung fand. Diese im Oktober 1943 begonnene Entwicklung wurde aber Anfang 1944 gestoppt; für die geforderte Trefferlage hätte man die Wirkungsentfernung auf 300 m kürzen müssen.

Im Dezember 1944 wurde dieses Projekt jedoch wieder aufgegriffen, dieses Mal mit einem auf 105 mm vergrößerten Kaliber, bei dem die 725 mm lange Wurfgranate außer der Ringladung am Schaft noch eine Zusatzladung am Heck trug - die Waffe wurde aber zu schwer. Man entschied sich nun für eine Treibspiegel-Granate, bei der einfach die alte Werfergranate zusätzlich mit passenden Scheiben von 10,5 cm versehen wurden. Das Granatgewicht stieg nun auf 4,2 kg, und mit einer Schaftladung von 1,2 kg wurde eine v0 von 540 m/Sek. erreicht; das resultierte in einer Kampfentfernung von 500 m, bei der 160 mm durchschlagen wurden.

Die Treffgenauigkeit war für diese Entfernung erstaunlich - 50 Prozent der Treffer lagen in einem Quadrat von 1 m Kantenlänge. Das Waffengewicht mit einer kleinen Zweiradlafette betrug 45 kg, die Rohrlänge hatte man aus Gründen der Gewichtseinsparung auf 1.365 mm verkürzt. Die Feuerhöhe, d. h. die Höhe der Rohrachse über dem Boden, war mit 350 mm extrem niedrig. Von der in drei Teile zerlegbaren Waffe, die noch den Suggestivnamen »Panzertod« erhielt, befanden sich bei Kriegsende aber nur zwei Muster in der Erprobung.

source: http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Waf ... onen-R.htm
(bold letters by this poster)

I did not know that this weapons name "Hammer" came from the term "Thors Hammer". Can this be verified?

See also this thread:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 0&t=155056

[jopaerya]

Hello All

What strike me is that on most photo's the decals are still on the helmets ,
the tricolor decal was not used in the latter years of the war AFAIK ??

Regards Jos

[kfbr392]

Nice! Thank you for this pic!
Now is this the 2200mm barrel in two pieces plus the carriage?
The two tubes do not look identical.
So likely we still have no picture of the 1365mm Hammer, no?

As for the helmet decals, if these pictures were taken at proving grounds during 1944 trials of the first, the 2200mm, version of the Hammer, it is not surprising that old fashioned apparel was worn by those Germany based proving grounds soldiers I suppose.

[John Hilly]

I wonder, if the Finnish 95 S 58–61 heavy bazooka was a successor of this German »Hammer«?

95 S 58-61.jpg

95 RsSko 58-61.jpg

With best
Juha-Pekka

[Andrzej Ditrich]

Interesting pic from Mr. Takiguchi collection

[Manuferey]

It is the same gun but without wheels as on the picture I posted at the beginning of this post.

It looks to me that the vertical ruler on the left is graduated in 5 cm increments. This would confirm the diameter of 105 mm of the barrel.

Emmanuel

[Andrzej Ditrich]

It is the same gun but without wheels as on the picture I posted at the beginning of this post.

It looks to me that the vertical ruler on the left is graduated in 5 cm increments. This would confirm the diameter of 105 mm of the barrel.

Emmanuel

It's similar to diameter of gas mask steel tube
BTW anyone has drawing of the rocket/missile from this weapon?

Brgds
@ndrew

[kfbr392]

BTW anyone has drawing of the rocket/missile from this weapon?

There is one (along with a sketch of the 1365mm long final "Hammer") in
Weapons of the Third Reich: an encyclopedic survey of all small arms, artillery, and special weapons of the German land forces, 1939-1945; by Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain

It is a book I strongly recommend to everyone interested in Wehrmacht weapons, along with
Waffen und Geheimwaffen des Deutschen Heeres 1933-1945; by Fritz Hahn
(Lexikon der Wehmacht borrows heavily from this one)

If you have only these two books, you got 99.9% of the Wehrmacht weapons covered; well covered that is.
Hahn also lists all armored vehicles, though of course Spielberger gets much more into the details on those.

[Andrzej Ditrich]

Thanks kfbr392 for providing good references

Brgds
@ndrew

[Kalinor]

interesting pictures, never heard of this weapon before, I assume it is some form of recoiless rifle similar to those used by the US, or am i wrong.

[poky]

no it a rocket launcher, more like a big panzerschreck or bazooka then a recoilless rifle

[Kalinor]

hmm, even more interesting, shame they dont mention it oin the osprey book on infantry anti tank tactics, would make for an interesting section esspecialy with such good pics available.

[JKernwerk]

BTW anyone has drawing of the rocket/missile from this weapon?

There is one (along with a sketch of the 1365mm long final "Hammer") in
Weapons of the Third Reich: an encyclopedic survey of all small arms, artillery, and special weapons of the German land forces, 1939-1945; by Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain

It is a book I strongly recommend to everyone interested in Wehrmacht weapons, along with
Waffen und Geheimwaffen des Deutschen Heeres 1933-1945; by Fritz Hahn
(Lexikon der Wehmacht borrows heavily from this one)

If you have only these two books, you got 99.9% of the Wehrmacht weapons covered; well covered that is.
Hahn also lists all armored vehicles, though of course Spielberger gets much more into the details on those.

But in "Waffen und Geheimwaffen des Deutschen Heeres 1933-1945" there are some quite big errors, for the fortification enthousiast that is, the fact that he writes that the M19 did not saw service is strange!
For the rest it is a nice book.
JK