Unknown ammunition container (rocket?)

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Dan Mouritzsen
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Unknown ammunition container (rocket?)

#1

Post by Dan Mouritzsen » 18 May 2004, 00:29

Hi

Does this look familiar to anyone?

It is German, it is 2 meters long and it is marked RK 15 ZD.

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards

Dan Mouritzsen

Silkeborg Bunker Museum
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RK 15ZD.jpg
RK 15ZD.jpg (61.98 KiB) Viewed 1981 times

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Javichu
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#2

Post by Javichu » 18 May 2004, 01:48

Looks very similar (but longer) to the wooden crates used to carry and launch rockets in Stuka zu Fuss...
Maybe a ground based variant? Heulende Küh? (spelling :roll: )


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bryson109
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#3

Post by bryson109 » 18 May 2004, 02:44

I agree thats what I would say the stuka zu fuss.

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2 ... zufuss.htm

Zünder
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#4

Post by Zünder » 18 May 2004, 10:27

Congratulations, you got you're self something really rare. :o

It's a crate for a 15 cm Raketenscheinsignalgeschoß, these Rockets were used around faked targets, to try to tempt the allied bombers to drop their bombs.
The Rockets could carry different payload, ranging from smoke, markers, flares etc..

28, and 32 cm Packgefaße as used on the "Stuka zu Fuß" may look similar , but they are shorter and wider.

I'm not to sure models are reliable as comparison.
:?

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Dan Mouritzsen
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#5

Post by Dan Mouritzsen » 18 May 2004, 12:21

Hi Zünder


Great!

Do you have any further information - drawings, photos?

Regards

Dan Mouritzsen

Zünder
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#6

Post by Zünder » 18 May 2004, 13:15

Sure, no problem.

Just give me some time.

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Dan Mouritzsen
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#7

Post by Dan Mouritzsen » 22 May 2004, 15:25

Hi

Thanks to Zünder a very interesting WWII mystery has now been solved.

In the last months of WWII a lot of rumours circulated in the southern part of Jutland Denmark. The rumours said that the Germans had put up some sorts of “Robot anlagen” - as they were called in the Danish resistance reports - several places in the south-eastern part of Jutland. Farmers also told story’s about anti aircraft rockets being fired at night, against bomber formations attacking the nearby laying German city Flensborg.
As anti aircraft rockets were not a common thing in 1944-45 it could be very interesting if we actually had those things, up and working here in Denmark, in the last year of the war. One of our historical researchers in southern Jutland Martin Reimers started to try to solve the mystery some years ago. There were no real developments until recently were the crate above were discovered in a barn by Torben Ølholm who also took the photo.

Suddenly Martin had now all the pieces of the puzzle!

The development of the sites for the rocket batteries took place in April – may 1944 and soon thereafter the actual rockets were placed in the sites. At least 4 sites were developed and the average amounts of rockets in each site were 12 rockets.

The rockets were not anti aircraft rockets! They were decoy rockets called “Raketenscheinsignalgeschoss" or “Scheinsignalrakete 44” (Decoy signal rocket 44)!

During night bombardments Pathfinder aircraft dropped multicoloured signal flares over the targets (in this case Flensborg). The rockets were supposed to look like these signal flares but instead of being placed over the target (Flensborg) these were placed over the open countryside on the other side of the border in Denmark and were thus supposed to mislead or confuse the bomber stream to bomb the wrong position.

Thanks to all others who also helped to solve this mystery.


Dan Mouritzsen

Silkeborg Bunker Museum


Data for Scheinsignalrakete 44:

Length of rocket: 1.95 cm.
Diameter: 15.0 cm.
Weight: 44 kg.
Rocket burn time: 20 sec.
Ceiling: 2000 m.
Flare colours: Red, green, yellow or white
Burn time of flares: 120 sec.
Rate of sink time: 40 m. per sec.


A drawing of the rocket decoy site in Mulsmark Denmark. It had 7 firing platforms in concrete surrounded by a barbed wire fence. Each platform was 2.5 m. in diameter.
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RaketbatteriMulsmarkTegning.jpg
RaketbatteriMulsmarkTegning.jpg (26.94 KiB) Viewed 1826 times

Zünder
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#8

Post by Zünder » 22 May 2004, 15:58

I send the drawings of the crate itself to Dan , they were copyrighted, and i didn't want to bring the admin's of the forum in to trouble.

This one, showing the rocket, however comes from an american WW2 manual, and i doubt if anyone would have a problem with it being on show here.


Zünder,


http://www.wk2ammo.com
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Raketenscheinsignalgeschoss b.JPG
Raketenscheinsignalgeschoss b.JPG (151.98 KiB) Viewed 1811 times

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Dan Mouritzsen
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#9

Post by Dan Mouritzsen » 22 May 2004, 16:33

Hi Zünder

It is not the same rocket!

The one you are showing is an anti aircraft rocket and it is also 50 cm. shorter than the Scheinsignalrakete 44.

:)

Regards

Dan Mouritzsen

Zünder
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#10

Post by Zünder » 22 May 2004, 17:52

@dan: don't believe everything the americans tell you :wink:

But you're right it's not the same one..
Overall shape is the same though..

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