R GERMAN WWI 7.58 CM LEICHTER MINENWERFER N/A

The 7.58 cm Minenwerfer is a German light mortar (also referred to as a mine thrower) with a caliber of 75.8 mm from the First World War. The weight of the weapon was up to 147 kilograms. The initial velocity of the demolition shell from this mortar was up to 90 m / s, and its mass was 4.6 kilograms. The maximum range is about 1,300 meters. The 7.58 cm Minenwerfer was developed at the Rheinmetall factory, and the design work began in 1909, based on the experience of the Japanese-Russian war of 1904-1905, which clearly confirmed the usefulness of the high-speed weapon in battles against the enemy's field fortifications. The 7.58 cm Minenwerfer was characterized by - for those times - good mobility, good rate of fire and relatively small dimensions, which definitely had a positive effect on its use in the trench warfare. In 1916, a modernized version of the mortar with a longer barrel was put into service, which could also be used for direct fire. Interestingly, in this version the 7.58 cm Minenwerfer was also used as an anti-tank gun.