Rocket Artillery & the Sherman T-34 "Callipe"

How common and effective were these rocket artillery projectors?

What are the strengths/weaknesses of Rocket artillery like the Stalin organ, Nebelwerfer, etc. vs conventional artillery?

Why didn't the US make greater use of Rocket artillery? How effective was the German Rocket Artillery compared to their heavy reliance on mortars?

All I know is that it had a good "psychological effect" but the destructive effect was rather lacking and inefficient compared to conventional artillery (I think).

 

They were also far less accurate then a standard artillery battery of Field guns, they did have the advantage of mobility but the SPG' were also very effective, in that role. Artillery in General needed to be deployed, then redeplpyed once the front moved forward, so the units needed to be able to keep up with the mobile forces, which is where the SPG's come in such as the m7 Priest. The Germans being on the defensive were able to deploy weapons that did not require constant movment such as the KIng TIger, Mortars and rocket artllery.

From what I understand, Rocket artillery, could take down a builidng but was relatively weak against tank targets.

 

"Six-Barrel Rocket Weapon (The Nebelwerfer 41)" from Intelligence Bulletin

[SIZE=-1]An article on German Nebelwerfer rocket weapon from the November 1943 issue of the Intelligence Bulletin.
[Editor's Note: The following article is wartime information on enemy equipment published for Allied soldiers. More accurate data on German weapons and equipment is available in postwar publications.] [/SIZE]


[SIZE=+1]

SIX-BARREL ROCKET WEAPON
(THE "NEBELWERFER 41")​

[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+0]I. INTRODUCTION[/SIZE]
Whenever the fortunes of the German Army take a new turn for the worse, Nazi propagandists attempt to encourage the people of the Reich—and influence public opinion in neutral countries—by spreading rumors of new and formidable developments in German ordnance. Recently the Nazis have been releasing propaganda declaring that spectacular results are being achieved with the German six-barrel rocket projector known as the Nebelwerfer (smoke mortar) 41. Actually, this is not a particularly new weapon. Its name, moreover, is extremely misleading. In the first place, the Nebelwerfer 41 is not a mortar at all, and, in the second place, it can accommodate both gas-charged and high-explosive projectiles, as well as smoke projectiles.
It would be just as foolish to discount the German claims 100 percent as it would be to accept them unreservedly. Although fire from the Nebelwerfer 41 is relatively inaccurate, one of the weapon's chief assets appears to be the concussion effect of its high-explosive projectiles, which is considerable when the weapon's six barrels are fired successively, 1 second apart. The high-explosive round contains 5 pounds of explosive; this is comparable—in weight, at least—to the high-explosive round used in the U. S. 105-mm howitzer.
In view of the mass of misleading information which has been circulated regarding the Nebelwerfer 41—or, as the Germans sometimes call it, the Do-Gerät [1]—it is hoped that junior officers and enlisted men will find the following discussion both timely and profitable.
[SIZE=+0]2. DESCRIPTION[/SIZE]
The Nebelwerfer 41 (see figs. 1 and 2) is a six-barreled (nonrotating) tubular projector, with barrels 3 to 3 1/2 feet long and 160 mm in diameter. The projector is mounted on a rubber-tired artillery chassis with a split trail.
Figure 1.—German Six-barrel Rocket Projector (side view).
There is no rifling; the projectiles are guided by three rails, each about 1/3-inch high, which run down the inside of the barrels. This reduces the caliber to approximately 150 mm.
The barrels are open-breeched, and the propellant is slow-burning black powder (14 pounds set behind the nose cap). This propellant generates gas through 26 jets set at an angle. As a result, the projectiles rotate and travel at an ever-increasing speed, starting with the rocket blast. The burster, which is in the rear two-sevenths of the projectile, has its own time fuze. The range is said to be about 7,760 yards.
The barrels are fired electrically, from a distance. They are never fired simultaneously, since the blast from six rockets at once undoubtedly would capsize the weapon. The order of fire is fixed at 1–4–6–2–3–5.
The sighting and elevating mechanisms are located on the left-hand side of the barrels, immediately over the wheel, and are protected by a light-metal hinged box cover, which is raised when the weapon is to be used.
Each barrel has a metal hook at the breech to hold the projectile in place, and a sparking device to ignite the rocket charge. This sparker can be turned to one side to permit loading and then turned back so that the "spark jump" is directed to an electrical igniter placed in one of 24 rocket blast openings located on the projectile, about one-third of the way up from the base. About one-third of the length of the projectile extends below the breech of the weapon.
Figure 2.—German Six-barrel Rocket Projector (front view).
The projectile itself resembles a small torpedo—without propeller or tail fins. The base is flat, with slightly rounded edges. The rocket jets are located about one-third of the way up the projectile from the base, and encircle the casing. The jets are at an angle with the axis of the projectile so as to impart rotation in flight, in "turbine" fashion.
The propelling cl1arge is housed in the forward part of the rocket. A detonating fuze is located in the base of the projectile to detonate the high-explosive or smoke charge. In this way, on impact, the smoke or high explosive is set off above ground when the nose of the projectile penetrates the soil.
[SIZE=+0]3. NOTE ON OPERATION[/SIZE]
The following note on the operation of the Nebelwerfer 41 is reproduced from the German Army periodical Die Wehrmacht. It is believed to be substantially correct.
The Nebelwerfer 41, or Do-Gerät, is unlimbered and placed in position by its crew of four men. As soon as the protective coverings have been removed, the projector is ready to be aimed and loaded. The ammunition is attached to the right and to the left of the projector, within easy reach, and the shells are introduced two at a time, beginning with the lower barrels and continuing upward. Meanwhile, foxholes deep enough to conceal a man in standing position have been dug about 10 to 15 yards to the side and rear of the projector. The gunners remain in these foxholes while the weapon is being fired by electrical ignition. Within 10 seconds a battery can fire 36 projectiles. These make a droning pipe-organ sound as they leave the barrels, and, while in flight, leave a trail of smoke (see cover illustration). After a salvo has been fired, the crew quickly returns to its projectors and reloads them.
[SIZE=+0]4. HOW THE GERMAN ARMY USES IT[/SIZE]
The following statements have been made by a high-ranking German Army officer, and may be accepted as an authoritative expression of German ideas concerning the employment of this weapon.
Units of Nebeltruppen (smoke-laying troops) are organized as rocket-projector regiments (Werferregimenter), which are fully motorized and therefore extremely mobile. A rocket-projector regiment is divided into battalions and batteries, like those of the artillery. Since rocket-projector regiments are capable of playing a decisive part in battle, they may be concentrated at strategically important points along a front. ... The organization of a rocket-projector regiment is much like that of a motorized artillery regiment; organizationally, the motor vehicles and signal equipment of both are also much the same. Since the projector units usually are kept close behind the forward infantry line, their batteries may also be equipped with antitank guns. Because of the light construction of the projectors, a 3-ton prime mover is sufficient for traction purposes, and can also carry the gun crew and some of the ammunition. ...
The Nebelwerfer 41 can fire three different types of projectiles: high-explosive shells, incendiary projectiles, and smoke projectiles.
The high-explosive shells include those with supersensitive fuzes and those with delayed-action fuzes. The latter can penetrate reinforced cover. Because of their fragmentation and concussion effect, high-explosive shells are used primarily against personnel. It has been found that the concussion has not only been great enough to kill personnel, but occasionally has caused field fortifications and bunkers to collapse.
The incendiary projectiles are psychologically effective, and under favorable conditions can start field and forest fires.
The smoke projectiles are used to form smoke screens or smoke zones.
[This Die Wehrmacht article naturally does not discuss the possible use of gas-charged projectiles.]
Rocket-projector troops are employed as battalion and regimental units, in keeping with their task of destroying hostile forces by concentrated fire. One of the advantages of the Nebelwerfer 41 is that it can mass its projectiles on a very small target area. By means of a shrewd disposition of the batteries, a carefully planned communication system, and a large number of observation posts with advanced observers, the infantry can assure for itself maneuverability and a concentration of its fire power upon the most important points. Projectors are placed well toward the front—almost without exception, at points forward of the artillery—so that they will be able to eliminate hostile command posts, destroy hostile positions, and even repulse sudden attacks effectively. The firing positions of the projectors are always carefully built up so that the weapons can give strong support to the infantry.
In Russia, during the winter of 1942-43, many breakthrough attempts by hostile forces were repulsed by direct fire from rocket-projector batteries. 1 U.S. soldiers in Sicily promptly nicknamed the Nebelwerfer 41 the "Screaming Mimi."


German Six-Barrel Rocket Weapon - Nebelwerfer 41, U.S. WWII Intelligence Bulletin, March 1945 (Lone Sentry)

 

The 82mm BM-8 and 132mm BM-13 “Katyusha” rocket launchers were built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. The launcher got this unofficial, but immediately recognized in the Red Army, name from the title of a Russian wartime song, “Katyusha” about a girl longing for his beloved, who is away on military service. Katyusha is a tender diminutive of a female name: Ekatherina (Katherine) -> Katya -> Katyusha. The weapon was better known as “Stalin’s Organ”, so named by German troops due to its resemblance to a pipe organ. Stalin’s Organ was seen in many forms during World War II mounted on various trucks (often the Lend Lease US Studebaker-US6), tanks, and occasionally even on tractors. It was a relatively simple design consisting of a rack of parallel rails on which rockets were mounted, with a folding frame to raise the rails to launch position. Each truck had 48 launchers. The rocket was 1.8 m long and had a 22 kg explosive warhead with a range of about 5 km. It was often used in huge masses to create a shock effect. The idea for the Katyusha rocket launcher was sparked by Nazi Germany’s development of the six-barreled Nebelwerfer rocket mortar in 1936. The Red Army began work on the design of rocket artillery in 1938, and deployment was approved on June 21 1941. On July 14 1941 the experimental artillery battery (7 launchers) was used in battle against the German army under the command of the captain I. Flerov at station Orsha. On August 8 1941 first eight regiments of missile artillery (36 launchers in each unit) were created. The improved BM-13N (”normalized”) design was developed in 1943, and more than 1800 were made by the end of WWII. The simple design of Stalin’s Organ lacked accuracy, therefore its primary usage was to heavily bombard enemy forces firing in salvos for area coverage, psychological effects being an important factor. The term is now often used to describe small artillery rockets in general, whether they are Soviet-derived or originally built.
Katyusha Rocket System « War and Game

 

http://www.ww2f.com/weapons-wwii/25005-nebelwerfer-41-a.html

http://www.ww2f.com/weapons-wwii/12433-stalins-organ.html

 

M4A3 Sherman Calliope
Calliope systems were popularized in World War Two, though their battlefield effectiveness was subject to debate.
By Staff Writer
The attempt to mate a multiple rocket launching system to a vehicle was nothing new by 1944. The Soviets were already finding successes with their Katyusha launchers against the Germans, who in turn had been fielding their Nebelwerfer weapons for some time. The general idea was to launch massive amounts of high-explosive munitions at distance against entrenched foes. Accuracy was of some concern though the sheer psychological effects of such a weapon lead some to believe this to be their only battlefield advantage. As a whole, the idea can be of under some debate as to the effectiveness of the Calliope system in a war planner's tool chest.

The Sherman Calliope first appeared onto the scene in France in 1944 as the T34 Calliope system. The system featured 60 x 107mm tubes mounted above the standard Sherman turret and operated directly with it in terms of elevation and direction. The rockets could be engaged from within and fired all at once.

Calliope systems offered up a large amount of indirect firepower with very little modifications needed to the system carrying it. The system need only be stationary and have the firing systems onboard. As such, rocket launching systems of all types were used throughout the war, mated to armored chassis, trucks and jeeps.

The Sherman Calliope appeared in various forms throughout the latter stages of the war - many never seeing combat. The few that did offered up modest successes and were showcased in Europe and the Pacific. The T40 "Whiz Bang" Sherman became the most identifiable of the type and saw combat action in the final year of the war. The T99 became the only Sherman Calliope system to feature a permanent Calliope fitting onto the standard Sherman tank turret.
M4A3 Sherman Calliope Multiple Rocket Launch System - History, Specifications and Picture - Military Tanks, Vehicles, and Artillery

 

The numbers mean that 50% of the rockets hits a square of x m lenght and y m width

Nebelwerfer 41 (150mm) : 130m x 80m
Wurfgerät 40/41 (280mm): 160m x ? m
21cm Nebelwerfer 42 (210mm) : 500m x 130m
30cm Nebelwerfer 42 (300mm) : 175m x ? m

Source is this webpage :
Lexikon der Wehrmacht - Raketenwerfer

 

As to the Katyusha it is a unguided rocket system. Just the same as the old British Congreave rockets. You point and adjust and saturate the target. There is no real high tech there.

"Individually the Nebelwerfer round was in fact more "deadly" than
the Katusha round (of equivalent calibre). This was because when the
Nebelwerfer was designed, the Germans did some careful analysis of the
fragmentation of rocket casings and found that in the coventionally
designed rocket, with the warhead in the nose and the rocket motor in the
tail, the rocket motor would normally break off as a single large, piece
and fly away from the explosion. The result was the 150mm Nebelwerfer
with its motor in the _nose_ of the round and the warhead in the tail,
with the motor exhausting from vents in a rim around the sides of the
round.

"This might also have the useful effect that, as the 15cm Nebelwerfer
rockets were fused superquick, the (according to my sources, tiny)
warhead detonates a short way off the ground, improving the spread of
fragments in much the same way a stick fuse would."

 

But possibly another example of german overengineering , maybe the rocket configuration was part of the reason for the small explosive payload (just 2.5Kg in the 150mm my souces compared to 10+ Kg for a 6' arty round). There was a big debate at the time of the introduction of the MLRS as to how sophisticated a rocket system should be. The WW2 soviet approach, of which the WW2 B-13 is a good sample is doing it as simple as possible, just launch rails mounted on the back of a standard truck. The idea was that as the weapons were inaccurate you had to use lots of them so they had to be cheap. The Nebelwerfer launchers were similar in concept, the choice to have the tow trucks (NW batteries were normally motorized not horse drawn like most german arty) free to carry the ammo and resupply is logical considering the german shortage of trucks, but then it got more sofisticated with the half tracked designs (Maultier and Sdkfz 251). The calliope was at the other extreme, the western allies could afford to "waste" a perfectly good tank to carry an area saturation indirect fire weapon.
What has always baffled me is how the rocket units were resupplied especially the tracked ones, rocket ammo is bulky, heavy and needs care in handling, I believe the maultier carried reloads and was meant to act as it's own resuply system going back to the supply head by it's own means once empty and Sdkfz 251 attachments were one shot affairs meant for additional firepower to eliminate one strongpoint and then fight as conventional APCs but Calliope? I believe it was deployed as artillery battallions but found no trace of tracked supply vehicles so probably normal 6x6 trucks were used but then why not mount the launchers on trucks as well?

 

I dont know about the British. The US Army used the tanks of the independant tank battalions as artillery for indirect fire missions more than rarely. Ditto for the tank destroyer battalions. Adding a rocket launcher reflected the same sort of thinking. With either the guns or rockets these missions were fired during the preperatory phase of the attack, so the tank companys were then moved forward to join the assualt. Once the rocket missions were over the launchers were dropped off. Ammunition supply was probablly via one of the Army level ammo transport companys. The tank battalions and infantry divsions did not have the extra ammo trucks to fetch several thousand kilos of bulky rocket ammo forward from the army depots.

 

Indirect fire by 75 and 105mm Shermans was common, but they were still tank batallions and any calliope shermans in them would be used as you describe, my info, but the source is very unreliable, is that the calliope was sometimes deployed in independent artillery batallions, something like the german maultiers in NW units rather than the Sdkfz 251 in PzG, I am looking for confirmation of this. A calliope artillery batallion, if such a thing existed, would likely be integrated into the fire net, have indirect fire training and have fire support as primary role but would require some way to resupply itself without resort to army level assets, a one shot system makes sense for creating a big firepower surge just before an assault, concetrated firepower is more effective than the same amount of shells diluted over time and that was one of the biggest advantages of rocket artillery in WW2, but dedicating an AFV equipped unit just to that is a real luxury.

 

great posts

I'm guessing that the Calliope and Rocket Artillery wasn't used much because of the effectiveness of existing US artillery and saturation methods. And airpower..

 

A while back I skimed a book on the rocket artillery and it did mention a artillery battalion/s equipped exclusively with the rockets. I did not but the book & dont recall any details. I suspose a search thru the websites for the artillery unit associations or maybe the Field Artillery Journal would turn up the unit identification & other details.

The rocket artillery was a latecomer to the US Army, so that was part of the reason. There is also a response time thing when reloading is considered. Then there are some questions about range and accuracy. Rocket batterys were used a lot for beach assualts in 1944-45. They also proved difficult and unpredictable in results. While some attacks proved great others were completly useless. ie @ Omaha beach where they landed short in the surf or further out.

 

This can take you into the Nuetralization vs Destruction debate. Do you wish to stun the enemy for a moment while your assualt closes in, or do you wish to raise equipment and casualty levels to where a vigrous and focused assualt is less necessary and something closer to a overun or bypassing the enemy position is suficient? There are a lot of complex tradeoffs in that choice.

 

American rockets mounted on a destroyed German armored personnel carrier.

 

Now that is cool.

 

I posted about the US Army using some on rafts on a river too. I can't remember which thread though

 

True, I guess. But Rocket artillery seems to be most vulnerable form of support fire due to their massive smoke trails.

These German stationary nebelwerfer projectors reputably suffered heavily losses through enemy retaliation due to their slowness and blatant obviousness. I remember hearing that the Germans having over a hundred thousand rocket artillerymen operational.

The Stalin Organs/ Panzerwerfers, etc. were seemingly adequate, though. The article talks about the Calliope having only modest success.

 

Not all German rocket launchers were "stationary". And even the Soviet Katyusha launchers had to be stationary in order to fire.

"Germany's Rocket and Recoilless Weapons" from Intelligence Bulletin, March 1945

[SIZE=-1]A U.S. intelligence report on German rocket and recoilless weapons, from the Intelligence Bulletin, March 1945. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][Editor's Note: The following article is wartime information on enemy weapons and tactics published for Allied soldiers. More accurate data on WWII German weapons and tactics is available in postwar publications.] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]Germany's Rocket and Recoilless Weapons[/SIZE]​

The capabilities of German rocket and recoilless weapons warrant serious study by U.S. soldiers, not only because they are highly effective and mobile but because they are being used increasingly, in view of Germany's raw material shortages, as substitutes for conventional artillery and antitank weapons. When the Germans began this war, they believed that their Stuka bombers—the Ju 87 and the Ju 88—would take over a high percentage of direct infantry-support missions from the field artillery. No matter how well these aircraft may have accomplished their missions during the campaign in Poland, Norway, the Low Countries, and France, their inability to take over a field artillery role became evident after Germany had attacked Russia and had encountered masses of Russian artillery. However, by the time the attrition of the war with Russia had its cramping effect on German industry, it was too late for Hitler to build up his artillery arm sufficiently to gain the necessary superiority.
The Wurfrahmen 40 is here shown in action. Four wooden rocket-carrying crates are in place on the plates on the side of the half-track. The last of the four rockets has just been fired.

Before the war the Germans, like the Russians, had been experimenting with rocket developments. When the need for artillery substitutes became apparent, the Germans naturally turned to rockets and rocket launchers since these were relatively inexpensive and could be produced quickly. In contrast to artillery, rockets do not require electric-furnace steel, carefully forged tubes, or heavy carriages with delicately machined recoil and counterrecoil mechanisms.
The first German rockets were those launched from the Schweres Wurfgerät 40 ("heavy throwing apparatus") and the Schweres Wurfgerät 41. These fire either 180-pound high-explosive or 196-pound incendiary rockets. These rockets are 280-mm and 320-mm in diameter, and weigh 180 and 196 pounds respectively. The Schweres Wurfgerät 40 consists merely of a wooden frame (Wurfgestell 40) which fires rockets from wooden shipping crates; the 41, of a steel frame (Wurfgestell 41) holding either wooden or steel shipping crates. The launcher Schweres Wurfrahmen 40 consists of plates on the side of an armored half-track. Each half-track mounts a total of six plates, three on each side. The rocket-carrying crates are secured to the plates, and the latter are then inclined at a right angle for firing. Rockets also are fired from a Wurfgerät by the simple process of inclining the "heavy throwing apparatus" (shipping crate) in a trench (or against a firm rest) and setting a correct angle. The 300-mm high-explosive rocket also may be fired in this manner.
In 1941 there appeared the now-famous 15-cm Nebelwerfer 41, or rocket projector, which U.S. soldiers have nicknamed the "Screaming Meemie." (The literal translation of Nebelwerfer is "smoke thrower.") This weapon launches its rockets from six grooved tubes, which are 5.9 inches in diameter. Although the tubes are mounted on a two-wheeled carriage with a split trail, the whole apparatus is so light that two men can manhandle it easily. The 15-cm Nebelwerfer 41 is supposed to fire in batteries of six pieces, with each piece launching a six-round salvo every 8 minutes. (Misfires are common.) The crew takes shelter in a slit trench before firing, and discharges the six rockets by remote control, following a prescribed sequence. The rockets' maximum range is about 8,000 yards.
The Wurfgerät 41 consists of a frame of steel tubing on which may be placed 280- or 320-mm rockets in either wooden or steel crates. (The wooden crates are illustrated above.) The rockets are fired from these crates.


Similar to the 15-cm Nebelwerfer 41 is the five-tube 21-cm Nebelwerfer 42. This launcher fires 8-inch rockets as far as 8,600 yards. Its high-explosive rockets are shaped like artillery shells, and the Germans consider these rockets their most effective long-range rocket projectiles.
Of the heavy rocket weapons, the six-barreled 150-mm 15-cm Nebelwerfer 41 has been encountered by U.S. troops more widely than any other. It is generally referred to loosely as "the Nebelwerfer."


To give their larger rockets greater accuracy and to speed up the firing, the Germans have provided two-wheel carriages with pneumatic tires. These carriages and launchers differ from those for the 150-mm and 210-mm Nebelwerfer. The larger launchers consist of steel frames into which the shipping crates are inserted. The most common of these launchers—the 28/32-cm Nebelwerfer 41—has six frames, which fire either the 320-mm incendiary rocket or the 280-mm high-explosive rocket, as fired from the Wurfgeräte and Wurfrahmen. For the latter, liners are fitted inside the frames. These rockets may be fired at the rate of one salvo (six rockets) in 10 seconds. Theoretically, the battery of six pieces is supposed to fire simultaneously. Each piece has a crew of seven men. When they are ready to fire, they take cover in two slit trenches about 30 yards to the rear of the right side of the piece. The time allotted to reload each Nebelwerfer is 5 minutes. The ammunition usually is piled on the ground to the right and left of the piece. The maximum range for the 280-mm high-explosive rocket is only 2,100 yards; and for the 320-mm incendiary rocket, 2,400 yards. The minimum range is 1,375 yards. It is reported that the Germans prefer ranges of from 1,870 to 2,090 yards.
U.S. soldiers inspect a captured 28/32-cm Nebelwerfer 41. The weapon is loaded, but electrical leads are not connected to the bases of the rocket motors. Note the box (shown open) which protects the sight.
The 300-mm launcher 30-cm Nebelwerfer 42 is constructed along much the same lines as the 28/32-cm Nebelwerfer 41.


Dissatisfied with the slow rate of fire of these launchers, the Germans conducted experiments in an effort to attain a faster rate. Their research resulted in production of the 15-cm Panzerwerfer 42. This consists of two banks of 15-cm Nebelwerfer launching tubes, with six tubes in each bank. The launching unit is mounted on an armored half-track. Since the crew need not dig slit trenches, but can take cover in the vehicle instead, fire can be delivered somewhat faster than from other Nebelwerfer. Panzerwerfer are organized in the standard rocket-launcher battery of two platoons of three pieces each.
Although the name Nebelwerfer implies that the original purpose of these rocket launchers was to lay down smoke concentrations, it must be remembered that these same launchers can serve as projectors for gas-loaded rockets. Their thin-skinned projectiles can carry far more gas, incendiary, or smoke-generating material than can thick-walled artillery shells. (The 300-mm rocket, for example, carries 10 gallons of incendiary material.) Since pinpoint accuracy is not necessary in building up smoke concentrations, the Nebelwerfer's lack of preciseness is of little importance when chemical rockets are used.
High explosive is a different matter. A great deal of high explosive can be crammed into these rockets (the 280-mm carries 55 pounds of high explosive), but since direct hits on personnel and installations must be scored, inaccuracy is a seriously compromising factor. In general, Nebelwerfer firing high explosive are useful only against area targets, such as towns. The walls of the rocket yield little fragmentation, and the effect is chiefly blast.
The Panzerwerfer 42 fires the some rockets as the 15-cm Nebelwerfer 41, but has 10 instead of six barrels. The barrels are shown loaded.

Smoke trails from the flying rockets betray the battery locations, no matter what type of ammunition is fired. For this reason, the Germans try to make the most of initial surprise concentrations, especially with the shorter-range rockets. In prolonged fire frequent shifting of battery positions is necessary if counterbattery is to be avoided. With their customary eagerness to turn their shortcomings into assets, the Germans have tried to make capital out of the spectacular effect of rocket trails and have even gone so far as to put coloring matter in the propellants. The enemy believes that the scream of the rockets and the loud bursts of the heavily laden but inaccurate projectiles weaken the morale of Allied troops meeting these phenomena for the first time.



Lone Sentry: Germany's Rocket and Recoilless Weapons (U.S. WWII Intelligence Bulletin, March 1945)

 

See the first two minutes of this film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WucdcjSTU6A