panzerwerfer 42

The Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier (Sd.Kfz. Index: Sd.Kfz. 4/1) was a half-tracked rocket launcher employed by Germany against the Soviet Army during World War II. It began production in April 1943 and ran until March 1945. In January 1942, Hitler ordered the vehicle's development, and it first saw battle on the Eastern Front in the fall of 1943. The vast majority of the components were produced by Opel, the primary manufacturer. It was used for larger-scale rocket attacks against Soviet positions where a broad bombardment would be more effective than more pinpoint artillery fire. The rocket barrages covered a far broader area and brought more psychological elements to the fight: the quantity of noise, smoke, splinters, and flying debris produced by the rockets when they exploded was significant. The weapon's considerable deployment on the Eastern Front demonstrated that it could also be used effectively on the Western Front. On May 14, 1944, the weapon was eventually made available to the entire German army in France.