Panzerwerfer 42
Panzerwerfer 42 (Sd.Kfz. 4/1)
This remarkable vehicle was seen in action during Militracks 2025, and the Panzerwerfer 42 (Sd.Kfz. 4/1) will remain on display at Oorlogsmuseum Overloon for a while longer.
The Panzerwerfer 42 is a German self-propelled rocket artillery vehicle developed in response to the feared Soviet "Katyusha" rocket launchers. Starting in 1943, the Wehrmacht deployed this vehicle primarily on the Eastern Front, aiming to provide fast and mobile rocket fire.
Built on the chassis of the Opel Maultier, the vehicle was equipped with a fully rotatable rocket launcher (360 degrees), allowing it to quickly change firing direction. Its light armor provided some protection against shell splinters and the backblast of the rockets, but the vehicle remained vulnerable to heavier weapons.
In addition to their physical impact, the rockets had a strong psychological effect. They produced a deafening noise, heavy smoke, and fragmentation. The British nicknamed the vehicle "Moaning Minnie" because of the eerie sound it made when firing.
Only around 300 units were built between April 1943 and March 1944.
