tom compton Posted 25 May , 2013 Share Posted 25 May , 2013 Hello. I was reading about Alfred Bert VC the other day and how he pulled a fuse out of a minewefer and won a VC. What was a minewefer ? any pictures. Thanks Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinBattle Posted 25 May , 2013 Share Posted 25 May , 2013 Tom: Wiki has this: Minenwerfer ("mine launcher") is the German name for a class of short range mortars used extensively during the First World War by the German Army. The weapons were intended to be used by engineers to clear obstacles including bunkers and barbed wire, that longer range artillery would not be able to accurately target. No doubt other more erudite Pals will come up with even more information than Google Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 25 May , 2013 Author Share Posted 25 May , 2013 Thanks Kevin. So it was more of a shell than a grenade and i am wondering what sort of fuse would be sticking out of a shell that could be pulled out ? Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinBattle Posted 25 May , 2013 Share Posted 25 May , 2013 http://www.bedfordregiment.org.uk/hertsrgt/burtvc.html No idea what type of fuse, but sounds remarkably like the cartoon style cannonball and fizzing fuse sort! Whatever, it must take a deal of guts to even consider removing the fuse before the shell exploded.... The War had only been going for just over a year so perhaps this was one of the more rudimentary efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 25 May , 2013 Share Posted 25 May , 2013 Minenewerfers (Mine throwers) the German trench mortars came in a wide variety with missiles varying from the toffee apple type or crude cylinders to artillery like shells. Some had burning fuses, some timed by other mechanisms and others contact (impact). There are a number of accounts of soldiers managing to defuse them before they exploded (and some are discussed on the forum).Describing all the different types of round and kinds of fuses would take a very long post indeed. An idea of the variety Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 25 May , 2013 Share Posted 25 May , 2013 and more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 25 May , 2013 Share Posted 25 May , 2013 and more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 25 May , 2013 Share Posted 25 May , 2013 That last one is interesting....the lollipop of doom. Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 25 May , 2013 Share Posted 25 May , 2013 It would be interesting to hear more about this. Most fuzes were quite large and screwed in quite deep into the shell. They were mostly impact fuzes so why the rush to remove it? Also, if he meant a pin, that would only have armed the bomb. Ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 26 May , 2013 Share Posted 26 May , 2013 Uploaded with ImageShack.us Fuse Minenwerfer Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 26 May , 2013 Share Posted 26 May , 2013 The bottom picture at post 7 comes from the Illustrated War News and is described - THE GERMAN TRENCH-MORTAR JUST INTRODUCED TO THE BRITISH: A WEAPON WHICH THROWS A 187-LB. MINE-SHELL. "In this quarter," says Eye-Witness of the fighting near Ypres on October 29, "we experienced ... the action of the 'minenwerfer,' or trench-mortar. This piece, though light enough to be wheeled by two men, throws a shell weighing 187 lbs. The spherical shell has a loose stem which is loaded into the bore and drops out in flight. It ranges about 350 yards at 45 deg. elevation. The shell is a thin-walled mine-shell containing a large charge and is intended to act with explosive effect, not splinter-effect." The diagram on the left shows one of the shells and its stem in their most up-to-date form; in the centre is the trench-mortar (its wheels off) with a shell in place; below this are three shells without their stems; on the right is a shell and its stem. THE ILLUSTRATED WAR NEWS, NOV. 18, 1914—39 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arboskittler Posted 27 May , 2013 Share Posted 27 May , 2013 The "War Illustrated" (1915-1916) has this account...... Corporal Alfred Burt, 1st Hertford Regiment, gained the V.C. for outstanding courage at Cuinchy on September 27th 1915. A huge German Minenwerfer bomb fell into the trench. Corporal Burt dashed forward and put out the fuse with his foot. Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom W. Posted 27 May , 2013 Share Posted 27 May , 2013 The "War Illustrated" (1915-1916) has this account...... Corporal Alfred Burt, 1st Hertford Regiment, gained the V.C. for outstanding courage at Cuinchy on September 27th 1915. A huge German Minenwerfer bomb fell into the trench. Corporal Burt dashed forward and put out the fuse with his foot. Andy. There's your answer. Given the date--1915--it was either an Erdmörser or an Albrecht, both of which used shells that had Bickford fuses ignited by the flash of the charge. They could be up to 250 mm in caliber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 29 May , 2013 Author Share Posted 29 May , 2013 This is what i have. " Corporal Bert went forward, put his foot on the fuse,wrenched it out, and threw it over the the parapet thus saving the lives of all the company". So i am thinking that Tom w may have the answer a Albrecht or a erdmorser. But how would you light a fuse thats fired from a mortar ? Any more photos. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom W. Posted 29 May , 2013 Share Posted 29 May , 2013 This is what i have. " Corporal Bert went forward, put his foot on the fuse,wrenched it out, and threw it over the the parapet thus saving the lives of all the company". So i am thinking that Tom w may have the answer a Albrecht or a erdmorser. But how would you light a fuse thats fired from a mortar ? Any more photos. Tom The fuse was ignited by the flame of the propelling charge. Apparently, the propelling charge was set off electrically, with a blasting machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 30 May , 2013 Author Share Posted 30 May , 2013 Thanks Tom. Would the launcher to like the one on post six ? Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom W. Posted 30 May , 2013 Share Posted 30 May , 2013 Thanks Tom. Would the launcher to like the one on post six ? Tom Actually, the one in post five is the Albrecht, and the Erdmörser is the one below. The mortar is buried in the earth, and you can see the electrical detonating line in the foreground. Both used the shell in post 13. The mortar in post 6 is the 76mm light trench mortar new pattern (7,6 cm leichter Minenwerfer n/A). The shell was small enough to hold in one hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 31 May , 2013 Author Share Posted 31 May , 2013 So Tom seeing its 1915 would you put your money on it being launched by the erdmoser ? Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom W. Posted 1 June , 2013 Share Posted 1 June , 2013 So Tom seeing its 1915 would you put your money on it being launched by the erdmoser ? Tom Could be either the Erdmörser or the Albrecht. No way of knowing, since they used the same shell. But one or the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 6 June , 2013 Author Share Posted 6 June , 2013 Thanks for all the information Tom, if you come across a photo of the shell i would love a copy. Thanks again, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom W. Posted 7 June , 2013 Share Posted 7 June , 2013 Thanks for all the information Tom, if you come across a photo of the shell i would love a copy. Thanks again, Tom Here's a later version of the shell. The top is flat instead of conical, but it's the same design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom W. Posted 8 June , 2013 Share Posted 8 June , 2013 Thanks for all the information Tom, if you come across a photo of the shell i would love a copy. Thanks again, Tom There's a Keystone stereoview that shows the early model of shell. This card is all over eBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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