German ground attack weaponry

[SteveH]

Hi, Not sure whether to post here or aircraft. There has always been a niggle in the back of my mind regarding the stick grenades carried by CL types. I've seen the pictures of the Halberstadt and built the Airfix Hannover but it has always seemed strange to me that an aircraft would loiter at low level, in a very hostile environment, while the observer chucked stick grenades at the enemy. Was this the method employed or could the racks of missiles be off loaded en mass in what we would regard as a more conventional attack. Would imagine Yeate's views of low level work were the most commonly held opinion on both sides of the front so a more conventional method would appear the best option. Any views? Regards, Steve

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Hi SteveH:
German stick grenades had a 5 second fuse,. if the Schlactfliegers machine gunners wanted them to be affective, the pilot had to get down to 150 ft (45.7 meters) and they would get an air burst 2 meters off the ground. If they landed on the ground(mud) their effect was greatly dimished. They also were bundled in seven stick grenades (6 around 1 in the center) taped together and this way they covered a larger area. In the German weaponary they had a schrapnel grenade, comparable to the pineapple grenade, it had four fins on a tubulor tail, it was a contact grenade, Grenatenwerfer 16, 1.9 kg, it was the mortar shell used with the Priest Trench Mortar.(Invented by a German Catholic Priest)
Blue skies SteveH,
Dan-San

[SteveH]

Thanks Dan, A more effective means than dropping them individually but it still appears that they were slung from the rear cockpit. Seems very 1914-15 like so late in the war. Regards, Steve