Land mattress
The Land Mattress (English: Land Mattress) was a British multiple rocket launcher of the Second World War . Originally the name was only intended as a code name for the project, but it became a type designation.
history
The land mattress was created under the impact of the firepower of the German fog throwers during D-Day . Fog launcher batteries were able to block entire sections if used skillfully. The British had experience in handling missiles, so multiple launchers were mounted on ships during the landing in Normandy in order to fire the German positions on the landing beaches. However, they refrained from developing a version that could be used on land. It was feared that the positions of the batteries could easily be determined and so easily destroyed. However, after seeing the effects of the German weapons, the decision was made to develop a land-based system under high pressure.
The land mattress had its only significant use in the conquest of the Dutch peninsula Walcheren by the Canadian troops, who were the only ones who used this weapon in large numbers. The use was surprising for the German defenders. A single launcher was able to target more explosives than a full battery of medium guns . With the introduction of the "Calliope" version of the M4 Sherman , the land mattress was taken out of service and scrapped.
technology
The structure of the launcher is based heavily on the German Nebelwerfer. The 30 tubes of the launcher lie on a single-axis carriage. A simple handlebar offers the possibility to adjust the height of the weapon according to the target address. The entire launcher was rotated for side alignment.
The actual single-stage solid rocket has a caliber of 76.2 mm and transports the 127 mm warhead of the naval rocket to the target. The impact fuse used turned out to be very dangerous, which is why the British army did not accept the weapon and only the Canadian army used the launcher.
Technical specifications
- Caliber: 76.2 mm (warhead 127 mm)
- Weight of the launcher: 1,118 kg
- Weight of the rocket: 30.35 kg
- Length of the rocket: 1.77 m
- Weight of the warhead: 3.18 kg
- Airspeed of the rocket: 353 m / s
- Maximum shooting range: 7,230 m
literature
- Ian Hogg : 20th Century Artillery. Gondromverlag, Bindlach 2005, ISBN 3-8112-1878-6 .
