The Stielgranate 42 was a German fin-stabilized demolition charge, used with the 15 cm SIG 33 heavy infantry gun and armored vehicles armed with the SIG 33 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The primary purpose of the Stielgranate 42 was the demolition of concrete fortifications and for the clearing of minefields and barbed wire. Unlike the Stielgranate 41 it was not a

shaped charge A shaped charge, commonly also hollow charge if shaped with a cavity, is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, ...

anti-tank weapon. In an emergency, the Stielgranate 42 could be used in an

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...

role to great effect but due to its short range and poor accuracy the gun crew would be dangerously exposed to enemy fire.

Design

The Stielgranate 42 was of welded steel construction, consisting of three main parts: the nose cone, a cylindrical body, and a tapered tail with fins. Both the nose and the base of the projectile were reinforced with steel rings welded to the casing. The nose ring is threaded to accept a WgrZ.36 impact fuze also used by the leichter Ladungswerfer. A booster charge made up of compressed

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

pellets is located in the center of a tube of

picric acid Picric acid is an organic compound with the formula (O2N)3C6H2OH. Its IUPAC name is 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP). The name "picric" comes from (''pikros''), meaning "bitter", due to its bitter taste. It is one of the most acidic phenols. Like ot ...

pellets. The complete projectile weighs and is filled with of

amatol Amatol is a highly explosive material made from a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate. The British name originates from the words ammonium and toluene (the precursor of TNT). Similar mixtures (one part dinitronaphthalene and seven parts a ...

. A stick which fits over the base of the projectile is placed in the gun barrel and the projectile is then propelled by a charge. After approximately the stick falls away and the projectile continues on its course. The tail consists of six small fins in pairs at the base of the projectile with three steel bars with larger fins in between the small fins. The fins were angled to impart spin to help stabilize the projectile.

References

Artillery shells World War II weapons of Germany Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1942 {{artillery-stub