Original German WWI Granatenwerfer 16 Inert Grenade Thrower by Alfred Wolff with Deactivated Fragmentation Round Original Items

Original Item: Only One Set Available. Totally non-functional and inert having been deactivated according to specifications outlined by the BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives).

This is an exceptionally rare German World War One Granatenwerfer 16 (Grenade Thrower 16) “Spigot Mortar”, complete with an original deactivated High Explosive Fragmentation Round. The base plate is marked with serial number 25 205, while the launcher “spigot” is marked with just 205, so this is a matched example, without any major parts swapped out.

The launcher itself still pivots up and down correctly with an intact securing lock, and the safety moves as well. The data plate is also still fully legible, and gives the model and maker information:

Granatenwerfer 16
Maschinenfabrik Alfred Wolff
Berlin SW. 68

The included inert round is in very good condition, and measures approximately 10 ¾ inches long. The fin section unscrews from warhead to show internal cavity, and the very tip unscrews as well. The long protrusion on the top is actually where the propellant charge is held, as the long tube is for mounting onto the “spigot” of the launcher.

A fantastic set with loads of patina, ready to display!

PLEASE NOTE: The inert round is VERY tight on the spigot of the launcher, and cannot be completely slid down without getting firmly stuck well before that. 

An wonderful article by Forgotten Weapons on the Granatenwerfer 16 can be found at this link.

Developed from a weapon originally designed by a priest, of all people, in the Austro-Hungarian army, the Granatenwerfer 16 was a German WWI grenade thrower which bridged the gap between hand-thrown grenades and the light minenwerfers. Throwing a small grenade with a 400g (14oz) high explosive charge to a maximum range of about 300 meters (330 yards) , the Gr.W.16 with a practiced crew could maintain a rate of fire of 4-5 rounds per minute.

The Granatenwerfer 16 was a classic example of the spigot mortar type weapon. Rather than having a hollow barrel into which the projectile fit, it had a simple rod with a firing pin built in. The grenade it fired had a hollow center shaft, which fit onto the firing rod. To fire, a gunner (a 2-man crew, in practice) would first adjust the spigot rod to the correct angle for the desired range, depress the cocking collar until the firing pin was cocked, rotate the safety lever to the “safe” position, insert a fuse into a grenade (they were fairly sensitive impact fuses), slide the grenade onto the launcher, remove the safety pin, and fire the grenade by means of a lanyard pull. The Gr.W.16 was particularly portable because of its light weight – the launcher itself weighted 31 pounds and the base plate an additional 48 pounds. Thus both parts could be easily carried across areas too confined, muddy, or otherwise impractical to drag a wheeled minenwerfer through.

The grenade itself contained a special blank rifle cartridge (actually just a standard service round with the projectile removed), which provided the energy to launch – the granatenwerfer itself simply struck the cartridge primer to fire it. The Gr.W.16s proved to be popular and very effective weapons for the Germans. They had a high rate of fire, useful range, and reasonable effective detonation. They could be used in either direct or indirect fire applications – direct fire was used to fire at things like sentry posts, gun loopholes, and the like. When fired this way, the grenade fragments would fill an area roughly 5m wide and 50m long, while a round fired in a high angle trajectory would have a bursting radius of about 30 meters. Minimum high-angle range was 50 meters, to avoid endangering the firing crew.

In terms of manufacturing, the Gr.W.16 was a very simple device, and easy to produce, with only a few moving parts and noting requiring the level of precision that a conventional barrel would need. This made it idea for production by companies like toy manufacturers, who had experience with casting relatively small parts to relatively loose tolerances.