Dragon 1/35 German Rocket Launcher with Crew

Rocket artillery plays an important part in modern armies, with one of its primary advantages being the ability to saturate enemy positions with simultaneous massed fire. In WWII, rocket artillery was still in its infancy, though several effective systems were developed by both sides of the conflict (e.g. Russian Katyusha and German Nebelwerfer). One of Germany’s first rocket weapon systems was the Schweres Wurfgera"t 41, which translates as “heavy throwing apparatus”.

This weapon was essentially a wooden or steel framework in which crates containing rockets could be placed. The crates would be inclined at a particular angle towards the enemy, and the rockets could then be fired. Rockets were either 280mm in diameter for HE or 320mm for incendiary, with the former having a range of 1920m and the latter 2195m. Introduced into combat in 1941, its level of accuracy was somewhat crude, but the “howling cow” (as it was nicknamed) could have a devastating effect on enemy positions and morale.

Dragon now provides modelers with an accurately proportioned Schweres Wurfgera"t 41. The wooden frame is a completely new tooling, while the steel rocket crates are produced by sophisticated photo-etched parts. Included in the set are both 28cm and 32cm rockets that can fit inside their launch crates. The set even includes “rocket men” to operate the system, these crewmen dressed in parkas for a wintertime period. These figures can be posed as though realistically operating the rockets. This is an unusual weapon, and Dragon’s new set allows modelers to depict an authentic vignette of a “howling cow”!