Nahverteidigungswaffe

Nahverteidigungswaffe at Panzermuseum Munster

The Nahverteidigungswaffe was a smoke candle discharger for German panzers which could also be used as a close defense weapon to combat close assaulting infantry. It was a 92mm rotating launcher for smoke candles, mounted in the roof of the turret or superstructure, which also allowed the occupants to fire a flare pistol through it. The flare pistol could fire flares, smoke rounds or small calibre fragmentation grenades.

Other methods of close defense involved attaching electrically fired s-mine launchers at the four corners of the tank, or pistol ports.

External links

• Die Nahverteidigungswaffe