The German 9mm Rocketand it’s Descendents

or

The Intro to Mel’s Gyrojet Book!!!

Conservation of Momentum – Every action has an equal and opposite reaction

Force = mass x velocity x velocity

Mass is a function of size of nozzle throat in a rocket

Rocket Theory

Supersonic flow

Mach 1 in nozzle throat

Lower Pressure

High Pressure

Why a Rocket

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Normal Cased Cartridge

Self Contained Cartridge - Propellant in Bullet

Rocket Cartridge - Propellant in Bullet – Exhaust Nozzle

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Throat size & burn time

German 9mm Rocket Cartridges• Col Jarrett found 11 Rocket rounds in Walther Factory in 1945

– Unloaded in white

• Capt Pollard Report – To British D. of A. (S.A.) 30/7/45 – 5000 rocket bullets made at Walther and loaded at DWM Wittenberg

– Weapon was a modified blowback Schmeisser type, smooth bored and Walther pistol with a recessed blot head supporting the cap nipple – interview with Karl Walther and Schmeisser

– Steel ball as primer anvil

– Muzzle velocity increased from 1200ft/sec to 1700ft/sec

– Enable powerful weapon with low recoil in a cheap blowback weapon capable of mass production

– Based on Langweiler impulse propulsion concept ca 1939• Apparently not simple a rocket

• Subsequently other rounds turned up in Germany

Mel Carpenter collection-ex Val Forgett (ex Jarrett)

~ 902 ft/sec

~ 30mm overall length – 6 exhaust ports

My 9mm ex-Kaultmann – 30.23mm

Woodin Laboratory 9mm ex-Jarrett – 30.23mm

My 9mm ex-Jarrett – 30.23mm

Walther Rockets

Mel Carpenter Photo

Walther Rockets

Woodin Laboratory ex-Kaultmann– 34.6mm

Woodin Laboratory – 30mm Mel Carpenter Photo

Mel Carpenter Photo

Rounds from A. Schurk of Munich marked “Langweiler Project”

Courtesy of the Woodin Laboratory

CIOS Report – DWM Schultup nr Lubeck -2/7/46• DWM denied involvement initially• Involved in aspects of Langweiler impulse propulsion• “Mr Strecke has been engaged in this effort”

Courtesy of the Woodin Laboratory

DWM/Schurk Rockets

Polte Rockets ???

Courtesy of the Woodin Laboratory - Mel Carpenter Photo

• Reportedly German

• Very blunt bullet

• Rear nipple very short

• Overall length ~30mm

• Legit???

Unknown German 9mm Rocket

Mel Carpenter collection-ex Val Forgett

Lew Curtis collection-ex Kaultmann

British 9mm Rocket Cartridges• Chief Superintendent Armament Research – Ft Halstead 30/8/45

– Based on work published in 1939 by Langweiler on impulse-propulsion– Testing done with modified 7.92x57 tracer increased MV by 150 ft/sec– Recommended British Conduct Experiments

• Use Lab mockup weapon• Start with an exact copy of the German bullet• Recommended various types of propellants which could be tried

• Sir Dennis Burney – (for B.T.Co. ???) 14/9/45– Describes the German rocket bullet– References test of “rocket projectiles” in the Hotchkiss 6 pdr.

• Attached Minutes– Preliminary designs being manufactured at Radway Green – 23/1/46– Trials of D6(B) 341/56 and D6(B) 338/56 with propellent P.16454 – 5/3/47

• 341/56 fired satisfactorily• 338/56 blew out duralumin nose plug before complete pressure buildup

– Worked with steel nose plug

• Requested further tests of 250 rounds – order confirmed

– Trial at ROF Swynnerton terminated 29/8/47

• Appears to be open at rear

• Self Contained cartridge design

• Tested successfully

Design 341/56

• Based on German design

• Top closed with nose plug

• Used perforate disk

• Initially unsuccessful

• Later tested successfully

• Steel nose plug

• Disk removed

Design 338/56

U S Navy 9mm Rocket Cartridge

• Built by China Lake Naval Armament Lab in 1954• No evidence of a weapon ever being built

– Used a test fixture like the British

• Built for Don Stoehr– Based on a sample of Walther Rocket from Fred Datig– Less than a dozen made– Not a serious research program

Mel Carpenter collection

US Navy 9mm Rocket

German 9mm Rocket

Mel Carpenter collection

US Navy Rocket

French Rocket

Czech 9mm Holecek Cartridges

• Jaroslav Holecek worked for the firm Zbrojovka Brno Czech had data on German caseless work from WW I and WW II Round nose cartridge tested in a modified CZ vz 247 submachine gun Improved cartridge with flanges achieved 400 m/sec (1300 ft/sec) Primer residue exited barrel Aimed at conversion of 9mm Para weapons Reportedly developed in early 1950s

Czech 9mm RZK Rocket Rifle Cartridge

Other 9mm Rocket Cartridges

• Russian– In 1957 Val Forgett was told by Karl Walther that the 9mm Rockets found in his desk

were not German but Russian but didn’t work– In 1994 at Artillery Museum in St Petersburg Val saw a drawer with these cartridges

in two lengths and pistols. When he referred to them as “German” he was told “no they are Russian”

– Karl Walther was a strong Nazi supporter and “uncooperative” – Pollard– Other German efforts applying Langweiler’s concept besides Walther’s

– 7.62mm Self Contained round identified• Dates from early 1970s

• German Post WWII– 9mm Submitted to Meppen for testing in 1962

• MBA Gyrojets– Buy Mel Carpenter’s book when it is published

Courtesy of Yuri Bushin and John Moss

Courtesy of the Woodin Laboratory

Summary• Germany had a fairly broad effort on 9mm

Rockets– Numerous variations of German 9mm Rockets– Langweiler’s technical principles still unclear

• French and British efforts Immediately after war• Czech effort may be based on German effort• US effort kind of an afterthought• Lots more research needed

Warning!!!• Lots of replicas, copies and fakes (US, German & Swiss)

• Some marked, but most are not marked

• History of the cartridge is best insurance

Credits

• Herb Woodend - British Material• Mel Carpenter & Bill Woodin – Photos and German Ref• Ted Koch• Peter Petrusic• Yuri Bushin• John Moss• Rolf Foerster• John Schmitt• IAA Journal 410 & 412• Buttweiler Archives

Backup Charts

Dutch Rocket Cartridges• Product of Artillerie - Inrichtingen

• Apparently no work in 9mm

• Appears to be related to Gyrojet