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Unknown German Fuze

jvollenberg

Well-Known Member
Ordnance approved
I am going to be posting some images of items I am trying to find information on .. This will also give everyone a chance to see these items and use them as needed. The images were taken at the Former Aberdeen Ordnance Museum.

Diameter: 70MM
Length: 158MM
Explosed Length: 47MM
 

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This fuze is Znder fr schwere und mittlere Wurfmine.

Thanks for showing, keep it comming :)

Bob
 

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That fuze in picture is original or replica??? Ussually letters are stenciled not engraved.
 
It was in the Aberdeen Ordnance Museum and was there for a long time. So I would say original. But you never know. ..... Joe
 
Ussually letters are stenciled not engraved.

why stenciled, never seen one with stenciled letters? The numbers are also not engraved they were normally rolled on the rings with a special made tool (a "negative ring").

What's unusual with this fuze is the "A4-22" number on the time ring ;-)

I think it's a prototype of the factory "BW" which they had to send to the prussian authorities first. When accepted they had to deliver some hundred fuzes for firing trials. After successful firing tests they had good chances to get an order from the prussian war ministry which quickly reached numbers > 1 000 000 pieces. That was they typical procedure for all private companys producing ordnance in germany.
 
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A4-22 is the museum marking ... I probably should have put that out there when I posted the pictures. The rest of the markings are real.

Joe
 
ahh ok, then it's a very normal ZsumWM for me :) Just in really nice condition...

@Trrrr: Maybe it looks weird for you because the fuze was sandblastet (or blasted with glas-powder)...
 
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old models had 7 to 21, newer models (1917/18) had 7 to 25 seconds as they could improve the range of the mortars.

If it is a "u" or "n" I can't say (need better photos), you are right it looks a little strange. But the whole font they used is a really strange one :)
 
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I would say it is a "u". A "n" would have the same round top like the "m" and a n would not have a lower connection line between the two vertical lines. At this time they did not make such easy failures, german mentality was much different than today :D.
 
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The other fact is what ""Z.s.u.m.W.M" actually stood for: "Zunder schwerer und mittierer Wurf-Mine" (or Fuse for heavy and medium "Minewerfer" shell)

An "n" wouldn't make sense here.

Of course there are other variations:

Z.gl.W.M (Zunder glatter Wurf-Mine)
Z.m.W.M (Zunder-mittlerer Wurf-Mine)
Z.s.W.M (Zunder schwerer Wurf-Mine)

Cheers

Drew
 
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