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WWI German Westphalit

dano1917

dano1917

RIP
Similar to a packet I posted up a few years back, but this one is a German Army piece. Came out of an inordinately dry bunker in the 1980's. There is so much controversy of the actual use of these packets I will pass on expressing an opinion on this. Defo WWI German used, this is something I would really like to see some collectors opinions on....Dano
 

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Westfalit is a trademark of the Westfalit AG for mining explosives for the civil market. But of course it was used for mining work in WW1 by the german army. Also mortar shells (slow muzzle velocity) got filled with Westfalit during the war as military explosives were not available in the needed quantity.
 
Thanks so much Alpini, I totally agree with uses you have listed. Another thing I have heard over the years, and this was passed down through oral history without absolute proof, but I have heard that the explosive from these packets were used to charge field expedient grenades (petards) early in the war????? Dano
 
This stuff is Ammonium Nitrate and was used as substitute explosive also in WW2. It was cheap and fast to produce compared to military explosives. However it was extremely sensitive to moisture.
Amatol is a mixture of Ammonium Nitrate and TNT and was widely used for filling artillery shells during WW2.
 
Hallo,
it's interesting that Dano uses the english version "Westphalit" as a heading for his question. Westfalit was introduced in Germany as a cheap mining explosive in 1893 by the "Westflisch-Anhaltische Sprengstoff AG" The first of a whole series of mining explosives (95 % AN + 5 % resin).
By substitution of 4 % Potassium Nitrate for AN "Westfalit fuer Kohle"(Coal Westfalit) was produced. The Det.Vel. of this is given as 4350m/s in the literature. Blasting agents of this type were also manufactured in England under the name "Westphalit" and belonged to the "permitted"class which passed the "Woolwich Test".
 
Thanks to all for most useful information. I just love to learn esp German WWI explosive(s). Dano (spelling simply a clerical error)
 
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