The 8 cm Granatwerfer 34 (8 cm GrW 34) was the standard German medium mortar throughout World War II. It gained a reputation for extreme accuracy and rapid rate of fire, although much of the credit should go to the training of the crews.
The design of the weapon was conventional and it broke down into three loads (barrel, bipod, baseplate) for transport. The barrel was smooth bore. Attached to its bipod were a traversing handwheel, and a cross-leveling handwheel below the elevating mechanism. A panoramic sight was mounted on the traversing mechanism yoke for fine adjustments. A line on the tube could be used for rough laying.
The 8 cm GrW 34/1 was an adaptation for use in self-propelled mountings. A lightened version with a shorter barrel was put into production as the kurzer 8 cm Granatwerfer 42.
The mortar employed conventional 8 cm 3.5 kg high explosive or smoke shells with percussion fuzes, having a range of just over a kilometer. The range was extended by fitting up to three additional powder charges between the shell tailfins.