15 cm Luftminenwerfer M 15 M. E.
The 15 cm Luftminenwerfer M 15 M. E. was a medium pneumatic trench mortar built by the German company Maschinenfabrik Esslingen for Austria-Hungary during World War I. It fired 150 mm shells using a single compressed-air cylinder and weighed about 207 kg. The barrel sat on a base plate and could traverse 360°, with a maximum range of around 500 meters.
About 200 units were produced between 1915 and 1916. The weapon was designed in 1914–1915 and first tested in September 1915, after which Austria-Hungary ordered a small batch for comparison. A Model II with minor improvements was evaluated at the end of 1915, and another 100 were ordered. However, the M 15 M. E. was soon outclassed by the 12 cm Luftminenwerfer M 16 and production was halted before completing the full order.
In service from 1915 to 1918, it was used by Austria-Hungary during World War I.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:23 (CET).