trurle
Banned
What if instead of concentrating on long-range missiles, the Wehrmacht would develop a series of short-to medium range battlefield missiles for strategic shelling of enemy positions. Something like a heavy cannon or mortar. I remember to have read somewhere that by 1944 they were actively exploring mobile rocket launchers as an alternative to pulled cannons. I am no expert, but could 1940's or even 1950's technology come up with a rocket system that would be easier to handle, easier to maintain and better overall then existing howitzers?
If so, would it make a difference if Germany had this rockets as their standard equipment in France? in Africa? in Russia?
Definitely rockets are not fit as standard equipment. Russians had BM-13 MRLS and aircraft rocket pods during the entire war. Americans had the HVAR pods. British had an Unrotated Projectile. All these rockets had a niche applications.
Main problem with rockets is what their nozzle volume cannot match the volume of gun barrel. Also, pulse expansion (as ooposed to quasi-continuous expansion in rockets) do squeeze more energy from gas. See the "Pulse detonation engine". Therefore, the thermodynamic efficiency of propulsion for low-speed projectiles (at speeds where Oberth effect is not important) is better for cannons. So as long as you need to pump a lot of shells to enemy positions at modest speeds, the gun is the most cost-effective way to do so. Only if special considerations like recoil limitation or high range (with associated high speed resulting in Oberth effect and terrible air resistance losses) are considered, rockets find their place.