The kleine Granatenwerfer 16 or Gr.W.16 (Small Grenade Launcher Model 1916) in English, was an infantry mortar used by the Central Powers during the First World War.

[3] The majority of military planners before the First World War were wedded to the concept of fighting an offensive war of rapid maneuver which before mechanization meant a focus on cavalry and light horse artillery firing shrapnel shells at formations of troops in the open.

The machine-gun nests could be constructed of sandbags, timber, corrugated metal, and concrete with overhead protection.

For infantry advancing across no man's land, all they may see is a small horizontal opening at waist level, with just the top of the gun shield showing.

Early on the combatants experimented with crossbows, catapults, and slingshots to propel hand grenades with limited success.

The projectile was similar in size and construction to a hand grenade with a hollow center tube with tail fins that slid over the spigot.

Nothing required expensive materials or precise machining which meant it could be produced by companies with simple casting and forging facilities that were accustomed to loose tolerances.

The Granatenwerfer 16 tended to be used for anti-personnel work while the heavier trench mortars firing high-explosive shells were tasked with destroying enemy dugouts and barbed wire.

Because of the recoil, it was recommended that the Granatenwerfer 16 be operated from the left so that the gunner could see the notches on the traverse and elevating mechanisms.

Since the Granatenwerfer 16 had a high rate of fire and good accuracy, enemy trenches could be saturated with fire, forcing the enemy to take cover in their dugouts which allowed attacking infantry to cross no man's land unmolested and arrive at their trenches before the defenders had time to react.