Minenwerfer (mine launcher) is the German name for a class of short range mortars used extensively during WWI by the German Army. The weapons were intended to be used by engineers to clear obstacles including bunkers and barbed wire, that longer range artillery would not be able to accurately target. The minenwerfer was cheaper, costing only one seventh as much as the artillery gun. A variety of explosives that would usually be unsuitable for use in artillery were used to fill the shells. Recognizing the numerous advantages of the minenwerfer in trench warfare, production was stepped up.