Panzerschreck
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Panzerschreck (tank terror in German language), abbreviated RPzB (Raketenpanzerbüchse), is an 88mm calibre re-usable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by the Germans in WWII to give infantry an anti-tank capability. It was made in much smaller numbers than the Panzerfaust. The weapon is shoulder-launched and fires a rocket-propelled, fin-stabilised grenade with a shaped charge warhead.
When German troops captured an American M9A1 "bazooka" in Africa, they noticed qualities that were lacking in the Panzerfaust and quickly sent it to engineers back in Germany for analysis. The bazooka was no more than a steel tube which made it easy for mass production. It has the ability to be recharged (unlike the Panzerfaust which was one-use only). The result was the Panzerschreck which was considerably more powerful than the Bazooka, with an effective range of about 150m.
The first model was the RPzB 43 which was 164cm long and weighed about 9.25kg empty. In October 1943, it was succeeded by the RPzB 54 which weighed 11kg empty and was equiped with a blast shield. The RPzB 54's rocket still burns while leaving the muzzle, thus creating a large amount of smoke. The German troops nicknamed it the Ofenrohr or "Stove Pipe". This flaw made the RPzB 54 unhandy during ambushes or sneak attacks as it quickly revealed their position.
Whereas the early bazooka shells had problems with German 100mm armor, notably on the Tiger tank, the more advanced Panzerschreck shells could penetrate over 200mm of armor by the end of the war, enough to deal with any tank fielded at the time. When used in the hands of well trained Panzergrenadier units, this weapon became the stuff of nightmare for allied armored division which had to reinforce their tanks with sandbags, treads etc.
See also
- Shoulder-launched missile weapon
- Panzerfaust
- Bazooka
- List of common WWII infantry weapons
- List of Axis firearms of WW2
Template:WWIIGermanInfWeaponsde:Panzerschreck ja:パンツァーシュレック pl:Panzerschreck