Panzerfaust
Four Panzerfausts in original casing, on display at the Helsinki Military Museum
Type	one-shot disposable anti-tank recoilless gun
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1943 - 1945
Used by	Nazi Germany  Finland
Wars	World War II
Production history
Produced	1943 - 1945
Number built	over 6 million (all variants)
Variants	Panzerfaust 30, 60, 100, 150, 250
Specifications
Weight	5.1 kg (Panzerfaust 30)
Length	~ 1 meter
Caliber	149 mm (Panzerfaust 30)
Effective range	30 meters (Panzerfaust 30)

The Panzerfaust (plural: Panzerfäuste, literally: "gauntlet", "armored fist" or "tank fist") was an inexpensive, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded recoilless gun (not rocket propelled, as commonly believed) dispatching a shaped charge warhead. It replaced the earlier Faustpatrone in service, and remained until the end of the war in various versions. The Panzerfaust 150 variant was the basis for the development of the Soviet RPG-2 which in turn was developed into the RPG-7. Panzerfaust can mean: The German disposable infantry rocket launcher of World War II called the Panzerfaust. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2816x2112, 221 KB) 4 Panzerfausts 30 in the original case exhibited in the Helsinki Military Museum (Sotamuseo). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Finland. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... “Calibre” redirects here. ... Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... M67 recoilless rifle The first recoilless rifles (RCL) were developed near the end of World War II as a lightweight form of anti-tank weaponry. ... This article is about vehicles powered by rocket engines. ... Sectioned HEAT round with the inner shaped charge visible A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosives energy. ... The Faustpatrone (literally fist cartridge) was a German anti-tank weapon of early World War II, it was said to have been the prototype for the Panzerfaust (armored or tank fist). Much smaller in physical appearance, the Faustpatrone was actually heavier than the better known Panzerfaust. ... The RPG-2 was the first rocket-propelled grenade launcher designed in the Soviet Union. ... The RPG-7 (Russian: ) is a widely-produced, portable, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket propelled grenade weapon. ...

Overview

Panzerfaust.

Development began in 1942 on a larger version of the Faustpatrone. The resulting weapon was the Panzerfaust, a very simple weapon weighing only 5-10 kg. The body was a tube of low-grade steel, around a meter long and 4-6 cm in diameter. Attached to the upper-side of the tube were a simple rear sight and trigger. There was no front sight, the edge of the warhead was used. Inside the tube was a small charge of black powder for propellant. Fitted to the front of the tube by its wooden tail stem and metal fins was an oversized warhead, 15 cm in diameter and weighing 3 kg that contained about 800 grams of explosive. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1782x334, 133 KB) Foto by Softeis 18. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1782x334, 133 KB) Foto by Softeis 18. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Faustpatrone (literally fist cartridge) was a German anti-tank weapon of early World War II, it was said to have been the prototype for the Panzerfaust (armored or tank fist). Much smaller in physical appearance, the Faustpatrone was actually heavier than the better known Panzerfaust. ... For other uses, see Steel (disambiguation). ... Black powder was the original gunpowder and practically the only known propellant and explosive until the middle of the 19th century. ...

The Panzerfaust often had warnings written in large red lettering on the upper rear end of the tube, the words usually being Achtung! Feuerstrahl! (Beware! Fire Jet!). This was to warn soldiers to avoid the backblast. After firing, the tube was discarded, making the Panzerfaust the first expendable anti-tank weapon. During the last stages of the war, many conscripts were given a Panzerfaust and nothing else, causing several German generals to comment sarcastically that the tubes would then be used as clubs. The weapon was often fired from the crook of the arm and the shaped charge could penetrate up to 200 mm of steel, enough to defeat any contemporary armoured fighting vehicle. Sectioned HEAT round with the inner shaped charge visible A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosives energy. ... An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, protected by armour and armed with weapons. ...

In an urban setting where the short sight lines allowed the weapon to be easily used it proved particularly deadly, and knocked out large numbers of Soviet armored vehicles during the Battle of Berlin. The construction was so simple that they could be made in the city while it was under siege, allowing wheelbarrow loads of Panzerfausts to be delivered to the defenders. Combatants Soviet Union Poland Nazi Germany Commanders 1st Belorussian Front – Georgiy Zhukov 2nd Belorussian Front – Konstantin Rokossovskiy 1st Ukrainian Front – Ivan Konev Army Group Vistula – Gotthard Heinrici then Kurt von Tippelskirch[2] Army Group Centre – Ferdinand Schörner Berlin Defense Area – Helmuth Reymann then Helmuth Weidling #[3] Strength 2,500...

Many Panzerfausts were sold to Finland, which made good use of them because the Finnish forces lacked anti-tank weapons that could easily destroy the toughest Soviet tanks, the T-34 and IS-2. The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank first produced in 1940. ... The Iosef Stalin tank, named after Joseph Stalin, was a heavy tank developed by the Soviet Union during World War II. It is sometimes transliterated Iosif Stalin, from the Russian, Иосиф Сталин. The tanks in the series are also sometimes called...

Some sources claim that the Soviet army made use of captured stocks of Panzerfausts, reportedly designated RPG-1, prior to the introduction of the RPG-2. [1] This article is about the armed forces of the Soviet Union. ... The RPG-2 was the first rocket-propelled grenade launcher designed in the Soviet Union. ...

The continuing development of the Panzerfaust resulted in several production variants.

Variants

Finnish soldiers with Panzerfausts and a destroyed Soviet T-34 tank in the battle of Tali-Ihantala.

Panzerfaust 30 Klein

The "Panzerfaust 30 Klein" (Klein meaning small) was the original version, first delivered in summer 1943. The "30" was indicative of the nominal maximum range of 30 meters. It had a 4.4 cm diameter tube containing 95 g of propellant which launched a 2.9 kg projectile carrying 800 grams of explosive. The projectile travelled at just 30 meters per second. It could penetrate 150mm of armor. The complete weapon weighed 3.25 kg.

Panzerfaust 30

An improved version of the Panzerfaust Klein appearing at the end of 1943, this version had a larger warhead for improved armor penetration (200mm) but the same range of 30 meters.

Panzerfaust 60

This was the most common version, and production started in August, 1944. It had a much more practical range of 60 meters, although with a muzzle velocity of only 45 meters per second it would take one and a third of a second for the warhead to reach a tank at this range. To achieve the higher velocity, the tube diameter was increased to 5 cm and 134 g of propellant used. It also had an improved sight and trigger mechanism. The weapon now weighed 6.1 kg. It could defeat 200mm of armor.

Panzerfaust 100

This was the final version produced in quantity, from November 1944 onwards. It had a nominal maximum range of 100 meters. 190 g of propellant launched the warhead at 60 meters per second from a 6 cm diameter tube. The sight had holes for 30, 60, 80 and 150 meters, and had luminous paint in them to make counting up to the correct one easier in the dark. This version weighed 6 kg and could penetrate 220mm of armor.

Panzerfaust 150 and 250

The Panzerfaust 150 was deployed in limited numbers near the end of the war, and was a greatly modified design. It had the same amount of propellant as the Panzerfaust 100 but a redesigned warhead and two stage propellant ignition gave it a higher velocity of 85 meters per second and increased the armor penetration. It was intended to be reused for up to ten shots, and production started in March 1945, two months before the end of the war.

Panzerfaust 250 was planned to enter production in September 1945 but the war ended before development had been completed.

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank first produced in 1940. ... Combatants  Finland, Germany  Soviet Union Commanders Karl Lennart Oesch Kurt Kuhlmey Dmitrii N. Gusev Strength 50,000 [1] 150,000 [1] Casualties 1,100 killed 1,100 missing 6,300 wounded[1] 4,500-5,500 killed 13,500-14,500 wounded[2][3] Map of the Karelian Isthmus. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

See also

• Panzerfaust 3
• Shoulder-launched missile weapon
• List of common World War II infantry weapons
• List of World War II firearms of Germany
• Bazooka

Panzerfaust 3 The Panzerfaust 3 is a modern and disposable anti-tank rocket launcher developed between 1978 and 1985 and put into service by the German army in 1992. ... Shoulder-launched weapons avoid the problem of recoil by directing all exhaust out the rear of the launch tube A shoulder-launched missile weapon is a weapon that fires a projectile at a target, yet is small enough to be carried by one person, and fired while held on one... This page lists the common infantry weapons used by the various armies engaged in World War II. // Handguns Enfield Revolver No. ... // MP 18 I (WWI Bergmann) MP 28 II (improved MP 18 I) MP 30(ö) (ex-Austrian S1-100 variant) MP 34(ö) (ex-Austrian Steyr Solothurn) MP 34 Bgm (Bergmann) MP 35 (Bergmann version of the MP.34 Bgm. ... For other uses, see Bazooka (disambiguation). ...

External links

• Panzerfaust - WW II German Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons
• Contemporary U.S. Intelligence Report on German Hollow-Charge Weapons
• Finnish Panzerfaust manual
• Panzerfaust
• Panzerfaust 44 mm / leichte Panzerfaust
• Newsreel from 1944, showing German soldiers with panzerfausts ambushing American Sherman tanks