Panzerschreck
Canadian soldier posing with a captured Panzerschreck
Type	anti-tank rocket launcher
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1943 - 1945
Production history
Number built	289,151
Variants	RPzB 43, RPzB 54, RPzB 54/1
Specifications
Weight	11 kg empty (RPzB 54)
Length	164 cm
Caliber	88 mm
Effective range	150 m (RPzB 54)

"Panzerschreck" (German: tank terrorizer; lit. armor fear or tank's fright) was the popular name for the Raketenpanzerbüchse ('rocket tank rifle', abbreviated to RPzB), an 88 mm calibre reusable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by the Germans in World War II. Another popular nick-name was "Ofenrohr" ("stove pipe"). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 573 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (600 × 628 pixel, file size: 85 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Sergeant V.R. Francis, 19th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery (R.C.A.), displaying a German 88mm anti-tank rocket launcher (Panzerschreck) discovered at a... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Rocket launcher or missile launcher can mean: Multiple rocket launcher Shoulder-launched missile weapon Transporter erector launcher (TEL) for large missiles Rocket propelled grenade launcher This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... 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. ... “Calibre” redirects here. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... The word caliber (American English) or calibre (British English) comes from the Italian calibro, itself from the Arabic quâlib, meaning mould. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 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...

It was given to infantry to bolster their anti-tank capability. The weapon was shoulder-launched and fired a rocket-propelled, fin-stabilized grenade with a shaped charge warhead. It was made in much smaller numbers than the Panzerfaust, which was a disposable recoilless rifle firing an anti-tank grenade. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Grenade may refer to: The well-known hand grenade commonly used by soldiers. ... 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. ... A B61 nuclear bomb in various stages of assembly; the nuclear warhead is the bullet-shaped silver cannister in the middle-left of the photograph. ... 4 Panzerfausts in the original casing, displayed in Helsinki Military Museum Panzerfaust. ... M67 recoilless rifle. ...

History

When German troops captured American M1A1 "Bazookas" in North Africa, they noticed qualities (penetration power and range (length)) that were lacking in the rifle-grenades they had been using up to date, and quickly sent it to engineers back in Germany for analysis, since the Püppchen ('dolly') launcher system, a large, long and hard weapon using HEAT projectiles with good accuracy and sufficent range (about 350 m) but too little mobility, was already in development. For other uses, see Bazooka (disambiguation). ... During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from September 13, 1940 to May 13, 1943. ...

The bazooka was no more than a steel tube which made mass production convenient. It was able to be quickly reloaded, and had a shaped charge warhead. German engineers examined the captured bazookas, and this resulted in the Panzerschreck, which had a significantly greater penetration power and a range of 150 m. It combined a modification of the already developed ammunition for the Puppchen launcher system with a man portable launcher system.

The first model was the RPzB 43 which was 164 cm long and weighed about 9.25 kg when empty. Operators of the RPzB 43 had to wear a protective poncho and a gas mask without a filter to protect them from the heat of the backblast when the weapon was fired. In October 1943, it was succeeded by the RPzB 54 which was fitted with a blast shield to protect the operator. This was heavier and weighed 11 kg empty. This was followed by the RPzB-54/1 with an improved rocket, shorter barrel and a range increased to about 180 meters. Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Firing the RPzB generated a lot of smoke both in front and behind the weapon. Because of the weapon's tube and the smoke, the German troops nicknamed it the Ofenrohr ("Stove Pipe"). This also meant that Panzerschreck teams were revealed once they fired, making them targets which required them to shift positions. This type of system also made it problematic to fire the weapon from inside closed spaces (such as bunkers or houses), filling the room with toxic smoke and revealing the location immediately. This was in contrast to the British PIATs cumbersome, but non-smoking system, or the Panzerfausts short burst launch system. The Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank, was one of the earlier anti-tank weapons using a high explosive anti-tank projectile. ... 4 Panzerfausts in the original casing, displayed in Helsinki Military Museum Panzerfaust. ...

The Panzerschreck was an effective weapon. Early bazookas had problems with the 100 mm armor present on German tanks, most notably the Tiger tank. By comparison the Panzerschreck rocket could penetrate over 200 mm of armor, such as that found on heavy Soviet tanks such as the IS-2 ^[1], but paid for this hitting power with extra weight. One shot was usually enough to destroy any Allied armored vehicle. When handled by well-trained crews, this weapon became the bane of Allied armored units, who frequently attempted to add improvised protection to their tanks, e.g. sandbags, spare track units, logs and so on. Most of this make-shift protection had little actual effect. ^[2] First Tiger I tank captured near Tunis The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. ... Soviet redirects here. ... The Iosif Stalin tank (or IS tank, named after the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin), was a heavy tank developed by the Soviet Union during World War II. The tanks in the series are also sometimes called JS or ИС tanks. ... Look up ally in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Triple Panzerschrecks were mounted on some SdKfz 251s, Volkswagen Kübelwagens and captured Universal Carriers. ^[3] Sd. ... Volkswagen Kübelwagen VW Kübelwagen rear The Volkswagen Kübelwagen (bucket/tub car) was a military vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during World War II for use by the German military (both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS). ... The Universal Carrier, usually known as a Bren Gun Carrier (even when it was not carrying a Bren), was a small, tracked British-designed military vehicle, used widely by Allied forces during World War II. Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as...

See also

• Shoulder-launched missile weapon
• List of common World War II infantry weapons

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. ...

References

John Erickson (1929 - 2002) was a British historian who wrote extensively on the Second World War, with key books on Operation Barbarossa and the Battle of Stalingrad. ...

External links

• http://www.inert-ord.net/atrkts/pschrek/
• WW2 Finnish Manual on Panzershreck
• German Newsreel showing Fallschirmjagers with Panzershreks fighting against Sherman tanks