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Panzerfaust
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The Panzerfaust (plural: Panzerfäuste, "tank fist") was an inexpensive, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded launch tube firing a high explosive anti-tank warhead, operated by a single soldier. The Panzerfaust was developed from the earlier Faustpatrone and remained in service in various versions until the end of the war. The Panzerfaust 150 variant was the basis for the development of the Soviet RPG-2 which later evolved into the RPG-7.
lopment of the Panzerfaust began in 1942 on a larger version of the Faustpatrone.
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Encyclopedia
The Panzerfaust (plural: Panzerfäuste, "tank fist") was an inexpensive, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded launch tube firing a high explosive anti-tank warhead, operated by a single soldier. The Panzerfaust was developed from the earlier Faustpatrone and remained in service in various versions until the end of the war. The Panzerfaust 150 variant was the basis for the development of the Soviet RPG-2 which later evolved into the RPG-7.
Overview
Development of the Panzerfaust began in 1942 on a larger version of the Faustpatrone. The resulting weapon was the Panzerfaust 30, with a total weight of and total length of . The launch tube was made of low-grade steel in diameter, containing a charge of black powder propellant. Along one side of the tube were a simple folding rear sight and a trigger. The edge of the warhead was used as the front sight. The oversize warhead ( in diameter) was fitted into the front of the tube by an attached wooden tail stem with metal stabilizing fins. The warhead weighed and contained of a 50:50 mixture of TNT and hexogen explosives, with armor penetration of .
The Panzerfaust often had warnings written in large red letters 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 disposable anti-tank weapon. During the last stages of the war, many poorly-trained conscripts were given a Panzerfaust and nothing else, causing several German generals to comment sarcastically that the tubes could then be used as clubs. The weapon was correctly fired from the crook of the arm and the shaped charge could penetrate up to of steel, enough to defeat any armoured fighting vehicle of the period.
The weapon proved to be particularly deadly to Allied armored vehicles, especially in urban combat where the short lines of sight allowed the weapon to be used at close range. The weapon was used to knock 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.
Many Panzerfausts were sold to Finland, which desperately needed them as the Finnish forces lacked anti-tank weapons that could destroy heavily armed Soviet tanks like the T-34 and IS-2.
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.
The Panzerfaust design proved to be so effective that German engineers tried to make a similar weapon the Fliegerfaust ("aircraft fist") intended to shoot down low flying allied aircraft.
The weapon was made in various places - including the Kurt Wachtel fur factory in Aussenkommando Buchenwald where the prisoners who were involved in its manufacture, became quite apt in sabotage. As a result, the firing tubes could well have ruptured during firing.
This WW2 relic must not be underestimated as it is still fully capable in destroying the tracks of any modern Main Battle Tank.
Variants
Panzerfaust 30 klein ("small") or Faustpatrone:This was the original version, first delivered in August 1943 with a total weight of and overall length of . The "30" was indicative of the nominal maximum range of . It had a diameter tube containing of black powder propellant launching a warhead carrying of explosive. The projectile traveled at just per second and could penetrate of armor.
Panzerfaust 30:An improved version also appearing in August 1943, this version had a larger warhead for improved armor penetration, , but the same range of 30 meters.
Panzerfaust 60:This was the most common version, with production starting in September 1944. It had a much more practical range of , although with a muzzle velocity of only per second it would take 1.3 seconds for the warhead to reach a tank at that range. To achieve the higher velocity, the tube diameter was increased to and of propellant used. It also had an improved flip-up rear sight and trigger mechanism. The weapon now weighed . It could defeat of armor.
Panzerfaust 100:This was the final version produced in quantity, from November 1944 onwards. It had a nominal maximum range of . of propellant launched the warhead at per second from a diameter tube. The sight had holes for 30, 60, , and had luminous paint in them to make counting up to the correct one easier in the dark. This version weighed and could penetrate of armor.
Panzerfaust 150:This was a major redesign of the weapon, and was deployed in limited numbers near the end of the war. The firing tube was reinforced and reusable for up to ten shots. A new pointed warhead with increased armor penetration and two-stage propellant ignition gave a higher velocity of per second. Production started in March 1945, two months before the end of the war.
Panzerfaust 250: Scheduled to enter production in September 1945, Similar to the 150, but with a longer tube and a handle with a trigger, similar to the RPG-2, for the user. The war ended before development had been completed.
See also
External links
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