Panzerschreck

The Panzerschreck (German: tank terror) 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 WWII. Another popular nick-name was "Ofenrohr" ("stove pipe").

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 one-shot anti-tank rocket.

History

When German troops captured an American M1A1 "bazooka" in Africa, they noticed qualities that were lacking in the Panzerbüchsen (anti-tank rifles) they had been using up to date, 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, was able to be quickly reloaded, and had a shaped charge warhead. German engineers then reverse-engineered their captured bazookas, and this resulted in the Panzerschreck, which had greater penetration power and a range of 150 m.

The first model was the RPzB 43 which was 164 cm long and weighed about 9.25 kg empty. 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.

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 or requiring them to shift positions.

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, but was heavier. One shot was usually enough to destroy any Allied armoured vehicle. When used in the hands of well trained units, this weapon became the stuff of nightmares for Allied armored units, and they often improvised extra protection (often ineffective) on their tanks with sandbags, spare track units and so on.

Panzerschreck in popular culture

While the Panzerschreck has not had nearly the same presence in entertainment media as its sister weapon the Panzerfaust has had in the past, it has recently been featured more prominently as movie and game makers have striven for greater realism. Notable appearances include:

In the 1998 movie Saving Private Ryan during the final battle of the film
As a usable weapon in the Medal of Honor video game series
As a usable weapon in the video games Call of Duty 2 and Finest Hour
As a usable weapon in the video games Day of Defeat and Source

External links

http://www.inert-ord.net/atrkts/pschrek/

Anti-tank rockets | World War II German infantry weapons

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History

Panzerschreck in popular culture

See also

External links