Panzerschreck
Nazi Germany's 88 mm reusable anti-tank rocket launcher, inspired by the American bazooka.
Panzerschreck ("tank's dread" or "tank's bane") was the popular name for the Raketenpanzerbüchse 54 ("Rocket Anti-armor Rifle Model 54", abbreviated to RPzB 54), an 88 mm reusable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by Nazi Germany in World War II. Another earlier nickname was Ofenrohr ("stove pipe").
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Nazi Germany
- Type
- Recoilless Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher
- Game appearances
- Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun (as enemy weapon)
- User
- Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS Infantry
- Role
- Anti-Armor Defense
Lore & Background
The Panzerschreck was designed as a lightweight infantry anti-tank weapon and was inspired by the American bazooka, but was essentially an enlarged copy of the German 8.8 cm Raketenwerfer 43. The weapon was shoulder-launched and fired a fin-stabilized rocket with a shaped-charge warhead. It was made in much smaller numbers than the Panzerfaust, which was a light, disposable anti-tank weapon that used a system akin to recoilless rifles. Development was initially based on the American bazooka, captured during the Tunisian campaign, November 1942. The Panzerschreck was larger and heavier than its American counterpart – the Panzerschreck had an 88 mm calibre, compared to the 60 mm calibre of the bazooka – allowing it to penetrate thicker armour, but also required a larger motor, creating more smoke when firing. Calibre 88 mm was selected as the existing RPzB. Gr. 4312 for 8.8 cm Raketenwerfer 43 was reused for Panzerschreck. Warhead and fuzing was carried over, but the rocket motor's housing needed lengthening from 490 mm to 650 mm to accommodate the longer rocket motor. Raketenwerfer 43 had percussion firing, whereas for the Panzerschreck an electrical priming was selected, forming standard grenade RPzB. Gr. 4322. Other munitions were developed, including drill dummy, practice live rocket with inert warhead and standard grenade with improved contact system. The earliest production model of the RPzB 54 was 164 cm long and weighed about 9.25 kg when empty. Unlike the rockets used in American bazookas which extinguished before leaving the tube, the RPzB rockets' motors burned out before leaving the tube. Users were instructed to wear heavy gloves, a protective poncho and a gas mask without a filter to protect them from the heat of the backblast when the weapon was fired. Improvised shields were made to protect the user and in February 1944, the RPzB 54 was fitted with an official blast shield to protect the operator which made the weapon heavier, weighing 11 kg empty. Small numbers of the shortened RPzB 54/1 were later produced. It had an improved rocket, a shorter barrel, and a range increased to about 180 m. Firing the RPzB generated copious amounts of smoke both in front of and behind the weapon. Because of the weapon's tube and smoke produced, the weapon was nicknamed Ofenrohr.
Reader's Guide
The Panzerschreck is an 88 mm reusable anti-tank rocket launcher. It is shoulder-launched and fires a fin-stabilized rocket with a shaped-charge warhead. The rocket motor burns for about 2 m after exiting the tube, producing copious smoke. Users should wear heavy gloves, a protective poncho, and a gas mask without a filter to protect from backblast heat. The weapon is problematic to fire from enclosed spaces due to toxic smoke. Tactical doctrine recommends staggered trenches no further than 115 m apart, engaging armor at no more than 69 m, aiming for thinner side or rear armor. Skirts and sandbags are ineffective against the RPzB; about 1 meter of air gap is needed to substantially reduce penetration.
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