The German Panzerschreck Anti-tank launcher, also known as the Raktetenpanzerbuchse 54, was inspired by US bazookas captured in North Africa. It was one of two Anti-tank launchers used by the German army, such as the Panzerfaust. Due to its effectiveness in combat, the launcher got its nickname ‘Panzerschreck’, which translates to ‘Tank terror’.
The Panzerschreck consists of a lightweight steel tube measuring 1.5 meters and weighing 9kg. This tube was fitted with a handgrip, a trigger mechanism and sights.
The tube launches a 7.25-pound rocket-propelled grenade, which carries a powerful hollow-charge explosive with a muzzle velocity of 360 feet per second. This was effective against 6.25 inches of any Allied tank armor at a range of 490 feet; however, later improvements in the launcher and rocket will increase the range to 590 feet. The Panzerschreck is operated by one soldier, while a second assist in loading the weapon.
After the rocket is loaded into the tube, the operator has to successfully pull two triggers. One is to cock the tube’s ignition system while the second is to fire it, generating a small electric current that ignites the rocket motor. To protect from a backblast, the soldier has to hold the tube on his shoulder with half of it protruding behind him.
Unlike American bazookas, the rocket in the Panzerschreck, after being fired, is not extinguished in the tube. This meant its propulsion can generate a lot of heat. Hence, Gas masks, gloves and ponchos were provided for earlier models to ensure operator protection. By February 1944, a blast shield was fitted.
Although the Panzerschreck is a disposable weapon after use, it can prove useful against tanks in close-quarter urban settings, staggered trenches and other ideal defensive positions, allowing the operator to attack an Allied tank from multiple directions.
The launcher saw action from 1943 to 1945 in both the western and eastern fronts. Germany also supplied Panzerschrecks to the Finnish army as an anti-tank weapon to counter the Soviet offensive in 1944, earning its Finnish moniker “Panssariikauhu”.
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/weapons/panzerschreck.html
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Panzerschreck
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzerschreck
https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Panzerschreck
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