Panzerschreck

Panzerschreck
The improved Raketenpanzerbüchse 54 with blast shield.
Type	Anti-tank rocket launcher
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1943–1945 (Nazi Germany)
Used by	See Users
Wars	World War II
Production history
Number built	289,151
Variants	RPzB 43, RPzB 54, RPzB 54/1
Specifications
Weight	11 kilograms (24 lb) empty (RPzB 54)
Length	164 centimetres (65 in)
Caliber	88 mm
Muzzle velocity	110m/s (360 ft/s, 246 mph)
Effective firing range	150 m (RPzB 54)

Panzerschreck (lit. "tank fright", "tank's fright" or "tank's bane") was the popular name for the Raketenpanzerbüchse (abbreviated to RPzB), an 88 mm calibre reusable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by Nazi Germany in World War II. Another popular nickname was Ofenrohr ("stove pipe").

The Panzerschreck was designed as a lightweight infantry anti-tank weapon. The weapon was shoulder-launched and fired a fin-stabilized rocket with a shaped-charge warhead. It was made in smaller numbers than the Panzerfaust, which was a disposable recoilless gun firing an anti-tank warhead. It was an enlarged copy of the American bazooka.

The Panzerschreck was developed as a copy from captured bazookas of American origin. They were either captured in 1942 on the Eastern front from Soviet forces that had received a shipment of bazookas or they were captured in Tunisia from American forces in February 1943, or both. The American bazookas also spurred the development of the Faustpatrone and successor Panzerfaust anti-tank grenade launchers that each also used a HEAT warhead. 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, which meant that it could penetrate thicker armor, but it also produced more smoke when firing.

Calibre 88 mm was selected as existing RPzB. Gr. 4312 for 8.8 cm Raketenwerfer 43 was reused for Panzerschreck. Warhead and fuzing was carried over but engine section needed lengthening from 490 mm (19 in) to 650 mm (26 in) to accommodate the larger rocket motor. Raketenwerfer 43 had percussion firing, whereas for 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 first model was the RPzB 43, which was 164 centimetres (5.38 ft) long and weighed about 9.25 kilograms (20.4 lb) 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 and was heavier, weighing 11 kilograms (24 lb) empty. This was followed by the RPzB 54/1, which had an improved rocket, a shorter barrel, and a range increased to about 180 meters.