Panzerschreck Raketen-Panzerbüchse / RPzB.54
Development of this weapon was inspired by the early 1943 capture of american M9A1 Bazookas in the african campaign (Tunisia; other sources: captured lend-lease bazookas from the Eastern Front). To increase its potential it was decided outright to use a weapon caliber of 8.8cm (3.46 in.) instead of the bazooka's 6cm (2.36 in.). It was designated Raketen-Panzerbüchse ("Rocket Tank Rifle") and officially abbreviated RPzB but commonly referred to as Panzerschreck ("Tank Terror"), among the troops it was also known simply as the Ofenrohr ("stove pipe").
The major differences to the Panzerfaust were the size and the fact that the Panzerschreck by design was to be a reloading weapon, preferrably crew served by trained two-man teams (gunner and loader), while the Panzerfaust was a single-use, disposable close range one-man weapon for use by everybody. Also, the Panzerschrecks firing mechanism was electric (like that of the Bazooka), while the Panzerfaust used a percussion ignition much like a normal gun.
The firing tube of the Panzerschreck was164cm (65 in.) long and weighed 9.25kg (20.4 lb) (empty). The projectile used was the RPzB.Gr. 4322 (Raketenpanzerbüchsen-Granate / "Rocket Tank Rifle Round") that carried a shaped charge of 660g (23.3oz.) and weighed 3.30kg (7.27 lb.) there was a Sommer ("summer") and a Winter ("winter") version of the RPzB.Gr.4322 that accounted for the different thermic conditions. The projectile's flight path was stabilized by a sheet metal stabilizer ring at the rear of its shaft looking quite similar to those used on aircraft bombs. The propellant continued to burn even after it left the tube for another 2m (6.5 ft.), the projectile had then reached its velocity of 105m/s (345 fps). The first Panzerschreck model was built only in small numbers.
Because of the lack of protection for the gunner against the propellant particles the weapon was quite unpopular at first. Use of the weapon by front troops did not increase significantly until an ad-hoc remedy for the problem was found by giving the gunner an improvised protection composed of a fireproof poncho and a gas mask (with the filter removed). In early November 1943 the suggestion for a protective shield, submitted by a frontline soldier, Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant) Riechers of Panzer-Jäger Abteilung (Tank Hunter Detachment) 229, was implemented into the weapon's design.
This protective shield measured 36 x 47cm (14 x 18.5 in.), set into the shield was a small mica (a clear mineral) window. It is the most obvious visible difference between the original RPzB and it's successor model, the RPzB.54, since immediately all new RPzB.54 were produced with the new protective shield.
Production of the Panzerschreck had changed to this successor model in October 1943. The Raketenpanzerbüchse 54 weighed 11kg (24.2 lb.)(empty). It was also modified to fire the newly developed RPzB.Gr.4992 which with a modificaton of the propellant had a longer practical range of 180m (590 ft.) (absolute theoretical range against nonmoving large targets was 400m). This ammunition too came in a summer and a winter version.The armor penetration of both RPzB.Gr. 4322 and 4992 was 230mm (9 in.), at a 60° impact angle this figure was reduced to 160mm (6.3 in.). The ammunition was transported in a carrying frame holding 5 rounds, the wooden supply crates contained 2 rounds.

Initial orders called for 382,000 RPzB.54 to be produced. This order was later reduced, and by July 1944 production ceased with a total number of 289,151 delivered. The process of equipping the fighting forces with Panzerschrecks progressed quite slow, in 1943 comparably few reached frontline units. By January 1944 21,141 had been issued to combat units, while another 39,526 lay unused in the armories. RPzB.54 were produced by the following companies: Enzinger Union in Pfeddersheim, Gebrüder scheffler in Berlin, HASAG in Meuselwitz, Jäckel in Freistadt, Fa. Kronprinz in Solingen and Fa. Schricker in Fürth-Vach.

The next model was the RPzB.54/1. Changes were the reduction of tube length to now135cm (53.1 in.), which among other changes led to a reduced weight of 9.5kg (21 lb.). The ignition system was changed: the contact pin to the missile was changed to a contact ring. Also the sights were redesigned and improved. Although the weapon officially entered service at the 20th December of 1944, the first order for this new weapon wasn't given before early 1945, and of the requested 48,000 only 25,744 had actually been delivered until the end of the war.

Reportedly there also existed a shortened variant of the RPzB 54 with a tube length of only 107cm; this however seems unlikely.

A last improvement of the sighting was the development of the so-called Deckungszielgerät ("cover aiming device") which allowed for an aiming out of concealement, therefore protecting the operator. An order of 100,000 of these was placed as late as February 1945.
Another development was the attempt to save resources by manufacturing the Panzerschreck tube out of impregnated pressed cardboard. Although the idea worked - weight was reduced by 2kg (4.4 lb) and 5.5kg (12 lb) precious metal were saved - it did not enter mass production before the war ended.

There was also a special anti-aircraft munition called Fliegerschreck ("airplane terror") in development that was to be fired from the Panzerschreck. The new ammunition used a new warhead that was simply fitted to the regular Panzerschreck ammunition. The new warhead was 17.4cm long and had (naturally) a diameter of 8.8cm, it contained an explosive charge of Nitropenta that was to distribute 144 small incendiary submunitions. The new ammunition came together with a new aiming device, a simplified round bead like the ones used on AA - machineguns, that could be attached to the Panzerschreck for it's role as an AA weapon. Development of the new weapon was finished by January 1945; 500 of the new warheads were produced but none were used in the planned combat trials.

Panzerschreck Usage
To prepare the weapon for firing, the RPzB.Gr. projectile had to be inserted into the rear of the weapon. The gunner had two triggers to pull: The first trigger cocked the magnetic ignition system. The second trigger released it: a small magnetic rod was pushed into a coil winding, thereby generating through magnetic induction a small electrical current which was conducted via wiring to the rear of the tube where it ignited the projectile's rocket motor.

Aiming was done via a simple sighting device (see sketch at left) consisting of two metal hooks, one serving as the notch, the other one as bead with little inset bars for the different ranges of 100, 150 and 200m (RPzB.54/1). The bead part of the sight also had to be repositioned to account for the different characteristics of both the RPzB.Gr. 4322 and 4992 and the respective summer and winter versions of these ammuntions.

The backblast of the Panzerschreck was even more dangerous than that of the Panzerfaust. Therefore, as explained above, with the early model the operator had to wear a kind of fireproof poncho and a gas mask (with the filter removed) for protection against the backblasting propellant particles. As stated abvove, the propellant continued to burn for another 2m (6.5 ft) even after it had left the launch tube. Later a protective shield cured this problem.


The common tactic for hunting or defending against tanks from 1944 on was the use of special anti-tank teams, so-called "Panzerzerstörergruppen" ("tank destroyer groups"), which consisted of two squads with 3 Panzerschreck each. They were to cover each other which provided some problems in deployment due to the limited range of these weapons.

The Panzerschreck was even used at night: an illuminating flare round then had to be fired behind the enemy tank in order to let the tank silhouette stand out against the bright background.

The Panzerschrecks were initially less successful than Panzerfausts because Panzerschreck gunners - trusting in the impressive size of the Panzerschreck - tended to open fire at larger ranges of around 100m (330 ft.), which was also necessified by the relative cumbersomeness of the large Panzerschreck which was a hindrance when retreating into cover after the shot. Panzerfausts were easier to handle and usually shot from a distance of 30m (100 ft.) after which the soldier quite easily could get under cover again.

At trials, out of 12 Panzerschreck rounds fired at a static T-34 at a range of 100m only 3 hit the target.
In the same trial all of the five Panzerfausts fired at a range of 30m hit the tank - however one should keep in mind that this was a static target that did not shoot back!

CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME PICTURES FROM THE TRIALS (Panzerschreck shooting at target tank)

Still the Panzerschreck and Panzerfaust were potent weapons and unbeatably cheap: for example, the original Panzerschreck model RPzB cost 70 RM (Reichsmark) per launch tube. For comparison, even the smallest pre-war AT gun, the 3.7 cm PaK 35/36 (hopelessly useless by 1944), cost 5730 RM !!

Panzerschreck 10,5cm
In August 1944 an enlarged version of the Panzerschreck was suggested. The caliber of this new Panzerschreck was to be 10.5cm (4.13 in.). The first prototype weighed 18kg (39.6 lb) and was 2.40m (7.87 ft.) long. The projectile weighed 6.1kg (13.43 lb), range was up to 300m (330 yd.), armor penetration was 180mm (7.09 in.) (60° impact angle). The proposed weapon was rejected: the new weapon was to be less cumbersome and lighter, also an armor penetration of 240mm (9.45 in.) was requested. Therefore the next model had a shortened tube of 200cm (6.56 ft.), weight was reduced to 13kg (28.6 lb). The proposed projectile now weighed 6.3kg (13.87 lb) with a shaped charge of 1.3kg (2.86 lb) which made for an armor penetration of 220mm (8.66 in.) (again at 60° angle). But recoil forces now became a problem and experiments with a small mount took place. The end of the war ended this development; none of these Panzerschreck 10,5cm - models ever saw active service.

Panzerjäger Bren 731(e)
The Panzerschreck also constituted the main armament of what was probably the first armored vehicle in history equipped with AT rockets, the Panzerjäger Bren 731(e) ("tank hunter" Bren, consecutive foreign vehicle type number 731, "e" for english origin). The original german concept of a small tank saw the development of a vehicle in the 6 - 10 ton range under the designation E-5 Wanze ("bedbug"). (see below).

In the meantime the germans had captured a number of the english Bren carrier armoured tracked vehicles during the course of the war. They were found most useful and therefore used in german service under the foreign-vehicle designation Bren 731(e).
Among other uses - most served as machine-gun carriers, others were equipped with 3,7cm PaK AT guns as tank hunters - they were converted to improvised tank destroyers with a mount of three Panzerschreck tubes and utilised by the Panzer-Zerstörergruppen ("tank-destroyer groups") who also took with them other AT weapons such as the Panzerfaust. The conversions were done by the field maintenance shops. The Bren vehicle had a length of 3.65m (12 ft.), a width of 2.05m (6 ft. 9 in.) and a height of 1.60m (5 ft. 2 in.). It weighed 4 tons, was armoured up to 12mm (0.47 in.) and used an 85hp Ford V-8 engine that made the little tank destroyer comparably agile and enabled it of speeds of up to 35mph. The Panzerjäger Bren was used mainly on the Eastern Front.

E-5 Wanze Ausf m RPzB 54

The german army's weapon's bureau had a series of projected future tank designs, the so-called E-types (E = Entwicklung "development"), wherein the E-number roughly corresponded with the weight class of the vehicle. The smallest such design in the 5-ton class was the E-5 mini tank. The requirements called for a fast minitank, to be used in the antitank role and as machine gun carrier, with no more than 6 - 10 tons of weight and one or two crewmen. The projected minitank was given the name Wanze ("bedbug"). Several different concepts were proposed by the companies Daimler, Steyr, Büssing, Weserhütte; a model by BMW was even built in one prototype, the vehicle had a length of 3,55m and had a 90 hp engine. However, no final decision was made until March 1945, when the whole projected models all were rejected by the Inspector General of Tanks.

However, there are reports of a few E-5 actually built and used in the defense of Berlin. The vehicle designation was Borgward B IV Ausführung mit Raketenpanzerbüchse 54 (Borgward as the company's name; "version with rocket tank rifle") (see picture at right). Supposedly it was armed with six mounted RPzB 54 on the left side of the driver; it might also be possible that the six RPzB tibes were arranged in two of the triple mounts seen on the Bren and other vehicle mounts of the Panzerschreck.
These RPzB 54 mounts for vehicle use were also fitted to some halftracks and even Kübelwagen jeeps.

© Created by M.Hofbauer August 29th 1998; document ver. 1.11  mod 231298
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