| Panzerschreck Raketenpanzerbüchse 54 | |
|---|---|
 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)[1] |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Unit cost | 70 ℛ︁ℳ︁ |
| No. built | 314,895[2] |
| Variants | RPzB 54, RPzB 54/1 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 11 kg (24 lb) empty (RPzB 54) with shield |
| Length | 164 centimetres (65 in) |
| Caliber | 88 mm (3.5 in) |
| Muzzle velocity | 110 m/s (360 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 150 m (490 ft) RPzB 54 |
Panzerschreck (lit. "tank fright", "tank's fright" 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, official name was Ofenrohr ("stove pipe").[3]
The Panzerschreck was designed as a lightweight infantry anti-tank weapon and was an enlarged copy of the American bazooka.[4] 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 light, disposable anti-tank weapon that used a system akin to recoilless rifles.[5]
- ^ Rottman, 2014 p39
- ^ Rottman 2014 p39
- ^ Bishop, Chris (1998). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. New York: Orbis Publishing Ltd. p. 206. ISBN 0-7607-1022-8.
- ^ Zaloga, Steven (22 September 2008). Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II. Stackpole Books. pp. 90–93. ISBN 9780811742443.
- ^ Rottman, 2014. p. 74