Panzerschreck

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").

Panzerschreck
Raketenpanzerbüchse 54
The improved Raketenpanzerbüchse 54 with blast shield
TypeAnti-tank rocket launcher
Place of originNazi Germany
Service history
In service1943–1945 (Nazi Germany)
Used bySee Users
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Unit cost70 
No. built314,895
VariantsRPzB 54,
RPzB 54/1
Specifications
Mass11 kg (24 lb) empty (RPzB 54) with shield
Length164 centimetres (65 in)

Caliber88 mm (3.5 in)
Muzzle velocity110 m/s (360 ft/s)
Effective firing range150 m (490 ft) RPzB 54

The Panzerschreck was designed as a lightweight infantry anti-tank weapon and was an enlarged copy of the American bazooka. 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 not unlike those of recoilless rifles.

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