Panzerschreck Raketenpanzerbüchse 54 | |
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![]() 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]