Panzerfaust
From OMGWiki
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Panzerfaust is updated to version Beta Two. |
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| Placement | |
| Faction | Wehrmacht |
|---|---|
| Doctrine | Any |
| Tree | Any |
| Unit Price | |
 Manpower
| 0 |
 Ammunition
| 40 |
 Fuel
| 0 |
 Population
| 0 |
The Panzerfaust was an inexpensive, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded launch tube firing a high explosive anti-tank warhead, operated by a single soldier. The Panzerfaust was developed from the earlier Faustpatrone and remained in service in various versions until the end of the war.
History
Development of the Panzerfaust began in 1942 on a larger version of the Faustpatrone. The resulting weapon was the Panzerfaust 30, with a total weight of 5.1 kilograms (11.2 lb) and total length of 1.045 meters (3.4 ft). The launch tube was made of low-grade steel 44 millimetres (1.7 in) in diameter, containing a 95-gram (3.4 oz) charge of black powder propellant. Along one side of the tube were a simple folding rear sight and a trigger. The edge of the warhead was used as the front sight. The oversize warhead (140 mm (5.5 in) in diameter) was fitted into the front of the tube by an attached wooden tail stem with metal stabilizing fins. The warhead weighed 2.9 kilograms (6.4 lb) and contained 0.8 kilograms (1.8 lb) of a 50:50 mixture of TNT and hexogen explosives, with armor penetration of 200 millimeters (7.9 in).
The Panzerfaust often had warnings written in large red letters on the upper rear end of the tube, the words usually being Achtung! Feuerstrahl! ("Beware! Fire Jet!"). This was to warn soldiers to avoid the back blast. After firing, the tube was discarded, making the Panzerfaust the first disposable anti-tank weapon. During the last stages of the war, many poorly-trained conscripts were given a Panzerfaust and nothing else, causing several German generals to comment sarcastically that the tubes could then be used as clubs. The weapon was correctly fired from the crook of the arm and the shaped charge could penetrate up to 200 millimeters (7.9 in) of steel, enough to defeat any armored fighting vehicle of the period.
The weapon proved to be particularly deadly to Allied armored vehicles, especially in urban combat where the short lines of sight allowed the weapon to be used at close range. The weapon was used to knock out large numbers of Soviet armored vehicles during the Battle of Berlin. The construction was so simple that they could be made in the city while it was under siege, allowing wheelbarrow loads of Panzerfausts to be delivered to the defenders.
Many Panzerfausts were sold to Finland, which desperately needed them as the Finnish forces lacked anti-tank weapons that could destroy heavily armed Soviet tanks like the T-34 and IS-2. Some sources claim that the Soviet army made use of captured stocks of Panzerfausts, reportedly designated RPG-1, prior to the introduction of the RPG-2.
Tactics & Tips
- The Panzerfaust is available to Wehrmacht players on the Volksgrenadier and Knights Cross Holders.
- It only has one use. Make it count.
- It usually takes ~4 Panzerfaust to destroy a M4 Sherman depending what part of the tank you hit.
