The Panzerfaust (PzF), or Armored Fist, was an
anti tank weapon used by the
German Wehrmacht during
World War II.
The design of the PzF30 built on the older
Faustpatrone. It was a recoilless, precussion launched rocket.
The PzF30 and the
Faustpatrone had similar arming systems: They had a small cocking device in form of an arming rod on top of the barrel. After the charge and the cap had been inserted, the arming rod was pushed forward until the firing pin cocks and the firing button protrudes. The weapon is now cocked but still secured. To finish the arming the gunner has to turn a safety switch to the left.
Although officially a single-use throw-away weapon, the used tubes of the all the Panzerfaust weapons were usually collected and returned for rearmament at the factory.
The improvements over the
Faustpatrone integrated into the PzF30 were to counter problems encountered with the older design. New fixed sights were in place, a new design of the
warhead made it less prone to deflecting off the hull of target vehicles.
Production ran until August 1944, then it was switched over to the successor, the Panzerfaust 60. This new model was to become the most popular and widely used Panzerfaust type.
The Panzerfaust family continues in a series of
improvements. Versions notable are the PzF60, PzF100, PzF150 and PzF250
Improvements were made to stabilizor fins, propellant load, warhead charge and size.
Specs - Panzerfaust 30:
Length: 1045mm
Weight: 5100gr.
Tube Diameter: 44mm.
Warhead Diameter: 140mm.
Warhead Load: 800g TNT/Thc.
Warhead Length: 495mm.
Warhead Weight: 2900gr.
Warhead Velocity: 30m/s.
Armor Penetration @ 90
degrees: 200mm.
Propellant Load: 95g Black powder.
Effective Range: 30m.
Specs - Panzerfaust 60:
Length: 1045mm
Weight: 6100gr.
Tube Diameter: 50mm.
Warhead Diameter: 140mm.
Warhead Load: 800g TNT/Thc.
Warhead Length: 495mm.
Warhead Weight: 2900gr.
Warhead Velocity: 45 m/s.
Armor Penetration @ 90
degrees: 200mm.
Propellant Load: 134g Black powder.
Effective Range: 60m.
Specs - Panzerfaust 100:
Length: 1045mm
Weight: 6800gr.
Tube Diameter: 60mm.
Warhead Diameter: 140mm.
Warhead Load: 800g TNT/Thc.
Warhead Length: 495mm.
Warhead Weight: 2900gr.
Warhead Velocity: 60 m/s .
Armor Penetration @ 90
degrees: 200mm.
Propellant Load: 190g Two-stage Black powder.
Effective Range: 100m.
NOTE: Sights now included dark-sights - white colored notches.
Specs - Panzerfaust 150:
Length: 1051mm
Weight: ~6 Kg.
Tube Diameter: 50mm.
Warhead Diameter: 140mm.
Warhead Load: (less than 800g ) TNT/Thc.
Warhead Length: 560mm.
Warhead Weight: ~2900gr.
Warhead Velocity: 85 m/s.
Armor Penetration @ 90
degrees: 200mm (+) .
Propellant Load: Aprox 190g Two-stage Black powder.
Effective Range: 150m.
NOTE: The reinforced firing tube now was reusable for up to 10 shots. And the warhead now was more pointed.
Panzerfaust 250:
Now featured a pistol grip and better propellant load resulting in a Warhead velocity of 150 m/s. But the development of this weapon never got completed and not a single one was produced.
Back to German Infantry Weapons.