Panzerwurfmine
Encyclopedia
The Panzerwurfmine was a shaped charge
hand-thrown anti-tank grenade used by Luftwaffe
ground troops in World War II
.
(specifically its warhead), which was of similar construction and operation. The major difference was that the PWM had a tube attached to the charge, running behind it, with some form of stabilising fins or canvas attached to the rear of the tube.
The Panzerwurfmine is designed to achieve the stable flight needed by the deployment of large fins or canvas lengths at the back of the design, to stabilise the trajectory of the grenade and therefore make a ninety degree angle contact more likely. When the PWM hits the armour, the shaped charge is activated. However, in combat use the Panzerwurfmine often did not live up to expectations, due to the relatively short range it could be thrown, and also the relative lack of clean ninety degree impacts, decreasing its effectiveness.
Both designs had warheads with a diameter of 11.4cm, carrying a shaped charge of 500g that could penetrate approximately 150mm of RHA
at zero degrees.
Shaped charge
A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Various types are used to cut and form metal, to initiate nuclear weapons, to penetrate armor, and in the oil and gas industry...
hand-thrown anti-tank grenade used by Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
ground troops in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Appearance
The Panzerwurfmines appearance owed much to the PanzerfaustPanzerfaust
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...
(specifically its warhead), which was of similar construction and operation. The major difference was that the PWM had a tube attached to the charge, running behind it, with some form of stabilising fins or canvas attached to the rear of the tube.
Premise
For any high-explosive anti-tank mine or grenade to be effective against armour, it must sit squarely on to the armour, so that the high-velocity jet of metal punches through the armour at a ninety degree angle. A way of making sure this happens is to place the charge onto the armour by hand. However, this puts the participant into grave danger from defensive fire from the tank and other enemies. A thrown version would be more versatile, but it would be hard to ensure the ninety degree angle.The Panzerwurfmine is designed to achieve the stable flight needed by the deployment of large fins or canvas lengths at the back of the design, to stabilise the trajectory of the grenade and therefore make a ninety degree angle contact more likely. When the PWM hits the armour, the shaped charge is activated. However, in combat use the Panzerwurfmine often did not live up to expectations, due to the relatively short range it could be thrown, and also the relative lack of clean ninety degree impacts, decreasing its effectiveness.
Versions
The first version of the Panzerwurfmine was the Panzerwurfmine Lang ("long"). This weighed 1.36kg, and had a total length of 53.3 cm. It was stabilised by fins at the rear of the tube, that sprang out when the device was thrown. It was first introduced in May 1943, with 203,800 produced in that year. It was discontinued in favour of the Panzerwurfmine Kurz ("short"), which was stabilised by a canvas strip that rolled out when the device was thrown, and was also shorter.Both designs had warheads with a diameter of 11.4cm, carrying a shaped charge of 500g that could penetrate approximately 150mm of RHA
Rolled homogeneous armour
Rolled homogeneous armour is a type of steel which is used to armour vehicles.-Composition:Armoured steel must be hard yet impervious to shock in order to resist high velocity metal projectiles. Steel with these characteristics is produced by processing cast steel billets of appropriate size and...
at zero degrees.