8.8 cm rocket launcher 43
.jpg)
The 8.8 cm rocket launcher 43 with the common name Puppchen was a rocket launcher used by the German Wehrmacht in World War II .
history
The rocket launcher 43 was developed by Erich von Holt at WASAG . It was intended as a replacement for the outdated 2.8 cm heavy anti-tank rifle 41 . The first 700 copies reached the troops in October 1943, but there were delays in the ammunition . A larger amount of the ammunition was not delivered until March 1944. Production of the weapon was discontinued in February 1944 in favor of the rocket armored rifle 54 . The weapons in production were scrapped. The ammunition of the rocket armored rifle 54 (Panzerschreck) was derived from the previously existing ammunition of the rocket launcher 43. The rocket launcher 43 had a slightly longer range, the rocket armored rifle 54 was significantly lighter, easier to transport and to produce with fewer resources. The rocket launcher 43 was mainly used in the Italian campaign and in the German-Soviet war . Some units that were deployed to repel Operation Overlord used the launcher in Normandy . The weapons used there were often left behind due to a lack of ammunition.
Production numbers:
| 1943 | 1944 | |
|---|---|---|
| Rocket launcher | 2,862 | 288 |
| ammunition | 20,700 | 282,900 |
At the end of the war there were still 1649 rocket launchers in the force. On March 1, 1945 there were 80,100 rounds.
Structure and operation
The rocket launcher looked like a conventional gun , but fired rocket ammunition. The carriage with the small protective shield and a spar could be moved on two wheels with solid rubber tires . To make the silhouette smaller, the wheels could be removed; the carriage then rested on small sleds. The height was then reduced from 89 cm to 49 cm. The carriage could also be mounted on larger sleds so that it could be moved over snow. The total width was 102 cm, the total length 297 cm, with a total weight of 143 kg. This made the rocket launcher too heavy to be able to move it in rough terrain with muscle power. Although it could be broken down into seven packages, dismantling and assembly was time-consuming. The smooth tube from the caliber 8.8 cm was 160 cm long and had a front of the muzzle mounted conical Feuerstrahldeflektor.
Aiming was achieved using simple open sights with adjustable rear sights for distances of 180 to 700 meters. The tube was aimed at the target using two handles that were located behind the breech block . The directional range was 28 ° on both sides, 23 ° upwards and 14 ° downwards.
The trigger was cocked by opening the breech . When the ammunition was inserted, the shot could be triggered by pressing the right handle. There was a manual safety device on the breech , with which the weapon could be secured against unintentional triggering of a shot. A second safety prevented the triggering of the shot as long as the slide was not completely closed. When the shot was released, the striker of the weapon struck the ammunition percussion cap and thus initiated the rocket propellant.
Since the ammunition was fired from a tube closed at the rear, the weapon generated a recoil , which was absorbed by the mount and directed into the ground via a spur .
The rate of fire was 10 rounds per minute. The life of the tube was 1,000 shots. The effective range against moving targets was 250 m. At this distance, 50% of the hits were in a square with an edge length of 1 m. The maximum range against stationary targets was up to 500 m. Although the rocket launcher had little recoil, it produced a strong muzzle flash and a cloud of smoke, which could give away the position. The muzzle velocity was 110 m / s, the penetration rate was 160 mm.
The ammunition had a slightly protruding bottom disk so that the ammunition could be safely stored in the chamber of the rocket launcher. After firing, the bottom disk with the igniter remained in the chamber and had to be removed before the next rocket could be inserted.
ammunition
The ammunition, known as the rocket armored rifle grenade (RPzBGr) 4312 , was fired through a percussion cap by the igniter No. 26, which was also used for other types of ammunition. The propellant charge made of 0.05 kg dibasic nitro-cellulose powder in the form of a homogeneous rod with 14 perforations ensured the acceleration . The AZ 5059 impact fuse released itself with a delay ( front pipe safety device ) due to the strong acceleration forces at takeoff. On impact, the detonator worked according to the “spit back” principle . The head detonator ignited a small detonator, the jet of fire spreading in the empty space of the hollow charge and thus reaching the booster charge ("small detonation charge 34") on the opposite side of the warhead. This ignited the explosive formed as a shaped charge made of 0.66 kg of cyclotol . The total weight was 2.6 kg with a total length of 50 cm.
The warhead of the RPzBGr 4312 of the rocket launcher 43 and the RPzBGr 4322 of the Panzerschreck are identical. The big difference is the type of lighting. With the rocket launcher 43 this was done by hitting the primer cap, with the Panzerschreck it was done electrically . The tail unit carrier of the 4322 anti-tank rifle shell was also longer.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Gordon L. Rottman : Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck. Osprey Publishing , 2014, ISBN 978-1782007883 , pp. 29-30.
- ↑ a b c d e Fritz Hahn: Weapons and secret weapons of the German army 1933-1945. Volume 1: Infantry weapons, pioneer weapons, artillery weapons, powder, explosives and warfare agents. Bernard U. Graefe Verlag, 1986, ISBN 978-3763758319 , pp. 113-115.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Chief of Ordnance of the United States Army : Catalog of Enemy Ordnance. 1945, pp. 352.1, 537, 358. [1]