What was the best Handheld AT Weapon of WW2?

Polls says it all.

Panzershrek.

Faust esppecially the later models. My favorite was 150 despite it being made in relativly few numbers.

Panzershrek, extremely powerful and easy to produce. It was based off the M9 Bazooka. It was just better in every way. Had a shield, fires shaped charges, and was larger than the M9.

EasyWay91 wrote:
Panzershrek, extremely powerful and easy to produce. It was based off the M9 Bazooka. It was just better in every way. Had a shield, fires shaped charges, and was larger than the M9.

The shield was actually necessary to protect the man firing from hot gasses etc when the rocket was fired, was not very helpful against bullets

My choice is bazooka - the first rocket launcher of WWII.
The best hand held weapon of 1939 was wz. 35, of 1941 PTRD/PTRS, of 1942 bazooka, of 1943 Faust, of 1944 Shreck.
US made the biggest change in efectivness of AT hand held weapons. Thats why bazooka was the best just like M1 Garand was the best rifle of WWII.

How about a topic best artillery piece of WWII?

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Raider217 wrote:
The shield was actually necessary to protect the man firing from hot gasses etc when the rocket was fired, was not very helpful against bullets

True.
Heres an early version of a Shreck. That operator is wearing protective mask and poncho.

Last edited August 13, 2010 at 10:54 AM by Paciat

Paciat wrote:
Thats why bazooka was the best just like M1 Garand was the best rifle of WWII.

So it wasn't?

maxi1991 wrote:

Paciat wrote:
Thats why bazooka was the best just like M1 Garand was the best rifle of WWII.

So it wasn't?

What wasnt?
Bazooka knocked out Tigers while Shreck knocked out Shermans. This makes Bazooka better.  :P

Shreck knocked out IS2 T34s while Bazooka knocked out Tigers. This makes Schreck better.  :P

hehe sorry i couldent resist the temptation

But yeah paciat is true about the bazooka was an outstanding weapon, ive read stories where the Germans came under bazooka fire and thought it was heavy tank's they were engaging, and pulled away in fear of an allied Tank battalion on its way. 

Last edited August 13, 2010 at 2:38 PM by SnuGGie

Paciat wrote:

maxi1991 wrote:

Paciat wrote:
Thats why bazooka was the best just like M1 Garand was the best rifle of WWII.

So it wasn't?

What wasnt?
Bazooka knocked out Tigers while Shreck knocked out Shermans. This makes Bazooka better.  :P

If the Bazooka is the best Handheld AT of WW2 like the M1 Garand the best rifle of WW2. Well, then it isn't.

Well, just because Allies had nothing comparable to a Tiger to knock out doesn't mean Bazooka is better.

maxi1991 wrote:

Paciat wrote:

maxi1991 wrote:

Paciat wrote:
Thats why bazooka was the best just like M1 Garand was the best rifle of WWII.

So it wasn't?

What wasnt?
Bazooka knocked out Tigers while Shreck knocked out Shermans. This makes Bazooka better.  :P

If the Bazooka is the best Handheld AT of WW2 like the M1 Garand the best rifle of WW2. Well, then it isn't.

Well, just because Allies had nothing comparable to a Tiger to knock out doesn't mean Bazooka is better.

Sure it does. :P Shreck didnt need to be as big and heavy as it was. Bazooka was lighter. An inportant thing when its in youre hands.
Bazooka also knocked out German tanks in 1942 as well as Shreck knocked out Allied tanks in 1944.

Last edited August 13, 2010 at 2:52 PM by Paciat

Paciat wrote:

maxi1991 wrote:

Paciat wrote:

maxi1991 wrote:

Paciat wrote:
Thats why bazooka was the best just like M1 Garand was the best rifle of WWII.

So it wasn't?

What wasnt?
Bazooka knocked out Tigers while Shreck knocked out Shermans. This makes Bazooka better.  :P

If the Bazooka is the best Handheld AT of WW2 like the M1 Garand the best rifle of WW2. Well, then it isn't.

Well, just because Allies had nothing comparable to a Tiger to knock out doesn't mean Bazooka is better.

Sure it does. :P Shreck didnt need to be as big and heavy as it was. Bazooka was lighter. An inportant thing when its in youre hands.
Bazooka also knocked out German tanks in 1942 as well as Shreck knocked out Allied tanks in 1944.

From my sources both weigh about the same. And Panzerschreck has better range.

maxi1991 wrote:
From my sources both weigh about the same. And Panzerschreck has better range.

M1A1 Bazooka 5,8kg, Shreck 11kg (both empty).
Range and armor penetration of rocket projectials are both gained by increasing rockects weight. Shrecks rockets were twice as heavy as bazookas.

What monster have I created?

i think the panzerfaust, which was easy to produce and had good penetration and no huge amounts of smoke when fired

next in line would be the bazooka.

yes the panzershreck is powerful, but it had some flaws.

one thing that made them not the good was the smoke, the HUGE amounts of toxic smoke that came out of the end when fired, and even after being fired it still produced smoke, which led to it being nicknamed to "Ofenrohr" aka stovepipe (along with its shape).


also, the German design almost doubled the weight of the bazooka (bazooka- 5.6 kg, panzershreck-9.75 kg). While upping the size increased the penetration performance by about 50%, effective range was reduced by about one third, to 150m

because of these trade offs, german designers put more effort into perfecting the panzerfaust


also, some interesting info on tests with a bazooka against various parts of a panther

http://www.100thww2.org/support/776tankhits.html

On damage turns-Panzerfaust

But that dose not count to me because it only fired once.

I'd say the bazooka was the best. Even though it had less pen. then the panzersecek, it was mobile and a perfect anti-tank weapon for rangers, a very mobile force.

The most powerful At-weapon, which could be carried by infantry, was the Panzerschreck.
However, the Panzerfaust was also very effective against armour, and much easier to produce, but although the Panzerfaust did have an shaped charge; the allies (particularly the Soviets) used spaced armour made of wire mesh to counter the weapon, and for as far as I know, it did have some good effect against the Panzerfaust.
In total: I'd say the Panzerfaust had the overall advantage, yet the Bazooka and the Panzerschreck were the true weapons I would've chosen if I wanted to take out and enemy tank.

BTW: the Bazooka was indeed capable of penetrating the Tiger I's armour, but only it's side and rear, and the 80 mm on the Tiger I's side and rear were the maximum the Bazooka could penetrate at that time.

loatty wrote:
BTW: the Bazooka was indeed capable of penetrating the Tiger I's armour, but only it's side and rear, and the 80 mm on the Tiger I's side and rear were the maximum the Bazooka could penetrate at that time.

BTW: There were no Tigers when bazooka entered service.

The bazooka was made to get the panther.

More or less the Panzer IV

QuoteBTW: There were no Tigers when bazooka entered service.

Fail  :-[

 

Paciat wrote:

loatty wrote:
BTW: the Bazooka was indeed capable of penetrating the Tiger I's armour, but only it's side and rear, and the 80 mm on the Tiger I's side and rear were the maximum the Bazooka could penetrate at that time.

BTW: There were no Tigers when bazooka entered service.

When the Americans landed in Algeria and Morocco in 1943 the Tiger entered service, and soon enough Rommel would get a few, too.

Tiger entered service 1942.
Bazooka entered service 1942.

For me the Panzerfaust was the best AT weapon, it was CHEAP, it was very easy to shoot, it could penetrate 200mm steel pretty much effective against any allied vehicle. It was basicly the german counterpart for Tankhall,armour rush/spam in ww2. The panzerfaust was very popular among german troops equipped with them, and Soviet,allied troops who had conquered them.

The panzerfaust was so awesome that the Soviets and Americans used its design when developing their "RPG" and "m72LAW"

SnuGGie wrote:
The panzerfaust was so awesome that the Soviets and Americans used its design when developing their "RPG" and "m72LAW"

Thats true, panzerfaust was awesome. It could fire only once, but on the other hand 2 panzerfausts could fire twice.  1 shreck was heavier than 2 fausts with 2 projectiles!

Shreck on the other hand was too big, too dangerous for soldiers fireing it  and too bazooka-like.
Even postwar US 3.5inch super bazookas had 20% less armor penetration than shrecks becouse in handheld weapons weight is as important as firepower.

Added new Weapon i found out about - German Fliegerfaust

The flying fist? Got a picture of this?

Air fist, designed to be used against ground attack fighters, but could be used against tanks if needed

Well then it seems more a AA weapon then AT

i didn't said the Bazooka was made for the Tiger I, did i?
I only gave an example=]

An unguided anti aircraft weapon, hmm seems useless in that sense!Might be great vs vehicles and infantry though.

We should get a video where a bunch of wacko history experts do Panzerserck VS Bazooka 

It would be quite usefull to settle this, yes.
But the use of unguided AA weapons was common for that time, most guidingsystems were to complicated and expensive to be used in such common weapons.

Yea, your right.

Paciat wrote:

maxi1991 wrote:

Paciat wrote:
Thats why bazooka was the best just like M1 Garand was the best rifle of WWII.

So it wasn't?

What wasnt?
Bazooka knocked out Tigers while Shreck knocked out Shermans. This makes Bazooka better.  :P

Schreck could pen more at a greater distance and could pen Every Allied tank , while the bazooka couls only pen the tigers rear.

Last edited August 24, 2010 at 2:25 PM by Akalonor

But its heavy and annoying and hard to aim. Bazooka for the max!

Aiming the Bazooka wasn't an easy job either, as the guy handling it had to expose himself in order to properly aim and fire the weapon, meaning he had to put his life at serious risk.

BTW: the Bazooka's rocket could also penetrate the side of the Tiger's armour.

I say, Crowbar... The Fins would slam Crowbars into the threads of soviet tanks during the winter war until they invented the Molotov cocktail... That country's military history is awesome :P

They could also do it with rocks, lots of sticks, pieces of metal, heavy guns, and even dead bodies. And that only stops them, not kill them.

Keep ontopic.

We are blacky, its a hand held AT weapon. People seem to make little topics within a big topic making everything else off topic with really isn't off topic.

My post it on topic and could be replied to.

Ot : the devs will need to make a new title for seeme soon , 1110 posts , soon hell be to 1500 , Im thinking something like 'Duke of spam'
BTT:
so the shreck:
+better protection from the rockets,
+Better pen,
+faster reload( 15 seconds)
+ Longer range
+out earlier (43)
-Heavier

M9 zook
-less pen
- less protection
-shorter range
-Longer reload(30 sec.)
-out later (44)
+lighter

Last edited August 25, 2010 at 3:32 AM by Akalonor

I would say the M18 recoilless rifle actually :o

I voted for Panzerschreck without thinking, but by far Panzerfaust is in my humble opinion. The Volkssturm were issued those like cigarettes. I pride myself on having watched the entire Deutsche Wochenshau reels that came out during the Third Reich and in later episodes kids as young as 8 were knocking out tanks in Berlin to women as old as 70-80 training with them. I mean, who wants to have their tank taken out by some old house frau with a panzerfaust?

Akalonor wrote:
Ot : the devs will need to make a new title for seeme soon , 1110 posts , soon hell be to 1500 , Im thinking something like 'Duke of spam'
BTT:
so the shreck:
+better protection from the rockets,
+Better pen,
+faster reload( 15 seconds)
+ Longer range
+out earlier (43)
-Heavier

M9 zook
-less pen
- less protection
-shorter range
-Longer reload(30 sec.)
-out later (44)
+lighter

What? The Panzershreck was based off of captured American models from Operation Torch and the US invasion of Algeria and Morocco. 

I Guess the M9 Bazooka was out later.

schreck was based on the M1 I think.