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The ''Panzerwurfmine'' (abbreviated to PWM) was a
German Hand & Rifle Grenades
{{WWIIGermanInfWeapons World War II infantry weapons of Germany Anti-tank grenades Hand grenades of Germany Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1943
The ''Panzerwurfmine'' (abbreviated to PWM) was a shaped charge
A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to form an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, ini ...
hand-thrown anti-tank
Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first dev ...
grenade used by ''Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...
'' ground troops in World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
Appearance
The ''Panzerwurfmines appearance owed much to the ''Panzerfaust
The ''Panzerfaust'' (, "armour fist" or "tank fist", plural: ''Panzerfäuste'') was a development family of single-shot man-portable anti-tank systems developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The weapons were the first single-use light an ...
'' (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 anyhigh-explosive anti-tank
High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) is the effect of a shaped charge explosive that uses the Munroe effect to penetrate heavy armor. The warhead functions by having an explosive charge collapse a metal liner inside the warhead into a high-velocity ...
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 at zero degrees.See also
*''Panzerfaust
The ''Panzerfaust'' (, "armour fist" or "tank fist", plural: ''Panzerfäuste'') was a development family of single-shot man-portable anti-tank systems developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The weapons were the first single-use light an ...
'', Nazi Germany's primary anti-tank grenade launcher system
*RPG-43
The RPG-43 (ruchnaya protivotankovaya granata obraztca 1943 goda, meaning hand-held anti-tank grenade) was a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shaped charge hand grenade used by the Soviet Union during World War II. It entered service in 1943, repl ...
and RPG-6
The RPG-6 (Russian ''Ruchnaya Protivotankovaya Granata'', "Handheld Anti-Tank Grenade") was a Soviet-era anti-tank hand grenade used during the late World War II and early Cold War period. It was superseded by the RKG-3 anti-tank grenade.
Histor ...
, the Russian equivalents
External links
German Hand & Rifle Grenades
{{WWIIGermanInfWeapons World War II infantry weapons of Germany Anti-tank grenades Hand grenades of Germany Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1943