The Raketenpanzerbüchse 54: Germany's Bazooka

(Author's Collection)

     Two men from the Panzer Lehr Division form a team to practice with the Raketenpanzerbüchse 54 (RPzB 54; Rocket Anti-Tank Rifle Model 54) which was better known as the "Panzerschreck" or "Tank Terror." The RPzB 54 was the German response to the U.S. Army's M1 "Bazooka" and fired an 88mm rocket propelled shaped-charge grenade designated the RPzB. Gr. 4322. With an effective range of 150m, the grenade was capable of penetrating 216mm of face-hardened armor at an angle of 90 degrees. Typical engagement range was around 70m but because of the smoke created by the rocket once fired, the weapon was often called the "Ofenrohr" ("Stove Pipe") and it forced crews to quickly abandon their firing position before enemy fire was brought to bear. The photograph depicts the first version of the RPzB 54 which lacked a protective face shield of later makes. Thus, the firer is wearing winter mittens (of which the white lanyard connecting them can be seen) to protect his hands, a gas mask without a filter to protect his eyes and face, and a hood (likely also a winter one) to protect the rest of his head from the rocket's back blast. The loader, having taken a knee, has lowered his head in an effort to protect his face from both the blast and the dirt that the rocket would kick up after leaving the tube. The wooden crate next to the loader could hold two RPzB. Gr. 4322 grenades. The loader is armed with what appears to be a Maschinenpistole 43/1 (MP 43/1) judging by the stock shape and size.

     That the men belong to the Panzer Lehr Division is denoted by the schulterklappen (shoulder boards) visible on the loader. The cypher in the middle of the bottle-green colored schulterklappen is the letter "L" of "Lehr" which means "teach." The piping around the board was a light green. The Panzer Lehr Division was first formed on December 30, 1943 and was made up of instructor personnel from Panzertruppenschule I, Panzertruppenschule II and other Panzerwaffe training and demonstration units (hence the unit name). Thus, from the very beginning, the unit was considered elite due to the vast experience of the men within its ranks. Because of this status, it was the only panzer division to be completely equipped with tanks and half-tracks for the mechanized infantry. The division saw extensive combat on the Western Front.