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Dynamit Nobel Panzerfaust 2 (PzF 44 2A1)

The PzF 44 2A1 - also called Lanze, Leichte Panzerfaust [Light Armor-fist], or Panzerfaust 2 - is a recoilless anti-tank weapon. The weapon was designed for anti-tank purposes. It was based on the Panzerfaust 150 , which was still being developed for the Wehrmacht. Dynamit Nobel AG produced the weapon for the Bundeswehr. There is not a lot of information on this weapon available online in English or German, unfortunately. Even the Jane's entry on it is thin.

The Pzf 44 anti-tank grenade launcher is a further development of the ideas laid down by German designers during the Second World War in Panzerfaust grenade launchers . The development of the second generation of German anti-tank grenade launchers was started by Dynamit-Nobel AG around 1960, and in the mid-60s a new grenade launcher was adopted by the Bundeswehr . In a number of modifications, this grenade launcher served until the early 1990s.

The Panzerfaust 44 "Lanze" anti-tank grenade launcher is a reusable launcher with a smooth 44 mm barrel, open at both ends. A fire control handle, trigger and ignition mechanisms of the original design, as well as mounts for an optical sight are installed on the barrel. The shot is fired according to a dynamo-active (recoilless) scheme, using an expelling charge loaded into the barrel in front, equipped with an anti-mass of fine-grained iron powder. The main ammunition for the Pzf 44 is an anti-tank cumulative grenade with a super-caliber warhead, equipped with a jet booster and folding tail stabilizers. The grenade is also loaded into the barrel from the front.

When fired, the expelling charge throws the grenade forward at a speed of approximately 170 m / s, at the same time, an anti-mass is thrown back to compensate for the recoil force while minimizing the danger zone behind the shooter. After taking off from the barrel, the jet engine of the grenade is launched, further accelerating it to 210 m / s. The maximum range of fire from the Pzf 44 is about 1000 meters, the effective range of fire at targets such as a moving tank is up to 300 meters.

PzF 44-2 is designed to load 44 mm grenades fitted with high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warheads. The launcher does not feature an integrated optic and the ironsight cannot be zeroed, but it can be fitted with the Fero Z 2x17 telescopic sight. Carried by West German light AT infantry throughout the Cold War, the PzF 44-2 is designed with simplicity in mind and provides every rifle squad with the capability to tackle light armor.

Unfortunately, the PzF 44-2 possesses several drawbacks that make it quite redundant compared to both the larger PzF 84 and Soviet-made RPG-7. For instance, the PzF 44-2 only retains access to anti-vehicle HEAT grenades and cannot be loaded with dedicated anti-personnel rounds. Furthermore, they lack the range of the PzF 84 and have an effective firing range of approximately ~ 300 meters.

These drawbacks clearly rendered the PzF 44-2 the inferior of the two launchers. The only saving grace it possesses is the lightness of its grenades, though this does little to offset its other drawbacks. Overall, it is vastly outclassed by the RPG-7 (and its modern successor), especially when the latter is loaded with its modernised munitions. In January 1972, the industry was commissioned to develop a replacement for the light Panzerfaust 44 mm, which ultimately led to the weapon being replaced by the Panzerfaust 3 in the Bundeswehr from 1992 onwards.