How Bad Were WWII Anti-Tank Weapons

Video Description

How Bad Were WWII Anti-Tank Weapons This video covers the development of German infantry anti-tank weapons during World War II, explaining how the Panzerfaust became one of the most effective tank destroyers of the entire war. We start with the problem German soldiers faced when their 37mm towed anti-tank guns, which troops nicknamed the door knocker, proved unable to penetrate Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks during the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. You'll learn how shaped charge technology works, focusing energy into a superheated metal jet that penetrates armor without relying on kinetic force. The video covers the various experimental approaches different nations tried before finding practical solutions, including the German Panzerwurfmine thrown anti-tank charge, the Panzerwurfkorper 42 flare gun grenade launcher, rifle grenades, and the Stielgranate 41 mounted on obsolete 37mm guns. We examine the British PIAT with its spigot launching system and spring mechanism that eliminated back blast but created its own problems including 32 pound weight and a 25 percent dud rate. The American M1 Bazooka gets covered as the first practical rocket propelled anti-tank weapon, including its 60mm warhead, 150 meter effective range, and cold weather reliability issues with the battery ignition system. The main focus is the Panzerfaust series starting with the Panzerfaust 30 Klein and Gross variants, through the widely produced Panzerfaust 60, the Panzerfaust 100 with its 220mm armor penetration, the redesigned Panzerfaust 150 with two stage propellant system and 300mm penetration, and the planned but never produced reloadable Panzerfaust 250. We also cover the Panzerschreck with its 88mm rocket and 200mm penetration capability that the Germans developed after capturing American bazookas. The video explains German Panzerjagd kommando tank hunter team tactics, how roughly 70 percent of Soviet armor losses in the final phase of the war came from Panzerfausts rather than German tanks or 88mm guns, and why urban combat and the Normandy hedgerow terrain made these weapons so effective. We look at the improvised armor Allied tank crews welded onto their vehicles including sandbags, spare track links, and wire mesh to create standoff distance against shaped charges. The later sections cover how Volkssturm militia members as young as 16 used Panzerfausts during the final battles, how Soviet forces captured the Panzerfaust 150 factory and interrogated German engineers, and how the RPG-2 introduced in 1949 traced directly back to German designs. The video concludes by connecting these World War II weapons to modern systems like the Javelin and NLAW. Chapters: 0:00 What Tankers Feared More Than Tigers 2:23 The Bizarre Early Attempts 9:43 How the Panzerfaust Actually Worked 13:04 Why 70% of Soviet Tanks Fell to These 15:53 From 30 Meters to the Modern RPG