Army Group South in Russia.- soldier in position with binoculars next
The two main anti-tank rifles used by the German Army were 7.92mm
Gustloff Werke. Only 1600 PzB 38 were produced from 1939 to 1940, as
the weapon was too complex and expensive. Lighter PzB 39 was mass
produced (some 39232) and was widely used on all fronts. PzB 38
weighted 16.2kg, while PzB 39 only 12.6kg. Both anti-tank rifles had
1265mps (PzB 39) and length of 1.615m (PzB 38) vs. 1.620m (PzB 39).
Both rifles were single shot weapons and fired the same ammunition
(steel core and from 1940, tungsten core). The original bullets had
hardened steel core and tiny capsule of tear gas. The idea behind the
capsule was that once the bullet entered the armored vehicle it would
only the core penetrated and capsule was left outside.PzB 38 and 39
were able to penetrate 25mm of armour at 60 degrees at 300m and 30mm
at 100m. It was planned that each infantry division will have 81
rifles but it varied from unit to unit. PzB 38 remained in service in
the early war years, while PzB 39 remained in limited use until
1943/44. Majority of PzB 39 anti-tank rifles was converted to grenade
converted to take the standard rifle attachment grenade launcher
(Schiessbecher) able to fire standard hollow-charge anti-tank or
anti-personnel grenade.
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