Gewehr-Panzergranate

• Name — Gewehr-Panzergranate • Origin — Germany • Type — Shaped charge rifle grenade • Is Ranged — yes • Is Explosive — yes • Is Artillery — no • Is Missile — yes • Used By — Wehrmacht • Wars — World War II • Weight — 8.8 oz • Length — 6.4 in • Velocity — 50 m/s • Max Range — 50-125 yd • Diameter — 1.1875 in • Filling — TNT • Filling Weight — 1.75 oz • Detonation — PETN Base fuze • Yield — 25-30 mm RHA

• Illustration — Drawings of German Schiessbecher and grenades. The Gewehr-Panzergranate was launched from a Gewehrgranatengerät or Schiessbecher ("shooting cup") on a standard service rifle by a blank cartridge. The primary components were a nose cap, internal steel cone, steel upper body, aluminum lower body, rifled driving band, TNT filling, and a PETN base fuze. The Gewehr-Panzergranate was an anti-armor weapon which upon hitting the target ignited the PETN base fuze which in turn ignited the TNT filling which collapsed the internal steel cone to create a superplastic high-velocity jet to punch through enemy armor. Since shaped charge weapons rely on chemical energy to penetrate enemy armor the low velocity of the grenade did not adversely affect penetration. A downside of the Gewehr-Panzergranate was its short range 50-125 yd.