Hello
I have heard the Soviet RPG-40/43 compared very favourably with the Panzerfaust in one book that I read. How did they really compare? It doesn't seem that the former was as popular among users as the latter
Comparison RPG-40/43 and Panzerfaust
Moderator: John W. Howard
Comparison RPG-40/43 and Panzerfaust
Cry 'havoc' and let slip... the dogs of war
Well according to:
http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/sovg ... index.html
The Soviet RPG-40 & 43 are stick grenades. May have penetration similar to the panzerfaust but lacking a self propeled feature is a big handicap in most cases.
http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/sovg ... index.html
The Soviet RPG-40 & 43 are stick grenades. May have penetration similar to the panzerfaust but lacking a self propeled feature is a big handicap in most cases.
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phylo_roadking
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Imad, the RPG-40 didn't compare at all, it was just an HE grenade. BUT it did have one advantage that the heads could be taped together just like German stick grenade heads to create a bigger HE device, but then dangerous to use.
Strangely enough...I've seen an RPG-43 in use! Or rather....a remanufactured copy of a copy!!! Here in Northern Ireland the terrorist "drogue bomb" of the late '80s and '90s was an almost straight crib of the RPG-43 - a bean tin for the head, copper cone backed by 230g of explosive, .22 cartridge as a detonator operated by a springloaded arm that snaps down when the grenade hits a flat surface, a handle of alkathene plumbing pipe, and streamers cut from black bin bags!
The problem with an antitank grenade no matter how good is that it does require either a lot of them - or skill AND luck!!! The charge has to come DOWN on a flat surface, so its an underarm toss UP into the air, the streamers of the RPG-43 making sure it doesnt tumble but comes down "head first" onto the target...and flat so that the copper "bolt" stands the best chance of penetration. Its the perfect weapon for lighter tanks and vehicles...OR the engine decks of heavier ones. So by the time it was introduced in 1943 it was already nearing obsolescence! And you can't "bundle" heads, and the user/s are hideously exposed to enemy fire.
Also, the Russians discovered that the copper fluid bolt stood a better chance of penetrating if propagated a fraction ABOVE armour so it hit it molten; this led to the introduction of the modified RPG-6 soon after the 43, but the 43 remained in production and service for many years.
Conversely, the panzerfaust like any "propelled" weapon opened the range a bit and sllowed its crew/user a slightly better chance to survive the battlefield. Speed of impact didn't matter with the 'faust's HUGE warhead, so the blackpowder charge was fine.
Strangely enough...I've seen an RPG-43 in use! Or rather....a remanufactured copy of a copy!!! Here in Northern Ireland the terrorist "drogue bomb" of the late '80s and '90s was an almost straight crib of the RPG-43 - a bean tin for the head, copper cone backed by 230g of explosive, .22 cartridge as a detonator operated by a springloaded arm that snaps down when the grenade hits a flat surface, a handle of alkathene plumbing pipe, and streamers cut from black bin bags!
The problem with an antitank grenade no matter how good is that it does require either a lot of them - or skill AND luck!!! The charge has to come DOWN on a flat surface, so its an underarm toss UP into the air, the streamers of the RPG-43 making sure it doesnt tumble but comes down "head first" onto the target...and flat so that the copper "bolt" stands the best chance of penetration. Its the perfect weapon for lighter tanks and vehicles...OR the engine decks of heavier ones. So by the time it was introduced in 1943 it was already nearing obsolescence! And you can't "bundle" heads, and the user/s are hideously exposed to enemy fire.
Also, the Russians discovered that the copper fluid bolt stood a better chance of penetrating if propagated a fraction ABOVE armour so it hit it molten; this led to the introduction of the modified RPG-6 soon after the 43, but the 43 remained in production and service for many years.
Conversely, the panzerfaust like any "propelled" weapon opened the range a bit and sllowed its crew/user a slightly better chance to survive the battlefield. Speed of impact didn't matter with the 'faust's HUGE warhead, so the blackpowder charge was fine.
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