Panzerfausts on planes

[aipaul]

Were panzerfausts ever used successfully from planes? I found these pics:


BUCKER BU-181 with PANZERFAUSTS


BRAUNSCHWEIG LF-1 ZAUNKöNIG with PANZERFAUST

http://rareaircraf1.greyfalcon.us/GERMANY.htm

[Michael Emrys]

That's really bizarre. That must have been a last-ditch effort at the end of the war. The PF was a really short range weapon, 50 meters or less on most models as I recall, so you would have to get suicidally close to have a chance to get a hit. A hit could be pretty devastating though.

Michael

[ChrisMAg2]

Tests with the Bücker (the Bücker shown here, the LF-1 was the initial testing a/c)) were run in Rechlin(?) and atleast two Panzerjagdstaffeln were incorporated. One Panzerjagdstaffel is documented to have operated against US forces in Bavaria, no achievments are so far documented. One of these assigned Panzerfaust Bückers made it to Switzerland, where it was well documented.

[Michael Emrys]

So they were meant to be used against ground targets? That's probably even more bizarre.

Michael

[Bjørn from Norway]

Hello!
There were several Panzerfausts: Panzerfaust 30, 60, 100, 150, 250 (the latter probably not produced before the war ended. The numbers give an estimate of the range.

I wonder how the rockets were stabilized.

B.

[phylo_roadking]

Having spoken in the dim-and-distant to an RAF pilot commissioned in late 1945, and did his initial ground attack training on Typhoons before serving on Vampires...an unstabilised Panzerfaust projectile would arguably have been MORE accurate than an Allied fin-stabilised rocket!!! He remembered the first time he'd pressed the "go-button" as he called it...and was scared sh1tless as all eight rockets seemed to radiate out in front of the plane like spokes on a wheel, heading to all points of the compass....!

[vanir]

LMAO phylo, that story absolutely characterises the war technologies we read about today, and seem to overstate as if digital avionics and carbon fibre were being routinely used back in the early 40's. Definitely an amazing period of technology but say "radar" and most people think of a beautifully modern CRT/LCD screen with either colour coded dots and information menus, or tracking information following each contact around a map. Not exactly the plain radio interpreter you just about need an engineering degree to read properly they had at the time.

I have read about Fw-190A prototypes fitted with Panzerfaust for testing (the system called Panzerblitz), eventually they used an R4M propulsion to the shaped charge warhead for best results (200m effective range, 180mm penetration) and mounted them on wooden underwing racks (something like 4 on each wing if memory serves). Of course then the massive WGr.21 was adapted for aerial mounting too and whilst used (by experienced squadron leaders) as a bomber "formation destroyer" from 1944 it was of course initially an artillery weapon and would make a very nice crater if fired at ground targets. No more tank, no more village the tank was hiding in either.

Look up Joe Baugher's excellent web pages on the Fw-190 series, he has more detailed information.

[Bob_Mackenzie]

I found this (Google machine translation)

I had some continued to look for the doc on this curious trick, and I found the list of units and missions of these aircraft and their crews ...
The Panzerfaust-Trebbin Kommando, which attaqqua the Red Army on 21 April 1945 ... No machine is returned, and one pilot survived!
The pilot Hitlerjungend came from and were trained in part by the Oberfeldwebel Buchsteiner (except a driver trained by Oberst Adolf Dickefield) ...

The Tiefenangriffsgruppe Bu-181 (TAG Bu 181) which came into service in March 1945 in the area of Wittenberg ...
Activity unit:
* The 18.04.45 from Finow, aircraft landing area Werneuchen / Munchenerg / Wriezen ...
* The 20 .04.45 since Eberswalde and Neuruppin ...
* moved to Perleberg.
After it conducted a retreat on Parchim and then Ludwiglust Eggebek / Tarp where the unit traveled to Britain.

-The Panzerjagdgruppe.2 which came into service in Czechoslovakia Reichenberg ... (no trace of its actions against).
-The Panzerjagdstaffel.3 (PzJStf.3) which Opper in southern Germany since the area Schongau / Kaufbeuren combatre for the American tank ...
On that occasion the pilot of Bü 181 (Wener Diermayer) "yellow 10", WNr 502,167, turned heels and arose in Dübendorf (Switzerland), April 18 1945 ...

from: http://deuxiemeguerremondia.forumactif. ... 739-10.htm

[Daniel L]

The Panzerfausts used were the Panzerfaust 100. Atleast for the Bü 181 of the 3. Panzerjagdstaffel. Orders were given to raise 12 Panzerjagdstaffeln, nine of these were to be used on the Western front, the other in the East. Each Staffel consisted of 12 Bü 181 and twenty pilots. Most of the these units were only to exist on paper.

/Daniel

[kriegsmarine221]

but the germans could have used the r4m rockets. they wouldnt waste panzerfausts on aircraft. but im really confused about the pictures. maybe they were experimental