World War II Database

Country of Origin	Germany
Type	Grenade
Weight	3.500 kg

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Hafthohlladung hand-held explosive devices, nicknamed "Panzerknacker" ("Tank Breaker" or "Safe Cracker"), were shaped charges designed against heavily armored targets, particularly tanks and other armored vehicles. They were introduced into the German military in Nov 1942. They were capable of penetrating about 140 millimeters (about 5.5 inches) of rolled homogeneous armor or about 500 millimeters (about 20 inches) of concrete. At the base of each weapon there were three magnets for attachment to metal surfaces. The ignitors were at the rear of the mine, so that they could be activated (by pulling) after each weapon had been attached to the target. While the operators necessarily exposed themselves to great danger during their approach, once deployed these weapons were very effective. There were two variants of this weapon. The 3 HL variant charges had a weight of 3 kilograms and were shaped like sharp-sloped funnels, while the 3.5 HL variant charges had a weight of 3.5 kilograms and were shaped like softer-sloped bells. Both variants originally had a 4.5-second fuse; examples made after May 1943 had 7.5-second fuses. Production ceased in May 1944 after the introduction of the Panzerfaust grenade launchers, but charges already deployed to front line units continued to be used through the end of the European War. 553,900 examples were made between Nov 1942 and May 1944.

Source: Wikipedia ww2dbase

Last Major Revision: Nov 2014

Photographs

See all 5 photographs of Hafthohlladung Grenade

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