The ''Hafthohlladung'', also known as the "''Panzerknacker''" ("tank breaker", German connotation "safe cracker"), was a magnetically adhered,
shaped charge
A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to form an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, init ...
anti-tank grenade
An anti-tank grenade is a specialized hand-thrown grenade used to defeat armored targets. Although their inherently short range limits the usefulness of grenades, troops can lie in ambush or maneuver under cover to exploit the limited outward vis ...
used by
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
forces in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and was sometimes described as a
mine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to:
Extraction or digging
* Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging
*Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine
Grammar
*Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun
...
.
Details
The ''Hafthohlladung'' (lit. "adhesive hollow charge") was primarily used by ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
'' tank killer squads. Designed with three magnets at the base, each with a pair of poles creating a strong magnetic field across their gap, an infantryman could attach it to an enemy's tank no matter the angle of the surface. As the blast axis should be flush and perpendicular to the plane of the armour at the point of placement, and armed by pulling the igniter on the rear of the mine, the degree of a tank's sloped armour was irrelevant for the device's penetration. However, since this required direct placement on an enemy tank by an infantryman, using the device was very dangerous, since the deploying infantryman placing it on an enemy fighting vehicle would be highly vulnerable to enemy fire.
The ''Hafthohlladung'' device was very effective against armour, able to penetrate 140 mm of
rolled homogeneous armour
Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) is a type of vehicle armour made of a single steel composition hot-rolled to improve its material characteristics, as opposed to layered or cemented armour. Its first common application was in tanks. After World ...
(RHA). The H3 (3 kilogram) and H3.5 (3.5 kilogram) models are easily distinguishable; the H3 is
conical and the H3.5 is bottle-shaped .
Specifications
*Weight: 3 kg (H3 version) or 3.5 kg (H3.5 version)
*First issued: November 1942
*Penetration: At 0°, 140 mm of
RHA or 508 mm (20") of concrete
*Fuse: Friction ignited, 4.5 second delay, later 7.5 seconds in May 1943
*Number produced: 553,900
*Declared obsolete: May 1944 in favour of the ''
Panzerfaust
The ''Panzerfaust'' (, "armour fist" or "tank fist", plural: ''Panzerfäuste'') was a development family of single-shot man-portable anti-tank systems developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The weapons were the first single-use light an ...
'', but remaining stockpiles used until exhausted
See also
*
Limpet mine
A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets. It is so named because of its superficial similarity to the shape of the limpet, a type of sea snail that clings tightly to rocks or other hard surfaces.
A swimmer or diver m ...
, the anti-ship nautical "precursor" to the Hafthohlladung ordnance
* ''
Zimmerit
''Zimmerit'' was a paste-like coating used on mid- and late-war German armored fighting vehicles during World War II. It was used to produce a hard layer covering the metal armor of the vehicle, providing enough separation that magnetically ...
'', plaster-like coating system applied on German combat vehicles to defeat any similar Allied magnetically-adhered anti-tank ordnance
References
German Hand and Rifle Grenades{{WWIIGermanInfWeapons
World War II infantry weapons of Germany
Anti-tank grenades
Grenades of Germany
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1942