World War II Database

Country of Origin	Germany
Type	Anti-Tank Rifle
Caliber	7.920 mm
Capacity	1 round
Length	1.620 m
Barrel Length	1.085 m
Weight	12.400 kg
Rate of Fire	10 rounds/min
Muzzle Velocity	1,210 m/s

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Panzerbüchse 39 anti-tank rifles were built by the Gustloff-Werke in Suhl, Thuringia in central Germany. They share similar performance capabilities as their PzB 38 predecessors, except that the loading mechanism had been improved to decrease the time necessary to extract spent cartridges. Once the design became available, the entire PzB 38 production lines began to be converted to produce the new PzB 39 design, which was completed in 1940. 568 were built in 1939 and were used in the invasion of Poland. By the time Germany invaded Russia, 25,298 of them were in service with the German Army. Production ceased in Nov 1941; by that time, a total of 39,232 PzB 39 anti-tank rifles were built. Starting in 1942, they were modified with shorter barrels and rifle grenade launching attachments, thus giving them a new role after they were found to be incapable to penetrate the armor of newer tanks; these modified weapons were designated Granatbüchse Modell 39 (Grenade Rifle Model 39).

Source: Wikipedia. ww2dbase

Last Major Revision: Sep 2008

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Please help us spread the word:  Reddit  Bluesky  Mastodon Stay updated with WW2DB:  RSS Feeds

Visitor Submitted Comments

Show older comments

All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.

Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Webite
Your Email
	Your email will not be published
Comment Type	General comment/question Additional information about this page Looking for more information on this topic Looking for information about my relative
Your Comments

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.