"Panzer Grenadier Weapons Question - Late War" Topic

So I bought some 20mm FAA PGs long ago and I am now painting them. three of the figures have a stick looking weapon with a handguard/trigger mechanism toward the bottom front of the tube. There is nothing else on the tube, just that. At first it looked like a flame thrower, but there are no tanks or tubing. Then I thought, maybe it is something along the lines of a LAW? Did the Germans have such a thing?

Sounds an awful lot like a panzerfaust minus the warhead. Sure someone will have something better.

Agreed that it sounds like a panzerfaust. Since it was a one use weapon, my guess is you have some miscast figures with the warhead missing.

Pictures or package code would be helpful.

I thought maybe PF as well but the firing mech is a handle with a guard. There are two different poses one with is slung on his back. here is a picture, not very good, guy 4th from left standing (3rd from left being the kneeling guy)

With trigger and guard, it sounds like a Panzerschrek hence no warhead. Also, one depicted slung over a figure's back again sounds like a Panzerschrek. The Panzerfaust had no carrying strap. Maybe the sculptor got the dimensions slightly wrong.

Didn't the schreck have a shield? Or was that optional?

It says "Rifle squad armed with MP-44's, an MG-42, and a panzerfaust 100. Some have night scopes on their MP-44's."

link

Still looks weird to me, especially as it says Panzerfaust 100 singular (and the warhead on that one looks more like one from a Panzerfaust 150 or 250).

I think it would be a brave man indeed who fired a Panzerschreck without a shield

I am figuring the PF as a 150 it has the pointy warhead, others in the range have the more common barrel shaped one. I thought of a Panzerschrek but its shorter, the trigger is too far forward, and of course no shield. Its an oddity.

Good point about the shield.

I can't believe this thread has gone more than 4 posts without a definitive answer….

I think it would be a brave man indeed who fired a Panzerschreck without a shield

They used gas masks for protection before the shields were developed. It looked pretty eerie:

bergflak.com/psshield.html

I thought the original plan was for the man firing the Panzerschrek to duck his head so that the gasses from the burning rocket would hit the top of his helmet. Not only does that sound insane, but they only dropped the plan when it became obvious that the operators prioritized ducking their heads over keeping the weapon pointed at the target.

I can only assume the gas masks shown above were "Plan B," which also failed to produce the desired effect.

So I poked around the FAA website to see if I glean a clue. I note that the command pack includes guys with "Luftfausts," which may be the Fliegerfaust, which fired multiple rockets at low-flying aircraft. But the thing your figure is holding looks to short to be that.

However, given that they make figures with the AA Faust, and everyone else has an STG, I presume it's some sort of late war Wonder Weapon. Do a search for the "Einstossflammenwerfer," a one-shot flamethrower.

And, if it's not that, you can always ask the folks at FAA what they think it is!

Mark

Looks like Mark has the answer. The casting is close enough to this to make me think that is what it is. Thanks! I appreciate the help.

I was going to suggest the disposable flamethrower as an option. Not exactly a common weapon! Do the Stg 44s have IR sights as well? Maybe it is a special pack of ultra late war figures?

Yes they are packaged as 1945 grenadiers. Some have the IR sights, this flamethrower, the AA rockets, and the PF 150.