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The Panzerbüchse 39 (pronounced pan-zer-beuk-se), abbreviated as PzB 39, was a German anti-tank rifle designed by a B. Brauer and manufactured by Gustloff Werke and Steyr-Daimler-Puch from 1940 to 1941.

History[]

The PzB 39 was an improvement over the previous Panzerbüchse 38. It featured only the PzB 38's barrel, while the other components were new. The PzB 39 was used until 1944, where they were hopeless against all but the lightest vehicles.

Some of the rifles were converted to Granatbüchse 39s (GrB 39) starting from 1942, where they had a shorter barrel measuring only 590mm and an affixed "Schiessbecher" (firing cup) so that it could fit and fire rifle grenades. The Schiessbecher was the one used on the ubiquitous K98K, and was interchangeable.

Design Details[]

The PzB 39 was an improvement over the PzB 38's design. The 39 had a slightly shorter barrel and decreased weight, as well as a new mechanism. The weapon was fitted with a falling block mechanism, where the breech block falls down in order for a round to be loaded. Rocking the pistol grip backwards makes the breech block fall. This also ejects the spent cartridge casing. To compensate for the weapon's decreased rate of fire, two ammunition canisters, each containing ten rounds of 7.92×94mm Patronen ammunition were attached to the sides of the rifle to increase its practical rate of fire.

References[]

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