Cutaway model of a “Einheitsübungsschießgerät PzF” (standardized training Panzerfaust). On November 20, 1944 the inspector General of the armoured troops gave the order to manufacture the “Einheitsübungsschießgerät Panzerfaust”, which had to be manufactured by the “Trupenwaffenmeistereien”, which can probably be best translated as the “weapons repair workshops in the field”. A second order was to write a users guide for the safe use of this training Panzerfaust.
The use of this training Panzerfaust avoided wasting valuable live panzerfausts in target practice firing sessions.
The “Einheitsübungsschießgerät PzF” was manufactured from a fired Panzerfaust 60 pipe. On the inside a short piece of thick walled pipe (1) was placed that served as a pressure chamber and as the threaded seat for the vertical chamber pipe (2) in which a modified Platzpatrone 33 (Blank cartridge) (3) is placed. The vertical chamber pipe is threaded fully on the outside and is screwed through both sides of the thick walled pipe. In the lower part of the vertical chamber pipe a hole M10 is drilled in which a short threaded rod is placed. The upper part of this threaded rod has a knife edge machined that guides the gasses into the two holes(16), the lower part protrudes through the wall of the panzerfaust pipe. A nut M10 (4) is screwed over this thread, fixating the thick walled pipe (1) with the complete firing mechanism to the pipe of the panzerfaust.On top of the vertical chamber pipe (2) two steel cups –one over another- are placed. The inner one (5) is threaded on the inside and is screwed over the vertical chamber pipe (2) and pushes the Platzpatrone 33 (3) downward in it’s chamber. The outer one (6) houses the firing pin (7). Both cups are connected by means of two pull springs (8) which pull the cups in one another.
The wooden practice warhead -according to the instructions- is to be made from hard wood fully. When Hard wood is scarce in supply, one can minimize the use of hard wood by only making the tail of the practice warhead from hard wood and the warhead of soft wood as it can be replaced more easily (as with this practice warhead in this practice Panzerfaust depicted below). Around the soft wood practice warhead a steel band was placed to avoid the soft wood practice warhead from splitting or splintering on impact.
The wooden practice warhead is propelled by means of a “Platzpatrone 33” (3) of which the wooden bullet is removed. The “backblast flame” which occurs with live Panzerfausts on the rear of the pipe is formed by a round wooden stick (9) with a steel cartridge chamber (10) placed on the forward part of the wooden stick, in which another Platzpatrone 33 (11)is placed which ejects the wooden stick rearward. The wooden “flame” stick has the same weight as the practice warhead, making the training Panzerfaust recoilles. The rear of the stick has a recess. This recess is used to apply a steel band that fixates a bag of rags tied to the back of the stick. This bag of rags protects the wooden “flame“ stick from damage due to repeated use. On the outside of the stick two blade springs plm.50x10x0,5 are placed which are bend outward slightly to center the stick in the training Panzerfaust pipe.
The firing lever (12) of the training panzerfaust is not the original one as used on the Panzerfaust 60, but a hand manufactured one especially for this model training panzerfaust. On the back of the firing lever a bushing (13) with a catch hook (14) is welded in place. The hook is kept in a backward position by a spring. The hook falls under the ridge (15) of the outer cup (6) with the firing pin (7). When the firing lever of the Panzerfaust is pressed in, the hook (14) moves upward, moving the outer cup (6) hooked behind it upward too, until a point that the cup falls away from under the ridge (due to circular movement of the hook around a pivot point) and the springs (8) pull the outer cup with the firing pin into the firing cap of the Platzpatrone 33 (3). The gasses travel downward and travel through the two holes (16) of the vertical chamber pipe (2) in the length direction of the Panzerfaust pipe. The practice warhead starts moving forward and the second Platzpatrone 33 in the wooden “flame” stick is ignited by the heat of the gasses activating the firing cap. The combined force of the two cartridges launches the practice warhead forward and the wooden “flame” stick backward.
The sight is also hand manufactured and is smaller than the normal Panzerfaust 60 sight. The reason for this is that the diameter of the practice warhead is much smaller than the warhead of the live Panzerfaust 60.
The wooden practice warhead will travel the same ballistic trajectory as the live Panzerfaust 60
Translation of the users guide:
General preperations before usage of the Einheitsübungsschießgerät Panzerfaust:
1: For each single target practice firing session one needs two modified Platzpatrone 33 of which the wooden bullet is removed.
2: To obtain a consequent ballistic behaviour in a multi shot training session it is adviced to use Platzpatrone 33 of one batch (Lot) preferably.
3: Modifying the Platzpatrone 33 is done by pulling the wooden bullet out of the shellcase. The cartridge is to be checked by a second person on remains of woodsplinters of the wooden bullet, which have to be completely removed.
4: The training targets preferably are to be made of wood or cartboard to avoid the wooden practice warhead from splintering when hitting a hard surface like stone. The same counts for the wooden “flame “ stick.
5: To keep the training session going, it is adviced to build a shelter in the vincinity of the practice target, where a person is placed that retreives the practice warheads after a multi shot firing session and returns them to the firing point for reloading.
6: It is adviced to enshure the terrain behind the training Panzerfaust is free of high grass and bushings, as it may be very difficult to refind the wooden “flame” stick.
Making the Einheitsübungsschießgerät Panzerfaust ready for use:
1: Screw the firing pin mechanism from the vertical chamber pipe.
2: Check the cartridge chamber for dirt or fouling.
3: Set the safety lever in safe position and fold down the sight.
4: Place the practice warhead in the pipe and insert the split pin through the lugs on the projectile and in the sight to fixate the projectile.
5: Place the modified Platzpatrone 33 in the vertical chamber.
6: Screw back the firing pin mechanism over the vertical chamber pipe.
7: Place a modified Platzpatrone 33 in the chamber of the wooden “flame” stick, and insert the stick in the back of the Panzerfaust pipe.
8: The training Panzerfaust is now ready for use.
Safety regulations:
1. Warning! Use of the training Panzerfaust is subject to the same safety regulations as a live Panzerfaust. The wooden practice warhead as well as the wooden “flame” can be lethal when hitting a person.
2. The training Panzerfaust –even when safe- is under no circumstances to be aimed at persons with the back or front of pipe.
3. When inserting the wooden “flame” into the back of the training Panzerfaust pipe, the person must stand beside the pipe, under no circumstances behind it. Other personel is also not allowd behind the pipe when loading.
4. The practice warhead and the wooden “flame” are to be placed in the pipe with gentle pressure. Under no circumstances the practice warhead and the wooden “flame” are allowed to be pressed in the pipe with force with the risc of getting stuck upon firing.
In this movie on you tube one can see the "Einheitsübungsschießgerät PzF" in action;
Civilian Panzerfaust Training - March 22, 1945 - YouTube
If the link is not usable any more, look underpanzerfuats training'
Regards, DJH
The use of this training Panzerfaust avoided wasting valuable live panzerfausts in target practice firing sessions.
The “Einheitsübungsschießgerät PzF” was manufactured from a fired Panzerfaust 60 pipe. On the inside a short piece of thick walled pipe (1) was placed that served as a pressure chamber and as the threaded seat for the vertical chamber pipe (2) in which a modified Platzpatrone 33 (Blank cartridge) (3) is placed. The vertical chamber pipe is threaded fully on the outside and is screwed through both sides of the thick walled pipe. In the lower part of the vertical chamber pipe a hole M10 is drilled in which a short threaded rod is placed. The upper part of this threaded rod has a knife edge machined that guides the gasses into the two holes(16), the lower part protrudes through the wall of the panzerfaust pipe. A nut M10 (4) is screwed over this thread, fixating the thick walled pipe (1) with the complete firing mechanism to the pipe of the panzerfaust.On top of the vertical chamber pipe (2) two steel cups –one over another- are placed. The inner one (5) is threaded on the inside and is screwed over the vertical chamber pipe (2) and pushes the Platzpatrone 33 (3) downward in it’s chamber. The outer one (6) houses the firing pin (7). Both cups are connected by means of two pull springs (8) which pull the cups in one another.
The wooden practice warhead -according to the instructions- is to be made from hard wood fully. When Hard wood is scarce in supply, one can minimize the use of hard wood by only making the tail of the practice warhead from hard wood and the warhead of soft wood as it can be replaced more easily (as with this practice warhead in this practice Panzerfaust depicted below). Around the soft wood practice warhead a steel band was placed to avoid the soft wood practice warhead from splitting or splintering on impact.
The wooden practice warhead is propelled by means of a “Platzpatrone 33” (3) of which the wooden bullet is removed. The “backblast flame” which occurs with live Panzerfausts on the rear of the pipe is formed by a round wooden stick (9) with a steel cartridge chamber (10) placed on the forward part of the wooden stick, in which another Platzpatrone 33 (11)is placed which ejects the wooden stick rearward. The wooden “flame” stick has the same weight as the practice warhead, making the training Panzerfaust recoilles. The rear of the stick has a recess. This recess is used to apply a steel band that fixates a bag of rags tied to the back of the stick. This bag of rags protects the wooden “flame“ stick from damage due to repeated use. On the outside of the stick two blade springs plm.50x10x0,5 are placed which are bend outward slightly to center the stick in the training Panzerfaust pipe.
The firing lever (12) of the training panzerfaust is not the original one as used on the Panzerfaust 60, but a hand manufactured one especially for this model training panzerfaust. On the back of the firing lever a bushing (13) with a catch hook (14) is welded in place. The hook is kept in a backward position by a spring. The hook falls under the ridge (15) of the outer cup (6) with the firing pin (7). When the firing lever of the Panzerfaust is pressed in, the hook (14) moves upward, moving the outer cup (6) hooked behind it upward too, until a point that the cup falls away from under the ridge (due to circular movement of the hook around a pivot point) and the springs (8) pull the outer cup with the firing pin into the firing cap of the Platzpatrone 33 (3). The gasses travel downward and travel through the two holes (16) of the vertical chamber pipe (2) in the length direction of the Panzerfaust pipe. The practice warhead starts moving forward and the second Platzpatrone 33 in the wooden “flame” stick is ignited by the heat of the gasses activating the firing cap. The combined force of the two cartridges launches the practice warhead forward and the wooden “flame” stick backward.
The sight is also hand manufactured and is smaller than the normal Panzerfaust 60 sight. The reason for this is that the diameter of the practice warhead is much smaller than the warhead of the live Panzerfaust 60.
The wooden practice warhead will travel the same ballistic trajectory as the live Panzerfaust 60
Translation of the users guide:
General preperations before usage of the Einheitsübungsschießgerät Panzerfaust:
1: For each single target practice firing session one needs two modified Platzpatrone 33 of which the wooden bullet is removed.
2: To obtain a consequent ballistic behaviour in a multi shot training session it is adviced to use Platzpatrone 33 of one batch (Lot) preferably.
3: Modifying the Platzpatrone 33 is done by pulling the wooden bullet out of the shellcase. The cartridge is to be checked by a second person on remains of woodsplinters of the wooden bullet, which have to be completely removed.
4: The training targets preferably are to be made of wood or cartboard to avoid the wooden practice warhead from splintering when hitting a hard surface like stone. The same counts for the wooden “flame “ stick.
5: To keep the training session going, it is adviced to build a shelter in the vincinity of the practice target, where a person is placed that retreives the practice warheads after a multi shot firing session and returns them to the firing point for reloading.
6: It is adviced to enshure the terrain behind the training Panzerfaust is free of high grass and bushings, as it may be very difficult to refind the wooden “flame” stick.
Making the Einheitsübungsschießgerät Panzerfaust ready for use:
1: Screw the firing pin mechanism from the vertical chamber pipe.
2: Check the cartridge chamber for dirt or fouling.
3: Set the safety lever in safe position and fold down the sight.
4: Place the practice warhead in the pipe and insert the split pin through the lugs on the projectile and in the sight to fixate the projectile.
5: Place the modified Platzpatrone 33 in the vertical chamber.
6: Screw back the firing pin mechanism over the vertical chamber pipe.
7: Place a modified Platzpatrone 33 in the chamber of the wooden “flame” stick, and insert the stick in the back of the Panzerfaust pipe.
8: The training Panzerfaust is now ready for use.
Safety regulations:
1. Warning! Use of the training Panzerfaust is subject to the same safety regulations as a live Panzerfaust. The wooden practice warhead as well as the wooden “flame” can be lethal when hitting a person.
2. The training Panzerfaust –even when safe- is under no circumstances to be aimed at persons with the back or front of pipe.
3. When inserting the wooden “flame” into the back of the training Panzerfaust pipe, the person must stand beside the pipe, under no circumstances behind it. Other personel is also not allowd behind the pipe when loading.
4. The practice warhead and the wooden “flame” are to be placed in the pipe with gentle pressure. Under no circumstances the practice warhead and the wooden “flame” are allowed to be pressed in the pipe with force with the risc of getting stuck upon firing.
In this movie on you tube one can see the "Einheitsübungsschießgerät PzF" in action;
Civilian Panzerfaust Training - March 22, 1945 - YouTube
If the link is not usable any more, look underpanzerfuats training'
Regards, DJH
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