Hello bajtársak and fellow forumdwellers,
In 1942 the Hungarians fighting on the eastern front have encountered a peculiar anti-tank weapon that was capable of firing a rocket and destroying a tank with a single successful shot from a safe distance, this weapon was the M1 bazooka.
Impressed with its capabilities Hungary set out to develop its own rocket launcher, using the M1 bazooka as the base for this new weapon, though German rocket launcher designs also influenced the development.
The design of the 44M kézi rakétavető (literally [19]44 model handheld rocketlauncher) is based on the M1 bazooka, but is not a straight copy and had improvements compared to the original design. The diameter remained 60mm, but the barrel and the maximum effective range of the weapon was significantly improved.
The 44M is often confused to be a variant of the German Panzerschrek due to the Panzerschrek style shield, which doesn’t appear to have been present on every weapon.
Production numbers were lost, but based on photo evidence, it can be estimated to be at least a few thousands.
The 60mm 44M éles rakéta pr. gránát
The 44M éles (HEAT) is the standard rocket fired by the 44M kézi rakétavető, It is made up of three parts, the warhead, the propellant and the stabilizers.
Diameter: 60mm
Weight: 2,55kg
Muzzle velocity: 80m/s
Maximum firing range: 600m
Effective firing range: 150m
Armour penetration: 100mm
44M éles rakéta on display in Hadtörténeti museum
In game
Considering that the 44M kézi rakétavető is marginally better than the M1 bazooka, it would be a most reasonable addition for BR2, in the Axis tech tree.
In the past year, many players have expressed on multiple occasions that German anti-tank weapons on BR2 are woefully inadequate to deal with BR3 tanks and can struggle even against BR2 tanks. Of course multiple suggestions were born to solve this issue, weapons such as Panzerfaust klein or Panzerfaust 30 were suggested however these rocket launchers would be a complete overkill for BR2.
44M kézi rakétavető however present a fair compromise, capabilities similar to the M1 bazooka and Type 5 rocket launcher, while still being a unique and historically accurate addition to the game.
Enjoy a short propaganda film of the 44M kézi rakétavető demonstrated during the training of volunteer levente boys.
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Thank you for your time and attention!
