PIAT/Panzerschrek/Panzerfaust/Bazooka

[CHRISTIEFRONTDRIVE]

I made a thread about anti-tank rifles a while back but my latest fascination in FH is PIATing every chance I get and I'm getting very good at it. Still pretty useless with a faust, my zook skills aren't great but I still nail the odd Panzer from miles away, and the Panzerschrek I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with. So here's a thread to discuss methods of infantry vs. armor in Normandy (and if you want to talk about satchels/Composition B/whatever else you use that's fine too). Which of the four main kinds of weapons in the thread title do you feel best with? Which are you worst at? Anyone got any tips for any of them? I'll write something up on the PIAT in a few days because even though I am legitimately getting pretty deadly with it I somehow feel I haven't been playing FH long enough to tell others how to play it too.

I'll start us off with a question, though? Is it just me, or is the normal bazooka a million times easier to use than the one with the scope? Even though I wish the regular zook had FH1-style iron sights instead I am still not too shabby with it, but the one with the inverted 'T' sight I struggle to blow myself up with. And how the hell do you aim the Panzerschrek?

[sheikyerbouti]

 The schreck pretty much laser beams to a target. It rapes, especially at the ranges you engage from.

wrt aiming the zook, its pretty nerfed since Normandy patch now that the Dev's have introduced that randomized circular error probability.

[ajappat]

Ok that Torrent must have been corrupted as well (all post-release torrents should also be free of any PW), last try then: where did you get that torrent from? Get your new torrent from Warumdarum.de it's password free and definitely works!

Tell us more master 


Panzershreck is best infantry AT weapon in game, no one can argue against that. You shoot it straight at enemy, on ranges of 200m (yes a lot) you can aim one tank height higher. It also kills all allied tanks with first shot, except fro churchill and it kills panther with one hit too  . Only downside is the protection plate that blocks your vision and when shooting at longer range, you have to shoot "blind".

Second best in my opinion is PIAT. No random deviation, it shoots exactly where you aim it, tricky part being that it can be bit hard on longer range. It doesn't make that much damage, but is so easy to use that if you know how to aim it, you will hit, while on bazooka it might just randomly miss, no matter how good the player is.

Bazooka is sort of aim, fire and pray. No one can calculate where that thing goes. On longer range it must be aimed relatively high, but it can never beat panzershreck on extreme ranges.

Panzerfaust 30 is mostly for "close combat". I always fire it from so close range, that there's no way I could miss. Panzerfaust 60 on the other hand works more like PIAT, hitting always if you just know where to aim. I'm yet to master panzerfaust 60 

With all handheld AT weapons, shooting at sides is always most effective. Side of tank is biggest target you can find, also must vulnerable, in german tanks generally even more than rear. Shooting from rear has risk that you projectile will fly vertically, slightly hit engine deck, explode and count as hitting at bad angle, making no damage.

[Musti]

Panzershreck is the best, easily. But also hardest to get.

PIAT is fun, especially for killing infantry. If you are lucky you can stop/kill a KT with it.
It has kinda slow reload though.

Bazooka M1 & M9 my favorite, spawnable, pretty short reload (matters when you are trying to kill a Panther etc.) moderate power and accuracy. M9 gets one rocket less (for whatever reason), but its a slight bit more powerful.

Panzerfaust- Don't like it, hardly ever use it unless its a Panzerfaust 60/100 (those are fun). I don't like its short range, and the rifle.

General advices mostly for allied - When you have PIAT or Zooka.
-Aim for the rear, if you can
-On Tigers and King Tigers go for the engine deck if possible, it should kill it in 2 shots (Both PIAT and Zooka), if you can't and you are desperate you might try aiming at the tracks from the side.
-Panzer IV is a 1-shot-kill  if you hit it in the front of the turret. So go for it if needed
-The closer the better, tank is harder to miss, and has smaller chance to escape when you are close.
-Use them goddamn it! They might not kill enemy, but allowing enemy tank to roam around unharmed is a lot worse.
-Try to remember where are the ammoboxes, those are very useful.
-Shoot your AT weapon at infantry, its fun and effective.

[THeTA0123]

we are talking about killing INFANTRY with these weapons right?

If so, i have many many tips 

[F.E.Glöckner]

Faust 100 > Faust 60 > Shrek > Geballte > Faust 30

With a bit training with the Faust 100 you can hit moving targets 100 Meters away.
And Geballtes are more usefull than these shitty Faust 30

[IrishReloaded]

With a bit training with the Faust 100 you can hit moving targets 100 Meters away.

[TASSER]

Question about tactics:

Whenever I'm using one of the aforementioned AT weapons I always run up with my sidearm then switch to the AT weapon right before I'm ready to shoot (a relic of my FH1 days where you take one step with the Piat drawn and the crosshairs fly to the edge of the screen). Then give it a few seconds pause to allow the invisible crosshairs to center after aiming down the sights, and finally fire, usually to much dismay.

Do I need to do this? Do AT weapons (shreck, bazooka especially, piat, faust) require time to "aim" after I right-click to view down the sights?

Any analysis or feedback is appreciated.

[ajappat]

Question about tactics:
Do I need to do this? Do AT weapons (shreck, bazooka especially, piat, faust) require time to "aim" after I right-click to view down the sights?

Any analysis or feedback is appreciated.

You can actually shoot PIAT before the thing is properly aimed infront of you, it will go straight as soon as you right click. I think it's the same with faust.

Bazooka and shreck might have short aiming time, atleast I have killed myself so many times by shooting wall right next to me when acting too fast 

[TASSER]

Thanks ajappat!

Another question: How often do people usually wait for the aim to center with the rocket AT weapons? (zook/shreck)

[CHRISTIEFRONTDRIVE]

I count two Mississippis and usually it fires where I want it to fire. Others might know better, though.

[THeTA0123]

I count two Mississippis and usually it fires where I want it to fire. Others might know better, though.

I would say 3 mississippis   

The longest is with shreck und zook.

[CHRISTIEFRONTDRIVE]

Can some patient soul teach me how to aim the Panzerschrek? I just can't figure it out. Which part of the sights am I supposed to use, the red or the green?



I'm assuming it's the red part, but if so, then what is the green hole for? I've practiced and practiced and just can't hit a thing with the Schrek, so can anyone please give me some tips?

[Ts4EVER]

Red part. Don't aim high, it flies straighter than Bazookas.

[SnakeTheFox]

From my experiences I rate the various anti-tank rocket launchers/recoilless rifles/springy thingys (PIAT) thusly:

Panzershrek > M9 Bazooka > Panzerfaust 100 > M1A1 Bazooka > Panzerfaust 60 > Gebalt/Comp B > PIAT > Panzerfaust 30.

Like others have said, the Panzershrek is the proverbial laser rifle. I understand a lot of people like the PIAT too, but I can't seem to have any success with it. Pre-anglemod it was definitely high up on the list, but ever since that change it seems it often strikes tanks at angles that do little/no damage, even on direct hits. I recall one time where, in the course of 15 seconds, me and another fellow put 6 combined PIAT rounds into a rampaging StuG III. I put 2 in the rear and 1 in the front, he put the opposite, 2 in the front and one in the rear. These were direct hits and in most cases at least seemed to be hitting at an acceptable angle, but alas, the StuG wasn't even smoking at this point. I gave up on the PIAT shortly thereafter.