4 Panzerwurfkorper 42 LP, PWK42LP, Grenades, 1/6

Pistol grenades. PWK 42LP

Sturmpistole

Development therefore now focussed on the Panzerwurfkörper 42 LP that carried a shaped charge of 60g that was able to penetrate 80mm of steel. To achieve the requested range of 75m more propellant was required which in turn made for a heavier recoil that had to be absorbed. The solution was the adding of a folding stock with a shoulder piece that could be screwed to the Kampfpistole and thus the Sturmpistole ("assault pistol") was born. It later was modified to have a barrel of 18cm; with the longer barrel and the stock unfolded it had an overall length of 58.5 cm and a weight of 2.45kg.
One documented kill is reported from the eastern front in March 1944.
It is unclear how many of the 278,845 Leuchtpistole 42 pistols that were supplied to the army during the war were modified and used as Kampfpistole or Sturmpistole. Total Production of the Leuchtpistole 42 was 417,255; main producers were the companies Waffenfabrik Carl Walther in Zella-Mehlis and Waffenfabrik Erma in Erfurt.