WWII PANZERFAUSTS & PIATs
History of War|Issue 111
As highly manoeuvrable armoured units gained huge success on the battlefields of Europe and beyond, increasingly accurate and powerful weapons were put into the hands of infantrymen
WWII PANZERFAUSTS & PIATs

After the outbreak of the Second World War, anti-tank weaponry expanded. A focus remained on the anti-tank rifle, and one of the best-known such weapons was the Boys, which was fielded in three main variants from 1937. Nicknamed the Elephant Gun because of its large 14mm bore, it was bolt-action and capable of firing up to ten rounds per minute from a five-round magazine. Its heavy recoil meant that it had to be mounted in a fixed position or on a bipod, and it was effective up to 460 metres.

Although the anti-tank rifle rapidly became obsolete as World War II progressed, a number of these weapons were produced and served throughout the conflict. Among them were the Soviet Red Army's PTRD-41 and PTRS-41, which were infantry portable at 17kg and fired 14.5mm rounds. More than 1.5 million of the types were produced. The Japanese chose a much heavier configuration, the Type 97 anti-tank rifle that weighed a backbreaking 60kg and fired a 20mm round from a seven-round clip. The Type 97's tremendous recoil made the weapon highly inaccurate.

German troops fired the Panzerbüchse 39, utilising a relatively small 7.92mm cartridge whose performance was enhanced with a tungsten core for greater penetration capability. The Granatebüchse 39 propelled three types of grenades against enemy armoured vehicles and infantry concentrations.

Esta historia es de la edición Issue 111 de History of War.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición Issue 111 de History of War.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE HISTORY OF WARVer todo
NAUMACHIA TRUTH BEHIND ROME'S GLADIATOR SEA BATTLES
History of War

NAUMACHIA TRUTH BEHIND ROME'S GLADIATOR SEA BATTLES

In their quest for evermore novel and bloody entertainment, the Romans staged enormous naval fights on artificial lakes

time-read
6 minutos  |
Issue 138
OPERATION MANNA
History of War

OPERATION MANNA

In late April 1945, millions of Dutch civilians were starving as Nazi retribution for the failed Operation Market Garden cut off supplies. eet as In response, Allied bombers launched a risky mission to air-drop food

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Issue 138
GASSING HITLER
History of War

GASSING HITLER

Just a month before the end of WWI, the future Fuhrer was blinded by a British shell and invalided away from the frontline. Over a century later, has the artillery brigade that launched the fateful attack finally been identified?

time-read
8 minutos  |
Issue 138
SALAMANCA
History of War

SALAMANCA

After years of largely defensive campaigning, Lieutenant General Arthur Wellesley went on the offensive against a French invasion of Andalusia

time-read
8 minutos  |
Issue 138
HUMBERT 'ROCKY'VERSACE
History of War

HUMBERT 'ROCKY'VERSACE

Early in the Vietnam War, a dedicated US Special Forces officer defied his merciless Viet Cong captors and inspired his fellow POWs to survive

time-read
7 minutos  |
Issue 138
LEYTE 1944 SINKING THE RISING SUN
History of War

LEYTE 1944 SINKING THE RISING SUN

One of the more difficult island campaigns in WWII's Pacific Theatre saw a brutal months-long fight that exhausted Japan’s military strength

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Issue 138
MAD DAWN
History of War

MAD DAWN

How technology transformed strategic thinking and military doctrine from the Cold War to the current day

time-read
3 minutos  |
Issue 138
BRUSHES WITH ARMAGEDDON
History of War

BRUSHES WITH ARMAGEDDON

Humanity came close to self-annihilation with the Cuban Missile Crisis, Broken Arrows’ and other nuclear near misses

time-read
3 minutos  |
Issue 138
THE DEADLY RACE
History of War

THE DEADLY RACE

How the road to peace led to an arms contest between the USA and USSR, with prototypes, proliferation and the world’s biggest bomb

time-read
3 minutos  |
Issue 138
THE MANHATTAN PROJECT
History of War

THE MANHATTAN PROJECT

Einstein, Oppenheimer and the race to beat Hitler to the bomb. How a science project in the desert helped win a war

time-read
3 minutos  |
Issue 138