WWII PANZERFAUSTS & PIATs

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

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.