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

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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.