Anti-tank weapon. Degtyarev anti-tank rifle

The Second World War, which became the finest hour of tanks, sharply posed the problem of effective anti-tank defense (ATD) for the armies. Anti-tank guns - towed or self-propelled, as well as anti-tank (AT) melee weapons were assigned a special role during this period. Before the outbreak of hostilities, the infantry had anti-tank rifles, bundles of grenades, and heavy high-explosive grenades. However, the tanks became more and more "strong" and "thick-skinned", and in order to cope with them, the infantry needed new, more powerful anti-tank weapons.

An attempt at improvisation

Disputes about the importance of anti-tank rifles (PTR) largely delayed their development, but nevertheless, by the beginning of World War II, this type of weapon was still introduced and even entered service with a number of armies. The common features of the PTR were a long barrel and a powerful cartridge, which provided armor-piercing and armor-piercing incendiary bullets with high initial speeds. However, views on the appointment of anti-tank rifles, their place in the battle order and the requirements for them varied widely. For example, Polish designers were among the first in 1935 to adopt the PTR of the so-called “normal”, rifle caliber, but with a cartridge much more powerful than the rifle one, and they performed the PTR UR wz.35 according to the scheme of a repeating rifle with a rotary bolt. The Germans preferred a single-shot version with automatic unlocking of the wedge bolt after a shot (similar to an anti-tank gun), and for a powerful 7.92-mm cartridge they used a 15-mm aircraft machine gun case. The German 7.92-mm PTR single-shot Pz.B.38 (Panzerbuhse 1938), developed by Bauer at the Gustlow-Werck, was quite compact, but heavy. And then the designer lightened his PTR. To simplify, he introduced manual shutter control, installing a more effective muzzle brake to reduce recoil - this is how the Pz.B.39 appeared.

In 1941, Czech designers also created a magazine-type 7.92-mm PTR MSS-41, which was distinguished by its layout with the location of the magazine itself behind the pistol grip. Reloading in it was carried out by moving the barrel back and forth.

In addition, there were models whose caliber was directly adjacent to the guns. Such were the self-loading anti-tank rifles for various types of 20-mm cartridges - the Japanese Type 97, the Finnish L-39 of the Lahti system (it is characteristic that both of these anti-tank rifles were created on the basis of aircraft guns) and others. Faced in 1940-1941, first with the British tanks Mk II "Matilda" with an armor thickness of up to 78 mm, then with the Soviet T-34 and KV with armor up to 45 and up to 75 mm, the Germans realized the futility of the 7.92-mm PTR- Pz.B.39 and converted it into a Gr.B.39 grenade launcher with a 30-mm rifled muzzle mortar. By the end of 1941, a "heavy PTR" 2.8 / 2 cm s.Pz.B.41 with conical bore drilling appeared. The idea of ​​"conical" trunks was also developed a long time ago, in the previous decade, the German engineer Hermann Gerlich, who managed to attract wide attention, was actively engaged in them. By gradually reducing the diameter of the bore from the breech to the muzzle, he tried to increase the level of average pressure in the bore and thus make it more rational to use powder gases to accelerate the bullet without significantly increasing the maximum pressure. A bullet of a special design was compressed, passing the conical section of the barrel, increasing the mass per unit area and acquiring a high initial velocity. The result is a significant increase in the flatness of the trajectory and the penetrating effect of the bullet. The s.Pz.B.41 barrel had a caliber of 28 mm in the breech and 20 mm in the muzzle, two conical transitions were made in the bore, that is, the projectile was crimped twice. The “heavy PTR” itself was more like a reduced cannon (a fragmentation projectile was even introduced into the ammunition load), besides, the production of conical rifled barrels and shells for them was quite expensive, so this tool was used, like heavier anti-tank guns with a conical barrel, limited. Sub-caliber projectiles, the impact core of which is much smaller in diameter than the barrel caliber, have become a much more popular technique for achieving high initial velocities.

In the USSR, work on PTR caliber from 20 to 25 mm was carried out from 1936, until a decision was made to revise the very requirements for PTR, finally formulated in November 1938 by the Artillery Directorate and providing for a large, but still "rifle" caliber. Since 1940, they began serial production of a 14.5-mm cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet. Under this cartridge, Nikolai Rukavishnikov developed a self-loading anti-tank rifle, which was put into service as the PTR-39. But the troops did not receive serial anti-tank missiles by the beginning of the war.

The subjective factor intervened, often determining the fate of military weapons. At the beginning of 1940, intelligence reported on "the latest types of German tanks" with significantly enhanced armor and weapons. Poorly versed in the military industry of the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense, the head of the GAU, Marshal Grigory Kulik, apparently expecting the imminent appearance of a large number of such tanks on the German side, ordered the removal of the Rukavishnikov PTR from service (serial production never began), as well as the termination of production of 45- mm anti-tank guns. As a result, the infantry of the Red Army was deprived of an effective close combat anti-tank weapon, having only high-explosive hand grenades. Yes, and they were not enough - anti-tank grenades were considered a special tool. The perniciousness of such decisions was confirmed in the very first weeks of the war. Hastily formed units of infantrymen - "tank destroyers" usually had only bundles of hand grenades and incendiary bottles, and for the use of both, the tanks had to be allowed up to 20 meters. Losses grew.

And then the improvisations began. An attempt to produce the German 7.92-mm Pz.B.39 in-house did not work - in addition to technological problems, insufficient armor penetration also affected. Although the German army still used light tanks, medium vehicles with armor up to 30 mm thick had already begun to play the main role.

At the suggestion of engineer V.N. Sholokhov as a temporary measure in July 1941 in the workshops of the Moscow State Technical University. Bauman and other engineering and technical universities in Moscow set up the assembly of a single-shot PTR chambered for a 12.7-mm DShK cartridge. A simple design with some improvements was copied from the old German Mauser PTR and did not provide the required parameters, although a 12.7-mm cartridge with an armor-piercing bullet BS-41 was produced specifically for these PTRs.

The same Kulik demanded that the production of Rukavishnikov's PTR be started as soon as possible, but its production and fine-tuning required a lot of time. According to the memoirs of Marshal Dmitry Ustinov, Stalin, at one of the meetings of the State Defense Committee, proposed to entrust the development of PTR "to one more, and for reliability - to two designers." The task at the beginning of July 1941 was received by Vasily Degtyarev and Sergey Simonov, and a month later they presented samples.

The refinement of the cartridge continued. On August 15, a version of the 14.5-mm cartridge was adopted with a BS-41 bullet containing a carbide core made using powder technology. And two weeks later, without waiting for the end of the tests (the question was of particular urgency), they adopted a single-shot version of the Degtyarev PTR and Simonov's self-loading PTR. Both types were called "14.5 mm anti-tank rifle model 1941." - PTRD and PTRS, respectively.

PTRD, developed by Degtyarev and his KB-2 at the plant number 2 named after. Kirkizh, was one of the examples of combining maximum simplicity - to speed up and reduce the cost of production - with efficiency. To increase the rate of fire, the rotary shutter is made "quarter-automatic". When the barrel was displaced with the receiver, under the action of recoil relative to the butt, the bolt handle ran onto the copier and unlocked the bolt. When the system returned forward, the spent cartridge case was removed and ejected, the bolt stopped, opening the receiver window for inserting the next cartridge.

On an industrial scale

The production of PTRD began at the plant. Kirkizha, later Izhmash and the part of TOZ production evacuated to Saratov joined in.

The first combat use of the PTRD was received near Moscow in the 16th army of Rokossovsky. The most famous then was the battle of a group of tank destroyers from the 1075th regiment of the 316th Panfilov rifle division at the Dubosekovo junction on November 16, 1941. Of the 30 attacking tanks, 18 were hit, but the losses were also high: a fourth of the entire company remained alive. This battle showed not only the effectiveness of the PTR, but also the need to cover their positions with arrows, support at least with light artillery. The integrated use of anti-tank weapons using anti-tank artillery, armor-piercers (as the PTR calculations were called), tank destroyers with grenades and bottles, machine gunners, shooters, and, if possible, sappers, in anti-tank strongholds not only strengthened the anti-tank defense, but also reduced losses. Already by December 30, 1941, 17,688 ATGMs were produced, and over the next year - 184,800. also Vasily Volkhin). Despite the novelty, the PTRS on tests showed fewer delays than the Rukavishnikov PTR, with the same ballistics, mass and magazine capacity. For ease of transportation, the gun was disassembled into two parts. The PTRS was 1.5-2 times superior to the PTRD in terms of combat rate of fire, which greatly increased the likelihood of a tank being hit. In terms of production complexity, it was between the PTRD and Rukavishnikov’s PTR: in 1941, only 77 PTRS were produced, and a year later, already 63,308 (production was set in Saratov and Izhevsk). In terms of the combination of combat and operational qualities, the PTRS can be considered the best PTR of the Second World War.

At the position, the PTR calculation, consisting of a gunner and his assistant, in addition to a gun, prepared grenades and incendiary bottles for battle. PTRD and PTRS, capable of fighting enemy medium tanks at ranges up to 300 m, played an important role in the anti-tank system in 1941-1942. German tankers recalled Soviet anti-tank rifles as "respectable" weapons, paying tribute to their calculations. And General Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin wrote: “It seemed that every infantryman had an anti-tank rifle or an anti-tank gun. The Russians are very skillful at disposing of these funds, and it seems that there is no such place where they would not be.”

With all the manufacturability, the deployment of mass production of anti-tank rifles in wartime conditions required a certain period of time. And the shortcomings of the hastily created systems - the tight extraction of the cartridge case for the PTRD, the twin shots for the PTRS - had to be corrected during production. The needs of the troops began to be satisfied to a sufficient extent only from November 1942. But already at the beginning of the next year, the effectiveness of the PTR decreased due to the build-up of armor of German tanks and assault guns over 40 mm. The new "panthers" and "tigers" turned out to be "armor-piercing" simply too tough.

The following figures testify to the intensity of the use of anti-tank rifles in the Red Army: in the defensive operation near Kursk, the Central Front used up 387,000 rounds of ammunition for PTRD and PTRS (or 48,370 on the day of the battle), Voronezh - 754,000 (68,250 on the day), and for the entire Battle of Kursk 3.6 million of these cartridges were used up.

And yet, PTRD and PTRS did not leave the scene. But now their targets are light armored vehicles, lightly armored self-propelled guns, firing points - especially in urban battles, embrasures of bunkers and bunkers at ranges up to 800 m, as well as aircraft at ranges up to 500 m.

The troops for the PTR even made handicraft anti-aircraft installations, the anti-aircraft tripod for the PTR created in Kovrov was not allowed into the series. PTRs were often used by snipers to hit distant targets or shooters behind armored shields - in forty years this experience will be revived in the form of large-caliber sniper rifles. The production of 14.5-mm anti-tank rifles continued until January 1945, in total, about 471,500 of them were produced during the war.

But the service life of the 14.5 mm cartridge turned out to be much longer.

The spread of light armored vehicles and the increase in the security of aviation operating at low altitudes required a machine gun with the ability to destroy lightly armored targets at ranges up to 1,000 m, accumulation of manpower and equipment, firing points up to 1,500 m, and also combat air targets. Such a machine gun was developed in Kovrov by a group of designers led by Semyon Vladimirov. The design was based on the 20-mm V-20 aircraft gun. Already in 1944, "Vladimirov's large-caliber machine gun arr. 1944" (KPV-44) fell into small-scale production, and after the war gave rise to a family of infantry, tank and anti-aircraft 14.5-mm machine guns.

Of course, they tried to create more powerful PTRs. For example, Mikhail Blum's 14.5 mm anti-tank rifle chambered for a reinforced cartridge (based on a 23 mm cartridge case) and with an initial bullet speed of 1,500 m / s, Rashkov, Ermolaev, Slukhotsky's 20 mm anti-tank rifle, and other developments. But in 1945, Anatoly Blagonravov stated: "In its current form, this weapon (PTR) has exhausted its capabilities."

Jet systems

A new stage of anti-tank weapons was associated with a combination of a reactive or recoilless projectile throwing principle with a cumulative warhead. Rocket weapons have been known for almost as long as firearms: gunpowder firecrackers and rockets appeared in China and India between the 10th and 13th centuries. Another revival of interest in combat missiles occurred at the end of the First World War. At the same time, work began on recoilless, or "dynamo-reactive", as they were then called, guns (although their schemes were proposed as early as the 1860s). The greatest attention in artillery was attracted by powder rockets and dynamo-reactive systems with dampening of the recoil energy by the reactive force of a part of the propellant gases of the propellant charge discharged through the breech. Work was carried out in a number of countries and most intensively - in the USSR, Germany and the USA. Among other areas were light anti-tank weapons. In the USSR, for example, in 1931 they tested the 65-mm "jet gun" of Petropavlovsky. And two years later, Leonid Kurchevsky's 37-mm "dynamo-reactive anti-tank guns" were adopted. True, two years later they were abandoned due to poor armor penetration and poor maneuverability. Kondakov, Rashkov, Trofimov, Berkalov were also involved in recoilless systems. But the actual failure of Kurchevsky's most noisily presented works undermined the credibility of this topic. In addition, the armor-piercing effect of shells was based on kinetic energy and, at low speeds given by recoilless and jet systems, was insufficient.

The cumulative effect of "hollow charges" has also been known for a long time - Mikhail Boreskov began his research in Russia back in 1865. Abroad, this effect is better known as the "Munro effect". A study of the practical application of shaped charges in the construction business in the USSR was carried out in the 1920s by M.Ya. Sukharevsky. By the beginning of the war in the USSR and Germany, there were samples of engineering shaped charges to destroy concrete and armor caps. Briefly, the principle of operation of the shaped charge looks like this. A funnel with a thin metal lining is made in the front hollow part of the charge. When explosives are detonated, shock waves seem to be focused and a “pestle” is formed from the outer layers of the lining, and a “needle” is squeezed out of the inner layers in the form of a narrow stream of gases and molten metal with a high temperature and a speed of up to 10,000 - 15,000 m / s. Under the action of such a jet at a pressure of more than 100,000 kg/cm2, the armor, like a liquid, "spreads" to the sides and, following the "needle", a "pestle" bursts into the hole. The armor-piercing (“armor-burning”, as it was not quite rightly called then) action of the shaped charge does not depend on the speed of the projectile, and therefore on the firing range and initial speed. High temperature and gas pressure give a strong "armored" destructive effect. The practical implementation of the effect requires not only the accuracy of the execution of the warhead, but also special fuses - it was their development that delayed the creation of artillery and jet cumulative projectiles. The detonation of such charges was calculated so that the cumulative jet had time to form before the warhead touches the armor.

In arming the armies with a new type of weapon - a hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher (RPG) with a feathered cumulative grenade - Great Britain was ahead of everyone. However, the grenade launcher, developed under the leadership of Colonel Blackker according to the schemes of engineers Jeffrey and Wells and put into service in 1942 under the designation PIAT Mk I (Projectile Infantry Anti-Tank Mark I - “infantry anti-tank projectile, brand one”), did not use either a reactive, no dynamo-reactive circuit. The propellant charge burned out before the grenade left the grenade launcher tray, and the recoil was extinguished by a massive bolt-striker, its spring and butt shock absorber. Under the action of recoil, the bolt-drummer rolled back and got up on a combat platoon and the grenade launcher was ready to be loaded and fired. This weighed the weapon down to 15.75 kg with an effective range of only 100 yards (91 m). The only advantage of the PIAT was the absence of a jet of gases behind the RPG and the possibility of firing from tight spaces.

Legendary faustpatrons

By the middle of the war, the German infantry turned out to be almost as helpless in front of the new Soviet tanks as the Soviet one was in front of the German ones at the beginning of the war. It is not surprising that the "Infantry Armament Program" adopted in 1943 gave special importance to anti-tank weapons. Chief among them were the reusable reactive RPG and the dynamo-reactive (recoilless) disposable. The first one was created on the basis of an experimental Schulder 75 rocket launcher to fight tanks of all types. A grenade with a hard tail was inserted into the launch tube by an assistant grenade launcher from the breech cut, firing was carried out from the shoulder of the grenade launcher, the grenade engine was ignited by a pulsed electric generator. In addition to the official designation 8.8cm R.Pz.B.54 ("Raketenpanzerbuchse 54"), the RPG received the "nickname" "Ofenror". Otherwise - a "chimney", so powerfully flame and smoke escaped from its official cut. To protect against the flames of the engine of a thrown grenade, the grenade launcher put on a gas mask and a steel helmet. Therefore, the modification R.Pz.B.54 / 1 "Panzershrek" ("thunderstorm of tanks") was equipped with a shield. It is characteristic that "Arctic" - for the Eastern Front and "tropical" - for North Africa - modifications of the grenade were created. "Ofenror" and "Panzershrek" were quite powerful weapons, but rather cumbersome to carry and difficult to manufacture.

Disposable "Panzerfausts" turned out to be more mobile and cheaper (they are also "faustpatrons", the name Panzerfaust, "armored fist", is associated with the German legend of the 16th century about a knight with a "steel arm"). The Panzerfaust F-1 and F-2 (System 43), F-3 (System 44) and F-4 models turned out to be the simplest recoilless devices with an over-caliber grenade and a simple trigger mechanism. A charge of smoky gunpowder threw a grenade out of the launch tube, the plumage of which was revealed in flight. The effective firing range of the F-1 and F-2 reached 30 m. The flight path of the grenade was quite steep, so when firing, the Panzerfaust was often taken under the arm, aiming at the sighting hole and the rim of the grenade.

The F-3 (or Panzerfaust-60) model had a 150 mm grenade, an increased propellant charge and an effective range of up to 75 m. Samples with a longer range were developed, but did not manage to be put into production. When fired behind the RPG, a jet of hot gases and a cloud of smoke escaped, making it difficult to shoot from shelters and premises and unmasking the shooter. But the Panzerfausts were very easy to handle and manufacture. In addition to the troops, they were given out in large numbers to the Volkssturm and the boys from the Hitler Youth. Standardization, traditional for the German industry, made it possible to quickly connect several companies to production. And from July 1944 to April 1945, more than 7.1 million Panzerfausts were produced. They proved to be especially effective in urban battles - during the East Pomeranian operation, for example, in the 2nd mechanized corps of the 2nd Guards Tank Army, 60% of the lost tanks were hit by Panzerfausts. To combat the Faustniks, it was necessary to allocate special groups of submachine gunners and snipers (the war generally exacerbated the problem of interaction between tanks and infantry and their mutual cover for each other). Soviet fighters, not having their own similar means, willingly used captured Panzerfausts to fire not only at armored vehicles, but also at pillboxes and fortified buildings. Colonel-General Vasily Chuikov even offered to introduce them into the troops under the playful name "Ivan Patron".

According to a number of experts, the Panzerfaust was "the best hand-held infantry anti-tank weapon of the war." True, immediately after the war, this type attracted less attention than reusable grenade launchers and recoilless rifles.

The American reusable reactive 60-mm RPG M1 "Bazooka", developed under the guidance of Colonel Skinner, gained combat experience earlier than the German "Ofenror", was lighter and more mobile, but inferior to him in armor penetration and reliability. Nevertheless, the Bazooka (this nickname, which has become a household name, is associated with the external resemblance of the RPG to the wind musical instrument of the same name) became the main anti-tank weapon of small units, and their production was diligently increased. At the end of the war, an 88.9-mm RPG M20 "Bazooka" was created with a firing range of up to 150-200 m and armor penetration of 280 mm. But it entered service only during the Korean War in the early 1950s.

The American 57-mm M18 recoilless rifle weighing only 20 kg, which was fired from the shoulder or from a support at a distance of up to 400 m, was also essentially included in the infantry anti-tank weapons, which got to the front in March 1945. True, the armor penetration of its projectile was already insufficient.

The Germans used a heavier version of the "mounted grenade launcher" - the 88-mm "Puphen" (otherwise - "doll", nicknamed so for its similarity to a toy gun) in 1943 was active-reactive. The bore was locked with a bolt, the grenade was thrown like a regular projectile, and accelerated in flight by a jet engine. With armor penetration up to 160 mm, "Puphen" had an effective firing range of no more than 200 m, weighed 152 kg and required the calculation of 4-6 people. On March 1, 1945, the Wehrmacht had 139,700 Panzerschreck and 1,649 Pupchen.

original grenades

The low effectiveness of high-explosive anti-tank grenades against the rapidly growing armor protection of tanks became clear already at the beginning of the war. For example, the Soviet RPG-40 grenade with a mass of 1.2 kg (it is clear that its accurate throw required considerable skill) “broke through” armor no thicker than 20 mm. Heavy grenades (nicknamed "Tanyusha") and bundles of ordinary hand grenades were usually thrown under the tracks, under the bottom or on the stern of the tank with the expectation to immobilize the vehicle. From the middle of the war, high-explosive grenades were replaced by cumulative grenades. In 1943, the PWM1 (L) appeared in the German army, and the RPG-43, developed by N.P. Belyakov in KB-20. After the appearance of German heavy tanks on the Kursk Bulge, the more powerful RPG-6, developed at NII-6 by M.Z., began to be used. Polevikov, L.B. Ioffe and N.S. Zhitkikh. The tape stabilizer ensured that the grenade approached the target with the head part forward, and the impact inertial fuse - undermining immediately upon meeting the target. The armor penetration of the RPG-43 was 75 mm, RPG-6 - 100 mm, PWM - up to 150 mm.

The original combination of grenades and mines was the German HH.3 magnetic grenade. She was "placed" on the enemy tank when it passed over the trench. Akin to her was a sticky grenade with an adhesive layer on the bottom of the case. During the war, by the way, the infantry began to be trained in the handling of anti-tank mines - the Soviet Infantry Combat Regulations of 1942 introduced anti-tank land mines and mines into the number of "infantry combat weapons".

Cumulative grenades also came to rifle grenade launchers. For the German rifled 30-mm rifle grenade launcher, for example, they adopted the "small" caliber (G.Pz.gr.) and the over-caliber "large" (Gr.G.Pz.gr.) cumulative grenades with armor penetration, respectively - 25 and 40 mm. The Germans generally tried to adapt any means to anti-tank weapons - a cumulative grenade was even created for firing from a rifled signal pistol.

A VKG-40 grenade with armor penetration up to 50 mm, fired with a special blank cartridge, was also developed for the Soviet Dyakonov rifle grenade launcher. However, both in the Red Army and in the Wehrmacht, anti-tank rifle grenades were used to a limited extent. Serdyuk's VPGS41 ramrod rifle anti-tank grenade, ordered by the Red Army at first in large quantities, was already discontinued in 1942.

Work on a special light grenade launcher for firing an RPG-6 grenade was never completed. Deployed in the middle of the war, impressed by the appearance of German models of work on rocket-propelled grenade launchers, they yielded results only after the war. In 1949, the RPG-2, created in GSKB-30, entered service, and a year later, the easel SG-82, developed in SKB No. 36. As a result, in the last period of the war, hand grenades again turned out to be the only effective anti-tank weapon for close combat of the Soviet infantry.

Of the various rifle grenades used during World War II, perhaps the most promising were the American ones (anti-tank M9-A1, fragmentation M17, smoke M19-A1WP), equipped with plumage and fired with a blank (throwing) cartridge from a small muzzle attachment. After the war, feathered rifle grenades proved to be very popular. NATO even established a standard for the outer diameter of a muzzle or flash hider of a rifle - 22 mm. True, France, Belgium and Israel have already become leaders in the creation of new rifle grenades.

Bottles - to battle!

The idea of ​​using incendiary weapons against tanks originated in the First World War, and after it this idea was developed and refined. The fire mixture, of course, cannot burn through the armor, but, flowing into the cracks and blinds, it can cause a fire inside the tank (especially in the engine compartment), the flame and smoke blind the tankers, forcing them to stop and leave the car. In fact, incendiary weapons are within the competence of the chemical forces. Incendiary weapons, massively used by the infantry, were Molotov cocktails. With a shortage or complete absence of anti-tank melee weapons in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War, the production and supply of incendiary bottles was widely developed. The simplest incendiary bottles were used against tanks back in Spain; Soviet tankers had to deal with them during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940.

In the first months of the Great Patriotic War, this simple weapon went through a peculiar path of development. At first, the bottles had a fuse in the form of a match or a rag soaked in gasoline, but preparing such a bottle for throwing took a lot of time and was dangerous. Then chemical fuses appeared in ampoules: breaking together with the bottle, they gave a "beam" of flame. Hand grenade fuses were also used. At the top were bottles with self-igniting liquid "KS" or "BGS" - they ignited on contact with air, burned for 2-3 minutes, giving a temperature of 800-1,000 ° C and abundant white smoke. It was these liquids that received the well-known nickname "Molotov cocktail" from the enemy. The bottle had only to be removed from the cap and thrown at the target. When facing tanks with only incendiary bottles, the infantry usually suffered heavy losses, but in combination with other anti-tank weapons, the "bottles" gave a good effect. During the war, they accounted for 2,429 destroyed tanks, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles, 1,189 bunkers and bunkers, 2,547 other fortifications, 738 vehicles and 65 military depots. The Molotov Cocktail has remained a unique Russian recipe.

New experience - new requirements

The Second World War gave a bloody, but rich experience in the use and development of weapons and military equipment, forced a significant revision of various types of weapons. All this formed the basis of a new generation of weapons, including infantry weapons.

Anti-tank weapons have become an integral part of weapons at the squad-platoon-company level. At the same time, it was supposed to hit all types of tanks at ranges up to 500 m (and according to other experts, up to 1,000 m).

The new set of anti-tank infantry weapons, as well as the infantry weapon system as a whole, basically took shape by the spring of 1945. According to many researchers, they were most fully developed by German specialists. Fortunately, the rapid actions of the Red Army and the rapidly depleted resources of the German industry did not allow the German designers to "bring" a number of samples.

In World War II, guided rocket weapons were first used. In the field of anti-aircraft weapons, the case was limited to an experienced German rocket X-7 "Rotkapchen" ("Little Red Riding Hood") with manual control by wire. A decade and a half later, a whole series of various first-generation anti-tank missile systems appeared.

In terms of small arms, the experience of the war revealed the need to solve many problems: improving the maneuverability of weapons in connection with the increased mobility of infantry on the battlefield; increasing the efficiency of fire by optimizing the ratio of density, accuracy of fire and the damaging effect of a bullet; cartridge power selection; unification of weapons by cartridge and system, full automation of weapons, etc.

The need for new light and mobile short-range air defense systems stimulated the development of large-caliber machine gun mounts. In Germany, by the end of the war, they managed to release an experimental batch and the first portable anti-aircraft missile system, which, however, still did not belong to the "high-precision weapon": "Fliegerfaust" was a kind of multiple launch rocket system for launching nine unguided 20-mm missiles from the shoulder with an effective range not more than 500 m.

During the course of the war, the range of infantry armaments grew significantly. The complex use of various means with the increased dynamism of the battle required better training of commanders and fighters. And this, in turn, required the ease of development and operation of each type of weapon separately.

To be continued

(anti-tank melee weapons in 1939-45)

The main means of combating tanks - "anti-tank defense" (AT) - during the Second World War was an anti-tank gun: towed, placed on a self-propelled chassis with light cover or in a well-armored wheelhouse of a "fighter tank". However, in conditions of highly maneuverable combat operations with the massive use of armored vehicles, the "queen of the fields" infantry needed their own anti-tank (AT) melee weapons capable of operating directly in their combat formations. Such anti-tank weapons were supposed to combine "anti-tank" capabilities with the lightness and maneuverability of infantry weapons. In the third period of the war, let's say, the share of German close combat vehicles accounted for about 12.5% ​​of the losses of Soviet tanks - a very high figure.

Let us consider those types and models of anti-tank weapons of close combat, which the infantry of the warring armies had in 1939-45. Three large groups of such weapons can be distinguished: anti-tank rifles, grenades and grenade launchers, and incendiaries.

Anti-tank guns

By the beginning of the Second World War, the main anti-tank weapons of the infantry were anti-tank rifles and high-explosive hand grenades, i.e. funds that originated at the end of the First World War. Serious attention was paid to anti-tank rifles in the interwar period - especially after unsuccessful attempts to create "anti-tank machine guns" - and by the beginning of the war, many armies had this tool in service.

The term "anti-tank rifle" (PTR) is not entirely accurate - it would be more correct to speak of an "anti-tank rifle". However, it has developed historically (apparently, as a direct translation of the German "panzerbuhse") and has firmly entered our lexicon. The armor-piercing action of an anti-tank rifle is based on the kinetic energy of the bullet, and therefore depends on its speed at the moment of impact, the quality of the armor and material of the bullet (especially its core), the shape and design of the bullet, the angle of the bullet's meeting with the surface of the armor. Having pierced the armor, the bullet inflicts damage due to fragmentation and incendiary action. Note that the lack of armor action was the main reason for the low effectiveness of the first PTR - 13.37-mm "Mauser" model 1918. The anti-tank guns used during the Second World War differed in caliber - from 7.92 to 20 mm; type - single-shot, magazine, self-loading; layout, weight and dimensions. However, their design had a number of common features:

- high muzzle velocity was achieved using a powerful cartridge and a long barrel length (from 90 to 150 calibers);

- cartridges with armor-piercing incendiary and armor-piercing tracer bullets were used, which had both armor-piercing and sufficient armor-piercing action;

- to reduce recoil, muzzle brakes, soft butt pads, spring shock absorbers were introduced;

- to increase maneuverability, the weight of the PTR and cm dimensions were reduced to the maximum, carrying handles were introduced, heavy guns ("Oerlikon", "s.Pz.B-41") were made quick-release;

- for quick transfer of fire, the bipods were attached closer to the middle of the weapon, the uniformity of aiming in many samples was provided by the shoulder pad of the butt, the “cheek”, it was provided for holding when firing with both the right and left hands;

- the maximum reliability of the operation of mechanisms was achieved, especially extraction (taper of the sleeve, cleanliness of the chamber processing);

- Great importance was attached to the ease of manufacture and development.

The problem of rate of fire was resolved in combination with the requirement of maneuverability and simplicity. Single-shot anti-tank rifles had a combat rate of fire of 6-8, magazines - 10-12, self-loading -20-30 rds / min.

In the Soviet Union, after a series of experimental work in 1938. A powerful 14.5 mm cartridge was created with a B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet with a hardened steel core and an incendiary composition. Cartridge weight - 198 g, bullets - 51 g, cartridge length - 155.5 mm, sleeves - 114 mm. Under this cartridge, N.V. Rukavishnikov developed a rather successful self-loading rifle, adopted in October 1939. into service (PTR-39). But in the spring of 1940 The head of the GAU, Marshal G.I. Kulik raised the question of the inefficiency of the existing anti-tank weapons against the "newest German tanks", which were reported by intelligence. In July 1940 the production of the PTR-39 was suspended. Erroneous views on the prospects for the growth of armor protection of tanks led to a number of consequences: the exclusion of anti-tank missiles from the weapon system (order of August 26, 1940), the cessation of production of 45-mm anti-tank guns, and the assignment for urgent design of 107-mm tank and anti-tank guns. As a result, the Soviet infantry was deprived of an effective anti-tank weapon. The very first weeks of the war showed the tragic consequences of this mistake. However, Rukavishnikov's PTR tests on June 23 showed an increasingly significant percentage of delays. Fine-tuning and putting it into production would require a lot of time. As a temporary measure, in July 1941, in the workshops of Moscow universities, the assembly of a single-shot anti-tank rifle chambered for a 12.7-mm DShK cartridge was arranged (at the suggestion of V.N. Sholokhov). The simple design was copied from an old German 13.37mm PTR and Mauser" (with the addition of a muzzle brake and the installation of light bipods) and did not provide the required parameters.

Anti-tank rifle PTRD arr. 1941 (!) And anti-tank rifle PTRS arr. 1941 (2)

To speed up work on an effective and technologically advanced 14.5-mm PTR, according to the memoirs of D.F. Ustinov, at one of the meetings of the GKO, Stalin proposed entrusting the development of "one more, and for reliability - two designers." The task was issued in July to V.A. Degtyarev and S.G. Simonov. A month later, designs ready for testing appeared - only 22 days passed from the moment the assignment was received to the first trial shots. On August 29, 1941, after a demonstration to GKO members, the Degtryaev single-shot and Simonov self-loading models were put into service under the designations PTRD and PTRS, respectively. The new PTRs were supposed to fight medium and light tanks and armored vehicles at ranges up to 500 m. The production of PTRs began at the arms factory in Kovrov, later the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant, the production of the Tula Arms Plant evacuated to Saratov, and others joined.

A single-shot ATGM consisted of a barrel with a cylindrical receiver, a buttstock with a trigger box, a firing and trigger mechanism, sights and a bipod. In the bore, 8 grooves were made with a stroke length of 420 mm. The box-shaped active muzzle brake absorbed up to 2/3 of the recoil energy. The barrel bore was locked by a longitudinally sliding bolt when turning. The cylindrical bolt had two lugs in the front and a straight handle in the back, it mounted a percussion mechanism, an ejector and a reflector. The percussion mechanism included a drummer with a striker, a mainspring; the drummer's tail went out and looked like a hook. When the shutter was unlocked, the bevel of its core took the drummer back.

The receiver was connected to the trigger, rigidly connected to the inner tube of the butt. The inner tube with the shock absorber spring was inserted into the butt tube. After the shot, the movable system (barrel, receiver and bolt) moved back, the bolt handle ran into a copy profile mounted on the butt, and turned, unlocking the bolt. After stopping the barrel, the shutter moved back by inertia and got up on the shutter delay (on the left side of the receiver), the reflector pushed the sleeve into the lower window of the receiver. The movable system was returned to the forward position by a shock absorber spring. The insertion of a new cartridge into the upper window of the receiver, the chambering and locking of the shutter were carried out manually. The trigger mechanism included a trigger, a trigger lever with a spring and a sear with a spring. The sighting devices were moved to the left on the brackets and included a front sight and a flip rear sight at a distance of up to 600 m and over 600 m (in the PTR of the first releases, the rear sight moved in a vertical groove).

The butt had a soft cushion, a wooden stop for holding the weapon with the left hand, a wooden pistol grip, a "cheek". Folding stamped bipods were attached to the barrel with a collar with a lamb. A carrying handle was attached to the barrel with a clip. The accessory included two canvas bags for 20 rounds each. In combat, the gun carried one or both crew numbers.

A minimum of parts, the use of a butt tube instead of a frame simplified the production of anti-tank rifles, and the automatic opening of the shutter increased the rate of fire. PTRD successfully combined simplicity, reliability and efficiency. Ease of production was of great importance in those conditions. The first batch of 300 ATGMs was released in October and sent to Rokossovsky's 16th Army. Already in 1941, 17,688 ATGMs were produced, and in 1942 - 184,800.

The self-loading PTRS was created on the basis of the Simonov 1938 experimental self-loading rifle. according to the scheme with the removal of powder gases. It consisted of a barrel with a muzzle brake and a vapor chamber, a receiver with a butt, a bolt, a trigger guard, reloading and trigger mechanisms, sights, a magazine and a bipod. The bore was similar to the PTRD. The open-type gas chamber was fixed with pins at a distance of a third of the barrel length from its muzzle. The barrel was connected to the receiver by a wedge.

The barrel bore was locked by tilting down the bolt core. Unlocking and locking was controlled by a bolt stem with a handle. The reloading mechanism included a gas regulator with three positions, a piston, a rod, a pusher with a spring and a tube. The pusher acted on the bolt stem. The shutter return spring was located in the stem channel. A drummer with a spring was placed in the channel of the shutter core. Having received an impulse of movement from the pusher after the shot, the bolt moved back, while the pusher returned forward. In this case, the spent cartridge case was removed by the bolt ejector and reflected upwards with the protrusion of the receiver. When the cartridges were used up, the shutter got up to stop (shutter delay), mounted in the receiver.

The trigger mechanism was mounted on the trigger guard. The percussion mechanism is trigger, with a helical mainspring. The trigger mechanism included a trigger sear, a trigger lever and a trigger, with the axis of the hook located at the bottom. The store with a lever feeder was hinged to the receiver, its latch was on the trigger guard. The cartridges were arranged in a checkerboard pattern. The magazine was equipped with a clip (pack) with 5 rounds with the lid folded down. Accessory included 6 clips. Sights included a front sight with a fence and a sector sight, notched from 100 to 1500 m in 50 m. The PTR had a wooden butt with a soft cushion and a shoulder pad, a pistol grip. The narrow neck of the butt was used for holding with the left hand. Folding bipods were attached to the barrel with a clip (swivel). There was a carrying handle. In combat, the PTR carried one or both crew numbers. On a campaign, a disassembled gun - a barrel and a receiver with a butt - was carried in two canvas covers.

The manufacture of PTRS was simpler than Rukavishnikov's PTR (a third fewer parts, 60% less machine hours, 30% less time), but much more difficult than PTRD. In 1941 only 77 PTRS were produced, in 1942 - 63 308. Since the PTRs were taken on an urgent basis, the shortcomings of the new systems - the tight extraction of the cartridge case for the PTRS, the twin shots for the PTRS - had to be corrected during production or "bring" the guns in the troops. At the end of 1941 A new BS-41 cartridge with a powder metal-ceramic bullet core was adopted for the PTR (bullet weight -63.6 g). 14.5-mm cartridges differed in color: the B-32 bullet had a black head with a red belt, the BS-41 bullet had a red head with a black head, and the primer was black.

Transportation of a PTRD on a pack saddle of the 1937 model,

Shooting from a PTRD from a horse

In addition to tanks (the main target), anti-tank missiles could fire on firing points and embrasures of bunkers and bunkers at ranges up to 800 m, and on aircraft - up to 500 m. From December 1941. PTR companies of 54 guns each were introduced into rifle regiments, and from the autumn of 1942. in battalions - platoons of anti-tank rifles (18 guns each). PTR companies were also introduced into anti-tank battalions. Platoons in battle were used as a whole or in groups of 2-4 guns. In defense, "armor-piercing snipers" were deployed in echelons, preparing the main and 2-3 reserve positions. In the offensive, PTR crews operated in the combat formations of units in tank-hazardous directions, took up positions in front in the gaps between rifle platoons and on the flanks of companies. In 1944 they practiced a staggered arrangement of anti-tank missiles along the front and in depth at a distance of 50-100 m from each other with mutual shooting through the approaches, the widespread use of dagger fire. In winter, the crews installed PTR on sleds or sleds. Former Lieutenant General of the Wehrmacht, weapons specialist E. Schneider wrote: "In 1941, the Russians had a 14.5-mm anti-tank rifle, ... which caused a lot of trouble for our tanks and light armored personnel carriers that appeared later." With sufficiently high ballistic data, 14.5-mm anti-tank rifles were distinguished by maneuverability and manufacturability. PTRS is considered the best anti-tank rifle of the Second World War in terms of combat and operational qualities. Having played a big role in anti-tank defense in 1941-42, by the summer of 1943, anti-tank guns had already lost their positions with the growth of armor protection of tanks and assault guns over 40 mm. If in January 1942 their number in the troops was 8,116, in January 1943 - 118,563, 1944 -142,861, i.e. increased by 17.6 times in two years, then in 1944 it began to decline, and by the end of the war the Red Army had only 40 thousand PTR. The same picture is observed with regard to 12.7- and 14.5-mm cartridges: in 1942 their production was six times higher than the pre-war one, but it decreased noticeably by 1944. Nevertheless, the production of anti-tank rifles continued until January 1945, and in total about 400,000 14.5mm ATGMs were fired during the war.PTRDs and PTRSs were used against light armored vehicles and gun emplacements.It is curious that they were often used by snipers to engage enemy riflemen behind portable armored shields.

In addition to rifle anti-tank rifles, they were also in service with cavalry units. For the transportation of the PTRD, packs for a cavalry saddle and a pack saddle mod. 1937 The gun was mounted on a pack over the horse's croup on a metal block with two brackets. The rear bracket could be used as a support - a swivel for firing from a horse at air and ground targets. At the same time, the shooter stood behind the horse, held by the groom. To reset the anti-tank missiles to the landing forces and partisans, an "elongated" UPD-MM parachute bag with a parachute chamber and a shock absorber was used. Cartridges could be dropped without a parachute from a strafing flight in caps wrapped in burlap. Soviet PTRs were transferred to foreign formations formed in the USSR: for example, 1283 PTRs were transferred to Czechoslovak units.

The GAU and GBTU were greatly interested in the experimental single-shot anti-tank guns of M.N. Blum and "RES" (Rashkov E.S., Ermolaev S.I., Slukhodky V.E.). The first was developed for a specially designed 14.5 mm cartridge with an initial bullet speed increased to 1500 m / s, the second for a 20 mm cartridge. The shelling of the captured T-VI "Tiger" tank at the GBTU training ground in April 1943. showed that Blum's PTR is capable of hitting the side 82-mm armor of this tank at ranges up to 100 m. and "RES" - 70 mm. Blum's anti-tank rifle with a sliding rotary shutter was more compact, and the question of putting it into service as soon as possible was raised. This, however, did not happen - work on the PTR was actually curtailed.

One of the first before the war adopted the PTR into service with the army of Poland. In 1935 under the name "karabin UR wz.35", a 7.92 mm PTR was adopted, created by P. Vilnevchits, J. Maroshka, E. S "tetsky, T. Felchin based on the scheme of a magazine rifle. A special 7.92 mm cartridge had weight 61.8 g, bullet "SC" - 12.8 g. A cylindrical muzzle brake was attached to the end of the long barrel, absorbing up to 70% of the recoil energy. The relatively thin-walled barrel could withstand no more than 200 shots, but in combat conditions this was quite enough - Anti-tank means of infantry work-pi not long.Locking was carried out by turning the shutter of the Mauser type, which had two lugs in front and one behind, a straight handle.The percussion mechanism is of the striker type.The original feature of the trigger mechanism was blocking the descent rocker with a reflector when the shutter was not completely locked: reflector rose and released the rocker only when the bolt was fully turned. Magazine for 3 cartridges was attached from the bottom with two latches. Sight - constant. PTR had a rifle solid box. about them. Wide deliveries of anti-tank rifles to the troops began in 1938, more than 5,000 of them were produced in total. Each infantry company was supposed to have 3 PTRs, and a cavalry regiment - 13. By September 1939. Polish troops had about 3,500 "kb.UR wz.35", which showed themselves well in the fight against German light tanks.

Before the war, the German army also chose the 7.92 mm "gun" caliber for the PTR: the single-shot "Pz.B-38" (Panzerbuhse, 1938) was developed by the Gustlow Werke company in Suhl under the powerful 7.92 mm cartridge of the "318" model ", which had an armor-piercing (with a tungsten carbide core) or armor-piercing incendiary bullet. Cartridge weight 85.5 g, zeros - 14.6 g, charge - 14.8 g, length "318" - 117.95 mm, sleeves - 104.5 mm. The barrel was locked with a vertical wedge gate, could move back. The barrel and bolt moved in a stamped box, made integral with the barrel casing, with stiffeners. A conical flame arrester was put on the barrel. The good flatness of the bullet trajectory at ranges up to 4 (H) m made it possible to install a permanent sight. The front sight with a fence and the rear sight were attached to the trunk. To the right of the barrel breech there was a handle. Above the pistol grip on the left was a safety lever. At the back of the handle was an automatic fuse lever. The return spring of the barrel was placed in a tubular folding butt. The butt had a shoulder rest with a rubber buffer, a plastic tube for holding with the left hand, and folded to the right. To speed up loading, two "accelerators" were attached to the sides of the receiver - boxes in which 10 rounds were placed in a checkerboard pattern. A coupling with folding bipods, similar to a single MG-34 machine gun, was attached to the front of the casing. The folded bipod was fixed on a special pin. A carrying handle was attached above the center of gravity. The PTR was too bulky for its caliber. The design of the Pz.B 38 prompted V.A. Degtyarev to use the movement of the barrel to automatically open the bolt and partially absorb the recoil. We saw that he applied this idea creatively.

The Pz.B-39 anti-tank rifle that replaced it was noticeably lighter with the same ballistics and locking system. It consisted of a barrel with a receiver, a bolt, a trigger frame with a pistol grip, a stock, and a bipod. The barrel was stationary, the active muzzle brake at its end absorbed up to 60% of the recoil energy. The wedge gate was controlled by the swing of the trigger frame. To extend the life of the shutter had a front replaceable liner. A trigger mechanism was mounted in the shutter, the trigger was cocked when the shutter was lowered. From above, the shutter was closed with a flap that automatically folds down when unlocked. The trigger mechanism included a trigger sear, trigger, safety lever. The fuse box was located on top behind the shutter socket, with its left position (the letter "S" is visible), the sear and the shutter were locked. On the left in the window of the receiver, a spent cartridge case extraction mechanism was mounted. The sleeve was ejected after unlocking (lowering the shutter) with the extractor slider back and down through the window in the butt. "Pz.B-39" had a folding forward-down buttstock with a pillow and a tube for the left hand, a wooden forearm, a rotary handle and a carrying strap. Overall length, barrel length, bipod and "boosters" were similar to "Pz.B 38". Note that in September 1939. the Wehrmacht had only 62 anti-tank rifles, and by June 1941. - already 25,298. PTRs were included in almost all units of the Wehrmacht ground forces: in 1941. in the infantry, motorized infantry, mountain infantry and sapper companies there was a PTR link of 3 guns, 1 PTR had a motorcycle platoon, 11 had a reconnaissance detachment of a motorized division.

An interesting design was the Czech magazine 7.92 mm PTR MSS-41 under the same cartridge, which appeared in 1941. The magazine was located here behind the pistol grip, and reloading was carried out by moving the barrel back and forth. The shutter was part of a fixed butt plate and mated with the barrel coupling. The rotation of the clutch occurred when moving forward-up the pistol grip. With a further movement of the handle, the barrel moved forward. In the forward position, the barrel protrusion hit the reflector slider, and the reflector, turning, threw the spent cartridge case down. During the reverse movement, the barrel "ran over" the next cartridge. By turning the pistol grip down, the barrel was locked with the bolt. The percussion mechanism is a percussion type. The trigger mechanism was assembled in the handle, and on its left side there was a safety lever that locked the trigger rod and the clutch latch in the rear position. Sights consisted of folding front sight and sight. An active muzzle brake was attached to the barrel. Shop - interchangeable, box-shaped, sector-shaped, for 5 rounds; after filing the next cartridge, the remaining ones were held by the cut-off lever. The butt with a pillow, a shoulder pad and a "cheek" leaned up during the campaign. PTR had a folding bipod, a carrying strap. With the same ballistic qualities as the Pz.B-39, the Czech anti-tank rifle was distinguished by its compactness: the length in combat position was 1360 mm, in the stowed position it was 1280 mm; weight - 13 kg. However, the PTR was difficult to manufacture and did not gain distribution. It was used at one time by parts of the SS troops.

The inefficiency of the 7.92 mm PTR against the Soviet T-34 and KV tanks became apparent in the very first months of the war. At the end of 1941 the Wehrmacht received the so-called. "heavy PTR" "2.8/2 cm s.Pz.B-41" with a tapered bore. The conical bore, tapering towards the muzzle, makes it possible to make fuller use of the powder charge, to obtain high initial projectile velocities, while simultaneously increasing its lateral load during acceleration. It should be noted that a gun with a conical bore, special rifling and a special-shaped bullet was proposed back in 1905 by the Russian inventor M. Druganov and calculated by General N. Rogovtsev, and in 1903 and 1904. a patent for a gun with a tapered barrel was received by the German K. Puff. Extensive experiments with conical barrels were carried out in the 1920s and 1930s by engineer Gerlich at a test station, which is reputably called in German "German Testing Institute for Handguns" in Berlin. In Gerlich's design, the conical section of the bore was combined with short cylindrical sections in the breech and muzzle, and the rifling, the deepest at the breech, gradually faded to nothing towards the muzzle. This made it possible to more rationally use the pressure of powder gases - the experimental 7-mm anti-tank gun "Halger-Ultra" of the Gerlich system had an initial bullet speed of 18 (H) m / s. The projectile (bullet) had crushable leading belts, which, when moving along the barrel, were pressed into grooves on the projectile.

The s.Pz.B-41 barrel had a caliber of 28 mm in the breech and 20 mm in the muzzle. Armor-piercing bullet with a solid core. An active muzzle brake was attached to the barrel. In the massive breech, a slot for a horizontal wedge gate was cut. The system was installed on the likeness of a light artillery carriage with tubular beds. The barrel with the cradle was attached to the trunnions in the sockets of the upper machine associated with the lower vertical axis. The absence of lifting and turning mechanisms simplified and facilitated the design. There was a shield cover, the sight mounted on the left was also protected by a double shield. PTR was used on two types of installations. The single-trunk lower machine of easy installation had skids, small wheels - dutik could be installed. The carriage provided circular horizontal aiming, and vertical - from -5 to +45, the height of the line of fire varied from 241 to 280 mm. The weight of the s.Pz.B-41 on a light machine was 118 kg. For carrying s.Pz.B-4) was disassembled into 5 parts. The heavy installation had sliding beds and wheel travel, horizontal guidance was provided in the 60 ° sector, vertical - 30 °. "Heavy PTR" was a purely positional - "trench" - anti-tank weapon. However, his appearance at the front was one of the factors that forced Soviet tank builders to turn again to the issue of improving armor protection. The production of systems with tapered barrels was technologically difficult and expensive - a feature inconvenient for anti-tank weapons of the leading edge.

PTR of foreign countries

Polish PTR UR. wz.35 caliber 7.92 mm

German 7.92 mm anti-tank gun PzB-39

28/20 mm anti-tank gun mod. 1941 with a tapered barrel, which the Germans called the PT-gun (s.Pz.B-41)

Boyce anti-tank rifle caliber ".550" (13.37 mm)

Japanese 20 mm anti-tank rifle mod.97

Finnish 20 mm anti-tank rifle VKT mod. 1939

Before the war, the British army received the Boys Mkl magazine anti-tank gun, developed by Captain Boyes back in 1934, initially under the 12.7-mm cartridge of the Vickers heavy machine gun. Then the caliber was increased to 13.39 mm (caliber ".550"). PTR, manufactured by BSA, consisted of a barrel with a receiver, a bolt, a frame (cradle) with a folding bipod, a recoil pad, and a magazine. A box-shaped muzzle brake was attached to the barrel, and the barrel itself could move somewhat along the frame, compressing the shock absorber spring. The barrel bore was locked by turning a longitudinally sliding bolt with 6 lugs and a curved handle. In the gate, a drummer with a ring on the tail, a mainspring, an ejector and a reflector were assembled. The trigger mechanism is the simplest type. On the left side of the receiver there was a safety lever that locked the drummer in the rear position. Sights, moved to the left on the brackets, included a front sight and a diopter sight with a diopter setting of 300 and 500 m, or only 300 m. A box-shaped single-row magazine was mounted on top. The pistol grip was made with an inclination forward. The butt plate had a rubber cushion, a "cheek", a handle under the left hand, and an oiler was placed in it. The bipod was a T-shaped support with coulters and a screw pin with an adjusting clutch.

Since 1939 one PTR was relied on for each infantry platoon. "Boys" were also transferred to the Polish units as part of the British Army, about 1100 "Boys" were supplied under the Lend-Lease of the Red Army, where, however, they were not successful. But the German Wehrmacht used the captured Boys very willingly.

In the United States, at the beginning of the war, a 15.2-mm anti-tank rifle was tested with an initial bullet speed of 1100 m / s. Later, the US Army tried to use a 14.5-mm PTR, it was even proposed to install an optical sight on it. But this gun appeared late and was not successful. Already during the war in Korea, they tested - and very unsuccessfully - 12.7-mm PTR.

The armies of Germany, Hungary, Japan, Finland used heavy 20-mm self-loading rifles - a kind of branch of the "family" of large-caliber "anti-tank machine guns", which approached artillery systems. The 20-mm Swiss self-loading PTR "Oerlikon" used by the Wehrmacht was created on the basis of the "anti-tank machine gun" of the same company, had automatic recoil of the free shutter, store-fed. PTR weight - 33 kg (perhaps the lightest in this class), length - 1450 mm, muzzle velocity - 555 m / s, armor penetration - 14 mm at 500 m. barrel recoil with a short em stroke, the magazine was attached to the left side of the receiver.

With the Japanese "97" (model 1937), Soviet tankers met already at Khalkhin Gol in 1939. The gun consisted of a barrel, a receiver, a movable system (bolt, wedge, bolt carrier), a recoil device, a cradle machine and a magazine. Automation operated by removing powder gases.

The barrel in the middle part of the bottom had a vapor chamber with a regulator for 5 positions. The chamber was connected by a tube to a gas distributor with two gas pipes. A muzzle brake was attached to the barrel in the form of a cylindrical box with longitudinal slots, the connection of the barrel with the receiver was cracked. The barrel was locked with a bolt using a vertically moving wedge. A characteristic feature of the "97" is a bolt carrier with two piston rods and two return springs. The reloading handle was carried out separately and was placed on the top right. In the receiver there was a shutter stop, which turned off when the magazine was attached. The impact mechanism is of a striker type, the impactor received an impulse from the bolt carrier through an intermediate part in the locking wedge. The trigger mechanism assembled in the trigger box of the machine included a sear, trigger lever, trigger rod, trigger and uncoupler. Located at the rear of the receiver, the safety lever in the upper position blocked the drummer. The barrel with the receiver could move along the machine-cradle, in the chute of which a recoil device was placed. The latter included a pneumatic rollback brake and two coaxial rollover springs. The PTR could fire bursts (which is why it is sometimes referred to in our press as a "heavy machine gun"), but at the same time it gave too low accuracy.

Sights - a front sight and a stand with a diopter - were moved to the left on brackets attached to the cradle. A box magazine with a staggered arrangement of cartridges was attached from above. The store window could be closed with a lid. A butt with a pillow, a shoulder pad and a "cheek", a pistol grip and a grip under the left hand were attached to the cradle. The support was created by height-adjustable bipods and a rear stand-lift, their position was fixed by locking bushings. The cradle had sockets for connecting tubular carrying handles - two at the back and one at the front. The bulky "97" was used mainly in defense.

The Finnish PTR L-39 of the Lahti system, manufactured by VKT, also had automatics for the removal of powder gases. The PTR consisted of a barrel with a gas chamber, a flat muzzle brake and a perforated wooden fore-end casing, a receiver, a trigger frame, a locking, percussion and trigger mechanism, sights, a recoil pad, a magazine and a bipod. The gas chamber is of a closed type, with a 4-position gas regulator and a guide tube. The barrel was connected to the receiver with a nut. The clutch of the shutter with the receiver is a vertically moving wedge. Locking and unlocking was carried out by the protrusions of the bolt frame, made separately from the piston rod. A drummer with a mainspring, an ejector and a rammer were mounted in the shutter. The swinging reloading handle was located on the right. A distinctive feature of the Finnish anti-tank rifle was the presence of two triggers: the rear - to keep the mobile system on cocking, the front - to keep the striker. In front of the pistol grip, inside the trigger guard, there were two triggers: the lower one for the rear trigger mechanism, the upper one for the front one. Located on the left side of the receiver, the safety lever in the forward position of the flag blocked the trigger lever of the front trigger mechanism. Sequential descent first of the mobile system, and then the firing pin, reliably prevented an accidental shot and did not allow firing too fast. Sights included a front sight on the barrel and a sector sight on the receiver. The sector store is large for a PTR capacity, with a staggered arrangement of cartridges, it was attached from above. The store window on the march was closed with a flap. The butt plate had a height-adjustable rubber shoulder rest and a wooden pad - "cheek". The bipod was supplied with skis and was separated from the gun during the campaign. Forward-facing stops could be attached to the bipods with screws - they relied on the PTR on the parapet of the trench, mound, etc. In the design of the PTR, careful consideration of the specific conditions for the use of weapons is visible - a minimum of holes in the receiver, a shield for the store window, skis on bipods.

Note that in the USSR they also tried to create more powerful anti-tank guns of "artillery" calibers. So, in 1942. a successful model of the 20-mm anti-tank rifle "RES" appeared with a wheel drive (similar to the "Maxim" machine gun) and a double shield. But the path of "enlargement" of the PTR was already unpromising. In 1945 a prominent Russian gunsmith A.A. Blagonravov wrote: "In its current form, this weapon (PTR) has exhausted its capabilities."

This conclusion, we note, applied to this type of weapon as an anti-tank weapon. However, already in the 80s, a kind of revival of the PTR began in the form of large-caliber sniper rifles - after all, during the Second World War, they tried to use the PTR with optical sights. Large-caliber rifles - American M82 A1 and A2, M 87, 50/12 TSW, Austrian AMR, Hungarian Gepard Ml, Russian B-94 - are designed to combat manpower at long ranges, hit point objects (protected firing points, means intelligence, communications and control, radar, satellite communications antennas, light armored vehicles, vehicles, hovering helicopters, UAVs).

The attempts made during the Second World War to use anti-tank rifles to arm light armored vehicles are interesting. So, in 1942. 14.5-mm PTR was installed instead of machine guns on a batch of BA-64 light armored vehicles, the German 28 / 20-mm "s.Pz.B-41" was installed on a light two-axle armored car SdKfz 221 ("Horch"), 14-mm English " Boys" - on a small tank Mk VIC, an armored car "Morris-1" and "Humber MkJJJ", tracked armored personnel carriers "Yu/sh-versal". "Universal" with PTR "Boys" were supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease.

The rifle cartridges of normal caliber with armor-piercing bullets available in the troops had armor penetration not higher than 10 mm at a distance of 150-200 m and could only be used for firing at light armored vehicles or shelters.

Large-caliber machine guns in the prewar period were considered as one of the anti-tank weapons of the front line (20mm Oerlikon, Madsen, Solothurn, 25mm Vickers machine guns). Actually, the first heavy machine gun - the 13.37-mm German TUF appeared as a means of combating tanks and aircraft. However, during the war, heavy machine guns were used much more for air defense needs or shelling fortified firing points, therefore they are not considered here. Note, only that appeared in 1944. 14.5 mm machine gun S.V. Vladimirov KPV (under regular 14.5-mm cartridges) was created as an "anti-tank", but by the time of its appearance it could no longer play such a role. After the war, he became a means of combating air targets, manpower and light armored vehicles.

Tab. 1 Anti-tank rifles

* - The weight of the anti-tank rifle with two cartridge boxes - "loading accelerators"

**- length in combat position, in the stowed position - 1255 mm

*** - The first number is the caliber of the barrel from its breech, the second - from the muzzle

Hand-held anti-tank grenades

To fight tanks, the infantry made extensive use of hand grenades - both special anti-tank and fragmentation grenades. This practice also originated during the First World War: "bundles" of ordinary grenades and heavy grenades for destroying wire obstacles (such as the Russian Novitsky grenade) were then considered as anti-tank weapons. Already in the early 1930s, such grenades were considered "an important defensive tool ... especially in cases of a sudden attack by armored units in a closed ... area." Fragmentation grenades were fastened with wire or cord. So, in the Soviet "Manual on shooting" f935 and 1938, it was specifically indicated how to knit hand grenades model 1914 / 30. and arr. 1933 Grenades were tied with twine or wire in threes or fives, so that the central handle looked in one direction, and the others in the opposite direction. Grenades such as F-1 or Mils were tied tightly in a bag. Bundles were recommended to be thrown at the tracks and undercarriage of the tank. Such bundles, but only equipped with 3-4 strings with weights, were also used to undermine wire barriers. The German infantry used bundles of M-24 hand grenades: grenades were knitted in sevens, a wooden handle with a fuse was inserted only into the central one.

Special anti-tank grenades at the beginning of the war were heavy high-explosive projectiles. The Red Army was armed with the RPG-40 grenade, created by M.I. Puzyrev in GSKB-30 at the plant N 58 named after. K.E. Voroshilov under the leadership of N.P. Belyakov and containing an explosive charge in 760. It had a cylindrical thin-walled body, was capable of penetrating armor up to 20 mm thick. An inertial fuse with a safety check was placed in the handle. Before throwing, a detonator was inserted into the axial channel of the body through a hole in the lid. Throw range - 20-25 m. Instructions for using a grenade were placed on the body. In terms of "armor-piercing" action, the grenade soon ceased to meet the requirements of the PTO - when it exploded on the surface of armor more than 20 mm thick, it formed only a dent, without causing dangerous spalls of the armor from the inside. In 1941 On its basis, Bubble created the RPG-41 grenade with an explosive charge increased to 1400 g and armor penetration increased to 25 mm. However, the reduced throw range did not contribute to the widespread use of the RPG-41. High-explosive grenades were recommended to be thrown at the tracks, undercarriage, under the turret or on the roof of the engine compartment of the tank. Among the fighters, high-explosive anti-tank grenades were nicknamed "Tanyusha".

In July 1941 The Military Council of the Northern Front issued an order for the development of a hand grenade anti-tank gun to be put into production at the enterprises of Leninfad. The well-known designer M.D. Dyakonov and the inventor A.N. Selyanka, based on the hand-held fragmentation grenade RGD-33, created a high-explosive anti-tank grenade with an explosive charge increased to 1 kg, which also received the designation RPG-41. Already in 1941. about 798 thousand of these grenades were fired in Leningrad. High-explosive anti-tank grenades with an increased charge of factory and semi-handicraft production were also used in the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol, various variants of anti-tank grenades were created in partisan workshops.

The English anti-tank grenade "N 73 AT" with a cylindrical body 240 mm long and 80 mm in diameter had an inertial fuse with a safety lever. Grenade weight - 1.9 kg, throw range - 10-15 m. The body was painted yellow-brown with a red belt. The grenade was thrown only because of the shelter.

From top to bottom: a bunch of M-24 hand grenades; anti-tank hand grenade RPG-6; anti-tank grenade RPG-43.

German PMW-1 cumulative anti-tank hand grenade - general view and in section (1 - body, 2 - cumulative funnel, 3 - bursting charge, 4 - wooden handle, 5 - detonator, 6 - stabilizer fabric tapes, 7 - cap, 8 - fuse).

With a large weight, the effectiveness of such grenades soon ceased to correspond to their purpose. The situation has changed radically due to the use of the cumulative effect. In 1943 almost simultaneously, the RG1G-43 hand cumulative grenade appears in service with the Soviet army, and the PWM-1 (L) in the German army.

PWM-1 (L) consisted of a teardrop-shaped body and a wooden handle. The case contained a charge made of an alloy of TNT with RDX. A detonator was placed in the handle, and an inertial fuse was placed at the end, which worked at any angle of the meeting. A fabric stabilizer was laid around the handle, opened by four spring plates. In the folded position, the stabilizer held the cap; to remove it, it was necessary to remove a special tongue. Revealing after the throw, the stabilizer pulled out the pin of a very sensitive fuse. On the head of the grenade there was an eyelet for hanging from a belt. The hull was painted grey-beige. Grenade weight - 1.45 kg, charge - 0.525 kg, case diameter - 105 mm, length - 530 mm (handles - 341 mm), armor penetration along the normal - 150 mm, at an angle of 60 "- up to 130 mm, throwing range - 20 -25 m. Training grenade (without equipment) PWM-1 (L) Ub was distinguished by three rows of holes on the body and its red color.

RPG-43 was developed by KB-20 designer N.P. Belyakov in late 1942 - early 1943. April 16, 1943 she passed the field tests, and on April 22-28 - military tests and was soon put into service. Already in the summer of 1943. She began to enlist in the military. The case had a flat bottom and a conical lid. A sting was placed under the cover and the spring sunk. The detachable handle contained an inertial fuse, a two-ribbon stabilizer and a safety mechanism. The laid stabilizer was covered with a cap. Before throwing, it was necessary to remove the handle and, by rotating the fuse of the fuse, press its spring. The handle was reattached, a safety cotter pin was pulled out by the ring. After the throw, the safety bar flew off, the stabilizer cap slipped from the handle, pulling the stabilizer and at the same time cocking the fuse. The stabilizer ensured the correct flight of the grenade with the head part forward and the minimum meeting angle. RPG-43 weight - 1.2 kg, charge - 0.65 kg, normal armor penetration - 75 mm.

The appearance in the battles on the Kursk Bulge of the German tanks T-V "Panther", T-VI "Tif" and the heavy tank ka-fighter "Elephant" ("Ferdinand") required an increase in the armor penetration of grenades to 100-120 mm. In the Moscow branch of NII-6 of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition, designers M.Z. Polevikov, L.B. Ioffe, N.S. Zhitkikh developed the RPG-6 cumulative grenade, which passed military tests already in September 1943. and put into service at the end of October. The RPG-6 had a drop-shaped body with a charge (of two checkers) and an additional detonator and a handle with an inertial fuse, a detonator cap and a belt stabilizer. The fuse drummer was blocked by a check. Stabilizer tapes (two long and two short) fit into the handle and were held by a safety bar. The safety pin was removed before the throw. After the throw, the safety bar flew off, the stabilizer was pulled out, the drummer pin was pulled out - the fuse was cocked. RPG-6 weight - 1.13 kg, charge - 0.6 kg. throwing range - 15-20 m, armor penetration - up to 100 mm. In terms of technology, an essential feature of the RPG-6 was the absence of turned and threaded parts, the widespread use of stamping and knurling. Thanks to this, mass production of the grenade was launched before the end of the year. RPG-43 and -6 rushed at 15-20 m, after throwing it was necessary to take cover.

In total in the USSR in 1942-45. about 137,924 anti-personnel and 20,882,800 anti-tank hand grenades were released. By years: in 1942 - 9232, in 1943 - 8000, in 1944 - 2830 and in 1945 - a total of 820.8 thousand. You can see a decrease in the share of hand grenades in the infantry anti-aircraft ammunition system.

The problem with hand-held anti-tank grenades was the slowdown in the operation of the fuse - a grenade that hit the target could explode, already rolling or bouncing off the armor. Therefore, various attempts were made to "attach" grenades to armor. The British used the so-called. "sticky bomb" - a high-explosive grenade "N 74 (ST)". The explosive was placed in a glass sphere 130 mm in diameter. A woolen bag covered with a sticky mass was put on the ball. A remote fuse for 5 seconds with a check was placed in a long handle. Grenade weight - 1.3 kg, total length - 260 mm. Before the throw, the tin casing was removed from the ball, the check was pulled out. The grenade did not stick to vertical, wet armor. The British also created a soft grenade "N 82": a knitted bag served as its body, tied at the bottom with braid, and tucked into a metal cap on top, on which the fuse was screwed. The fuse was covered with a cap. The grenade was thrown at close range and did not "roll" off horizontal surfaces. Due to the characteristic shape of the pomegranate, "N 82" is also known by the nickname "Ham" ("ham" - ham).

The German "sticky" grenade consisted of a body with a shaped charge and a felt cushion at the bottom, an "N8" detonator cap and a grating fuse. The latter were similar to hand-held fragmentation grenades. The felt pillow was impregnated with glue and covered with a cap, which was removed only before the throw. The grenade had a length of 205, a diameter of 62 mm and was intended to fight light tanks and armored vehicles. More interesting magnetic grenade "Haft H-3" to fight tanks and self-propelled guns of all types. At the bottom of its conical body with a shaped charge (ghzhsogen with TNT) three permanent magnets were attached, which "fixed" the grenade on the armor in the most advantageous position. Before the throw, they were protected from demagnetization by removable iron fittings. Detonator cap - "N 8" A1. In the handle was a standard grating fuse with a slowdown of 4.5 or 7 seconds. The grenade was painted green. Total length - 300 mm, bottom diameter - 160 mm. A grenade was usually "landed" on a tank when it passed over a trench (gap), although throwing at a distance of up to 15 m was also allowed. The Germans themselves in 1944-45. defended their combat vehicles - guns and assault guns - from magnetic grenades with "zimmerit" coating: a 5-6 mm layer significantly weakened the force of attraction of magnets. The surface was wavy. "Zimmsrit" also protected the cars from "sticky" and incendiary grenades.

The magnetic grenade was already close to anti-tank mines. "Grenade mines" were also used by the infantry of the belligerents. So, the British had a grenade "N 75" ("Hawkins MkG) with a flat case 165 long and 91 mm wide. On top of the case there was a pressure bar, under it were two chemical fuses-ampoules. When the ampoules were destroyed by the pressure bar, a flame was formed that caused the primer to explode -detonator, then an additional detonator was triggered, and from it the explosive of the mine. "Hawkins" was thrown under the caterpillar of a tank or the wheel of an armored vehicle, was used in minefields. Grenades were placed on sleds tied to cords, thus obtaining a "movable" mine, " pulled up" under a moving tank. Flat anti-tank mines on bamboo poles and "movable" mines were widely and not without success used by groups of infantrymen - tank destroyers in the Japanese army: our tankers had to deal with this back at Khalkhin Gol in 1939.

Tank "Royal Tiger" in zimmerite coating, which protected against magnetic mines and grenades

Rifle anti-tank grenades

In World War II, almost all armies used rifle (rifle) grenades. It is worth noting that back in 1914. The staff captain of the Russian army, V.A. Mgebrov, suggested using his rifle grenade against armored vehicles.

In the 30s, the Red Army was armed with a muzzle-loading "Dyakonov grenade launcher", created at the end of the First World War and subsequently modernized. It consisted of a mortar, a bipod and a quadrant sight and served to defeat manpower with a fragmentation grenade. The barrel of the mortar had a caliber of 41 mm, three screw grooves, and a cup. The cup was screwed onto the neck, which was attached to the barrel of the rifle, being fixed on the front sight with a cutout. On the eve of the war, a grenade launcher was available in every rifle and cavalry squad.

Just before the start of the Great Patriotic War, the question arose of giving the rifle grenade launcher "anti-tank" properties. As a result, the VKG-40 grenade entered service. Its body had a streamlined shape, three leading protrusions on the cylindrical part. A bottom fuse was mounted in the conical tail section, which included an inertial body ("settling cylinder"), a detonator cap, an additional detonator and a wire pin. The bottom part was closed with a cap. The length of the VKG-40 is 144 mm. A grenade was fired with a special blank cartridge with 2.75 g of gunpowder of the VP or P-45 brand. The muzzle of the cartridge case was crimped with an "asterisk" and - like the head of the grenade - was painted black. The mortar has also changed: a special front sight with a fence was attached to the neck, a screw screwed into the barrel limited the progress of the grenade when chambered. The reduced charge of the blank cartridge made it possible to shoot a direct-fire grenade with the butt resting on the shoulder. Shooting was carried out at a distance of up to 150 m, without a bipod, using a rifle sight: the mark "16" corresponded to a range of up to 50, "18" - up to 100 and "20" - up to 150 m. The total weight of the rifle with a mortar was 6 kg, serviced such a "grenade launcher" by one person. The VKG-40 was used very limitedly, which is partly due to the low accuracy of fire, and partly to the underestimation of the rifle grenade launcher in general.

Rifle anti-tank grenade VKG-40

German "Schiessbecher" grenade launcher mounted on the barrel of a "U8k" carbine (above) and a general view of the grenade launcher's mortar. I - mortar barrel, 2 - cup, 3 - neck, 4 - carbine front sight, 5 - clamping device, 6 - clamping screw, 7 - clamping screw handle, 8 - carbine barrel.

At the beginning of 1942 VPGS-41 ("rifle anti-tank grenade Serdyuk model 1941"), created in the design bureau of the People's Commissariat of the coal industry, led by Serdyuk, entered service. VPGS-41 consisted of a streamlined body with a charge and a fuse and a "ramrod" tail inserted into the bore of the rifle. A clip with an annular stabilizer was put on a ramrod equipped with an obturating groove. When the ramrod was inserted into the barrel, the stabilizer was pressed against the body, and after the grenade took off, it was fixed at the rear end of the ramrod. The shot was fired with a blank cartridge. The firing range is up to 60 m, and for a fixed accumulation of equipment - up to 170 m (at an elevation angle of 40 faduses). Accuracy and effective range were low, and the grenade, ordered at first in large quantities, already in 1942. was withdrawn from production and armament.

The partisans also had their own grenade launchers: for example, the PRGSh developed a very successful mortar from a 45-mm cartridge case and a high-explosive fragmentation grenade in 1942. T.E. Shavgulidze.

The British army used a 51-mm muzzle-loading smooth-bore rifle grenade launcher to fight armored vehicles. Shooting was carried out with a grenade "N 68", which had a cylindrical steel case with a shaped charge (covered with a flat cover), an inertial bottom fuse, an igniter cap and a detonator cap. A stabilizer with four blades was screwed into the tail section of the body. The hull was painted yellow-brown with red and green belts. Shot - with a blank cartridge, from the stop, lying down, before the shot, the fuse pin was removed. The firing range is up to 91 m (100 yards), but the most effective is 45-75 m. The grenade could also be fired from a light 51-mm mortar.

During the war, the US Army developed a system of rifle grenades, which included anti-personnel, anti-tank, training and smoke samples. There were no mortars - grenades were supplied with stabilizer tubes. The tube was mounted on a "throwing device" - a muzzle on the barrel of a carbine or rifle. Grenades were fired with the corresponding blank cartridges. The M9-A1 anti-tank grenade had a streamlined body with a cumulative warhead, a stabilizer tube and a bottom inertial fuse. The length of the grenade is 284 mm, the case diameter is 51 mm. The initial speed when firing from a carbine is 45 m / s, the firing range is up to 175 m, from a rifle - 55 m / s and up to 250 m. The accuracy of fire, however, made it possible to effectively fire at armored targets at much shorter ranges. For training, a training Ml 1-A2 was used without a charge, repeating M9-A1 in shape, size and weight. Feathered rifle grenades, fired from a small muzzle attachment or from a flash hider, turned out to be the most promising direction for the development of this type of ammunition.

The German grenade launcher "Schiessbecher" ("shooting cup") was a 30-mm rifled mortar weighing 0.835 kg. The barrel was screwed into the cup, smoothly turning into the neck. The mortar was put on the barrel of a rifle or carbine and fastened with a clamping device. The sight was attached with a clip with a screw in front of the receiver on the left. Its swinging part had a sighting bar with a front sight and entirely at the ends, a level and a sector rear part with divisions from 0 to 250 m through 50. The weight of the grenade launcher on the carbine "98k" was 5.12 kg, length - 1250 mm. The grenades had ready-made rifling, which, when loaded, were combined with the rifling of the mortar. With each grenade, its own blank cartridge was sealed.

Caliber "small armor-piercing grenade" ("G.Pz.gr.") had an ogive-cylindrical body and rifling on the tail. The cumulative charge was covered with a ballistic cap and was blown up by a bottom inertial fuse through a detonator cap and an additional detonator. The length of the grenade is 163 mm, the case was black in color. A grenade was fired with a cartridge with 1.1 g of gunpowder, a wooden wad and a black ring around the primer. Initial speed - 50 m / s, firing range - 50-125 m.

With the beginning of the war with the USSR, in order to increase the "armor-piercing" properties of the grenade launcher, it was necessary to introduce the "large armor-piercing" grenade "Gr.G.Pz.gr.". It was an over-caliber grenade with a thickened front and a long stem. The stem had a threaded sleeve at the back (made of plastic or aluminum), which was inserted into the mortar. The bottom inertial fuse was cocked after the shot. Length - 185 mm, diameter - 45 mm, penetration - 40 mm - at a meeting angle of up to 60 degrees, the body - black. Shot - cartridge with 1.9 g of gunpowder and a wooden black bullet (wad). Initial speed - 50 m / s. With high armor penetration, the grenade had low accuracy, so shooting at moving targets was carried out at a distance of up to 75 m, at fixed targets - up to 100 m. When firing with a conventional cartridge from a rifle with a mortar, they took some excess of sight. Each infantry, tank destroyer and sapper company had 12 mortars, and two in field batteries. Each mortar was supposed to have 30 fragmentation and up to 20 "armor-piercing" grenades. However, as in the Red Army, rifle grenades were used little in the Wehrmacht, since "the impact of a rifle grenade on the crew and internal equipment of the tank was very insignificant" (E. Middeldorf).

Large armor-piercing rifle grenade Gz.G.Pz.gr. (capping and general appearance)

German anti-tank grenade launcher Gz.B.39

Table 2 Hand and rifle anti-tank grenades

By the end of 1941 the inefficiency of the 7.92-mm PTR Pz.B.39 became clear, and in 1942. on its basis, the Gr.B.-39 anti-tank grenade launcher ("Granatenbuche") was created. The barrel was shortened to 595-618 mm, the breech was simplified, the handguard was removed, and a 30-mm rifled mortar was installed at the end of the barrel. Her cup was already screwed onto the PTR barrel. Mortar length - 130 mm, weight - 0.8 kg. Sights included front and rear sights on the left side of the weapon. The rear sight - a rear sight with a slot - was mounted on a bracket in the groove of the receiver. The front one was fastened with a clip on the breech of the barrel and was a grid of six horizontal and one vertical threads: the horizontal ones marked ranges up to 150 m after 25, the vertical one formed aiming crosshairs. A casing with a shield with three holes was attached to the frame of the sight: the middle one served as an auxiliary front sight (range - 75 m) in the dark. Aiming at the tanks was carried out along the lower edge of the tower, in the middle or with the removal of 0.5-1 hull - when the target was moving. Shooting at moving targets was carried out at a distance of up to 75 m, at a fixed one - up to 150 m. The weight of the grenade launcher was 10.5 kg, the length in the combat position was -1230 mm, in the stowed position - 908 mm, the calculation was 2 people. Shooting was carried out by "Gr.G.Pz.gr." with a reinforced stem and "improved rifling" or a special "large armor-piercing grenade model 1943." The latter was distinguished by a teardrop shape, greater strength, a strong charge, and a fuse that worked at any angle of the meeting. The length of the "grenade arr. 1943" - 195 mm, diameter - 46 mm. The grenade had a light brown color of the stem, was fired only from the SG.V-39 cartridge with a black wooden bullet (sleeve - cartridge for Pz.B.-39), initial speed - 65 m / s. Shooting "small" or unreinforced "large" grenades was not allowed: they could collapse when fired.

The desire to use any means as a combat weapon led to the creation of grenades for firing flare pistols. At the end of the 30s, based on the "Walter" model 1934, the "Kampfpistole Z" ("zug" - rifling) was created. The bore had 5 rifling. The weight of the "pistol" is 745 g, the length is 245 mm with a barrel length of 155 mm. It turned into a grenade launcher by attaching a metal butt and a folding sight. The weight of such a grenade launcher was 1960. The "42 LP" anti-caliber grenade consisted of a drop-shaped body with a charge (RDX with TNT) and a bottom inertial fuse and a rod with ready-made rifling at the end. The rod contained an igniter cap, an expelling charge of porous pyroxylin gunpowder, and a piston that cut off the connecting pin when fired and ejected the grenade. The length of the grenade is 305 mm, the largest diameter is 61 mm. To fire it from a conventional pistol-rocket launcher, an insert rifled barrel was used.

Anti-tank ^-feathered rifle grenades with a cumulative warhead were actively developed in the first two post-war decades (French M.50 and M761, Belgian Energa, American M-31, Spanish G.L.61). However, already at the end of the 60s, the ineffectiveness of anti-tank rifle grenades against main battle tanks became clear, and further development went along the path of cumulative fragmentation grenades to combat light armored vehicles.

Anti-tank grenade launchers of the second world war

Rocket anti-tank rifle R.Pz.H.54 "Ofenror"

The middle of the Second World War is characterized by qualitative changes in the armament of the ground forces, including infantry means of combating tanks at short and medium ranges. The decline in the role of anti-tank rifles was accompanied by the introduction of a new anti-tank weapon - hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers.

Work on light reactive and recoilless anti-tank weapons was carried out back in the 30s. So, in the USSR in 1931, the 65-mm "jet gun" B.S., created in the GDL, was tested. Petropavlovsky for shooting from the shoulder. Its design contained a number of promising elements: an electric fuse for the engine, a shield to protect the shooter from gases. Unfortunately, after the death of Petropavlovsky in 1933, this development was not continued. At the beginning of 1933 The Red Army adopted 37-mm "dynamo-reactive anti-tank guns" L.V. Kurchevsky (a total of 325 pieces were delivered), however, they were removed from service after two years as they did not meet the requirements of armor penetration, maneuverability and safety. Note that the actual failure of Kurchevsky's work for some time undermined confidence in recoilless systems. In OKB P.I. Grokhovsky in 1934, a rather simple "manual dynamo-reactive launcher" was developed for firing at lightly armored targets. The armor-piercing effect of shells was based, like armor-piercing artillery shells of that time, on their kinetic energy and was, of course, insufficient at low speeds. For a number of reasons - including repression against design personnel - such work was stopped. They returned during the war.

In 1942, ML.Mil developed a reactive anti-tank weapon in a variant on a light machine. At the same time, the Special Design Bureau at the Kompressor plant took up "machines for 82-mm anti-tank mines" (missiles): a double-barreled launcher was created under the leadership of A.N. Vasiliev. At the GAU training ground, a reusable hand grenade launcher RPG-l with an over-caliber grenade was developed (head of work G.P. Lominsky), in GSKB-30 (People's Commissariat of Ammunition) under the leadership of A.V. Smolyakov - RPG-2. In the course of development, the experience of the enemy was naturally used (all captured samples of German RPGs were carefully studied and evaluated), as well as data on RPGs of the allies.

RPG-1 included: 1) a 30 mm smooth launch tube with a trigger mechanism, a simple descent, protective pads and a folding aiming bar, 2) a 70 mm PG-70 cumulative grenade with a powder propellant charge of black powder pipes) and a rigid stabilizer. Aiming, like the German "Panzerfaust" (see below), was carried out along the rim of the grenade. The range of aimed fire reached 50 m, armor penetration - 150 mm. In the spring of 1944 the RPG-1 was tested and the production of the pilot batch was prepared, but the completion of the grenade was delayed, and in 1948 work on this model was stopped. The RPG-2 consisted of a 40 mm tube and an 80 mm PG-2 cumulative grenade screwed together with a black powder propellant charge. Development lasted about five years, and the RPG-2 entered service only in 1949.

In the special technological bureau NII-6 of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition (NKBP), led by I.M. Naiman, a group of designers developed a PG-6 hand grenade launcher. With the help of a special blank cartridge (4 g of gunpowder in a rifle cartridge case), an RPG-6 cumulative grenade (armor penetration - up to 120 mm) was fired in a pallet or a standard 50-mm fragmentation feathered mine. By the beginning of 1945, a batch of PG-6s with reduced recoil was prepared for military testing. The weight of the system was about 18 kg, the range of firing at tanks with an RPG-6 grenade was up to 150 m, and in terms of manpower with a 50-mm mine, up to 500 m. With the end of the war, work on this system ceased.

Marshal of Artillery N.D. Yakovlev, who during the war years was the Head of the GAU, wrote: "There were no active supporters of such means of anti-tank warfare as the Faustpatron ... But he proved himself well ..," During the Great Patriotic War, our army really did not received RPGs, but the foundation for their post-war development was laid.

The situation was different in Germany, where in the 1930s a lot of money was also spent on "reactive" and "dynamo-reactive" topics. In the middle of the war, Germany adopted the "infantry weapons program", where special attention was paid to anti-tank weapons. As part of the program, the infantry received new anti-tank grenade launchers. At the end of 1943 The Wehrmacht received the RPG "8.8 cm R.Pz.B. 54" ("Raketenpanzerbuchse"), created on the basis of the Schulder 75 rocket launcher, taking into account the experience of American bazookas captured in North Africa, and intended for fighting tanks of all types. "R. Pz.B. 54", better known as "Offenrohr" ("offenrohr" - open pipe), consisted of a seamless smooth-walled pipe - a barrel, a shoulder rest with a shoulder pad, a handle with a trigger, a cocking handle with a fuse, a bracket with a front hold handle, sights, a contact (plug) box, a latch to hold the grenade in the barrel. A shoulder strap was used for carrying.

Three rectangular guides were stamped along the entire length of the barrel, a wire ring was attached to the rear cut, protecting it from contamination and damage and facilitating the insertion of a grenade from the breech. The electric ignition device was powered by a pulse generator. The rod - the core of the generator - was cocked with a special swinging handle in front of the trigger, while the fuse was recessed. The current was supplied by protected wires to the contact box. Sights were attached to the left side of the pipe and included a front sight - a front sight - and a rear sight - a frame with a slot. The position of the slot was adjusted during shooting.

The rocket-propelled grenade "8.8-ssh R.Pz.B.Gr. 4322" consisted of a body with a shaped charge (an alloy of TNT with RDX) and an AZ 5075 impact head fuse with a safety pin, a powder engine, at the nozzle of which an annular stabilizer was attached, and a wooden block with electric fuse contacts. The hull and tail were screwed together. The grenade was painted dark green. Before loading, the fuse check was removed and the adhesive tape covering the contact block was removed. The fuse was cocked after the shot, about three meters from the muzzle. Grenade weight - 3.3 kg, length - 655 m, armor penetration - 150 mm normal. Grenades with an engine adapted to winter conditions had the inscription "arkt" on the tail. In addition to the "Arctic" grenade, a "tropical" (for North Africa) grenade was also worked out. There were also training grenades "4320 Ub", "4340 Ub" and "4320 Ex".

The weight of the "Ofenror" without a grenade was about 9 kg, length - 1640 mm, firing range - up to 150 m, calculation - 2 people, rate of fire - up to 10 rds / min. Shooting was carried out from the shoulder. To protect against powder gases from the engine, the gunner had to wear gloves, a gas mask (without a filter), a hood and a helmet. In 1944 The RPG received light cover in the form of a rectangular shield with a window for aiming and a box for small parts. A safety bracket was installed on the muzzle of the barrel. The new model "R.Pz.B. 54/1" was named "Panzerschreck" ("panzerschreck" - a thunderstorm of tanks). Weight "Pantsershrek" without a grenade - 9.5 kg.

The Offenror and Panzerschreck were bulkier than the American M1 Bazooka, but far outperformed it in terms of armor penetration. The generator was more reliable than batteries in combat conditions, and a convenient contact box accelerated loading. In 1943-45. about 300,000 RPGs were produced. During the Berlin operation, Soviet troops encountered unusual "self-propelled tank destroyers" - tankettes B-IV, armed with several 88-mm pipes of the "Ofenror" type.

R.Pz.B.54II "Panzershrek" - an improved model of a hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher

Rocket-propelled grenade P, - Pz.B.Gr.4322 for the "Ofenror" grenade launcher. 1 - fuse, 2 - head nozzle, 3 - body, 4 - bursting charge, 5 - tail with a reactive charge, b - nozzle, 7 - electrical wire, 8 - wooden block with a contact, 9 - cumulative funnel.

Dynamo-reactive anti-tank weapon "Panzerfaust1" (below - "Panzerfaust"-2). I - grenade body, 2 - bursting charge, 3 - cumulative funnel, 4 - detonating device, 5 - fuse, 6 - wooden grenade rod, 7 - barrel , 8 - expelling charge, 9 - trigger mechanism

In 1943, the Wehrmacht also received a very effective weapon - the dynamo-reactive device "Panzerfaust" ("panzerfaust"), referred to in the literature as "faustpatrone" ("faustpatrone"). The name "panzerfaust" ("armored fist") is associated with a popular German medieval legend about a knight with a "steel arm". Several samples of "panzerfausts" were adopted, designated as F-1 and F-2 ("43 system"), F-3 ("44"), F-4, of fundamentally the same design.

"Panzerfaust" was a disposable grenade launcher, built according to the scheme of the simplest recoilless gun, developed by G. Langweier. The basis was an open steel tube-barrel with a propelling charge and a trigger mechanism. An over-caliber grenade (mine) was inserted into the pipe in front. The propellant charge of smoky gunpowder was placed in a cardboard case and separated from the grenade with a plastic wad. A tube of an impact mechanism was welded to the front of the pipe, which included a firing pin with a mainspring, a release button, a retractable stem with a screw, a return spring and a sleeve with an igniter primer. To cock the percussion mechanism, the stem was fed forward, bringing the primer to the ignition hole, then pulled back and turned, removing the mechanism from protection. The descent was made by pressing a button. The percussion mechanism could be safely removed from the platoon. The sight was a folding bar with a hole, the front sight was the top of the grenade rim. In the stowed position, the bar was attached with a pin to the eye of the grenade. At the same time, it was impossible to cock the percussion mechanism. For a shot, the weapon was usually taken under the arm, they shot from the shoulder only at a short range.

The grenade consisted of a body with a shaped charge (TNT / RDX), covered with a ballistic tip, and a tail section. The latter, equipped, included a metal glass with an inertial fuse and a bottom detonator and a wooden rod with a 4-bladed stabilizer. The folded stabilizer blades opened after leaving the barrel. F-1 grenade caliber - 100 mm, F-2 - 150 mm, weight, respectively - 1.65 and 2.8 kg (charge -0.73 and 1.66 kg), normal armor penetration - 140 and 200 mm. The shape of the F-1 grenade tip was supposed to improve the formation of a cumulative jet. The total weight of the F-1 is 3.25 kg, the F-2 is 5.35 kg, the length is 1010 and 1048 mm, respectively. The initial speed of the grenade is 40 m / s, the effective firing range of the F-1 and F-2 is up to 30 m, hence the names of the models "Panzerfaust-30 Klein" and "Panzerfaust-30 gross". The F-3 ("Panzerfaust-60") had a firing range of up to 60 m. The F-4 ("Panzerfaust-100") model used a two-beam propellant charge with an air gap, which provided a firing range of up to 100 m. The weapon was painted dark green or dirty yellow. When fired behind the pipe, a sheaf of flame 1.5-4 m long escaped, as warned by the inscription "Achtung! Feuerstral!" ("Attention! Beam of fire!"). The hot gas jet of great length made it difficult to fire from tight spaces.

The first batch of "Panzerfaust" in 8000 pieces. released in August 1943, their widespread use began in the spring, and the most massive - at the end of 1944. In 1945. a third model appeared (F-3) with a 150-mm grenade, an increased propellant charge, an elongated tube-barrel and a greater effective range. The F-3 sighting bar had three holes - at 30, 50 and 75 m.

Anti-tank rifle "Bazooka" and a grenade to it: 1 - ballistic cap, 2 - body, 3 - bursting charge, 4 - fuse, 5 - stabilizer, 6 - electric fuse, 7 - propellant charge, 8 - cumulative funnel, 9 - contact ring.

"Panzerfausts" were easy to manufacture and master. In October 1944 400,000 of them were produced, in November - 1.1 million, in December - 1.3 million, in 1945. - 2.8 million. Only a brief training in aiming, shooting and positioning was required. January 26, 1945 Hitler even ordered the formation of a "tank destroyer division" from companies of scooters with "Panzerfausts". In addition to the troops, "Panzerfausts" were issued in large numbers to the Volkssturm fighters and the boys from the Hitler Youth. Faustniks were a dangerous enemy, especially in urban battles, where Soviet troops made extensive use of tanks. It was necessary to allocate special groups of shooters and submachine gunners to fight the Faustniks. Captured "Panzerfausts" were willingly used in the Red Army. Colonel-General Chuikov, noting the interest of Soviet soldiers in "panzerfausts" ("faustpatrons"), half-jokingly even suggested introducing them into the troops under the name "Ivan Patrons".

"Panzerfaust", according to British experts, was "the best hand-held infantry anti-tank weapon of the war." Former Lieutenant General of the Wehrmacht E. Schneider wrote that "only shaped charges connected to a recoilless system ... or in combination with a rocket engine ... were a fairly successful means of close anti-tank defense." But they, in his opinion, did not solve the problem: "Infantry needs anti-tank weapons to be serviced by one person and that it allows them to hit a tank and disable it from a distance of 150, and if possible, 400 m." E. Middeldorf echoed him: "The creation of the Offenror anti-tank reactive gun and the Panzerfaust dynamo-reactive grenade launcher can only be considered as a temporary measure in resolving the problem of infantry anti-tank defense." Most experts already saw the "solution to the problem" in light recoilless rifles (such as the American 57 mm M18 and 75 mm M20 or the German LG-40) and guided anti-tank shells. The experience of local wars, however, showed the importance of light RPGs, and recoilless rifles gradually faded into the background.

In 1942 The Ml Bazooka rocket-propelled grenade launcher was adopted by the US Army. According to some information, during the development, the Americans used information about the German Schulder 75 jet device. The RPG consisted of an open smooth-walled tube, an electric ignition device, a safety box with a contact rod, sighting devices, a pistol grip and a shoulder rest. A wire ring was attached to the rear section of the pipe to protect the pipe from contamination and facilitate the insertion of a grenade, and a round shield (eccentrically) was attached to the front section to protect the shooter from powder gases. On top of the rear cut there was a spring latch to hold the grenade. The electric ignition device included two dry batteries, a signal light, electrical wiring, a contact switch (trigger in front of the pistol grip). The wiring is made according to a single-wire circuit, the second wire is the pipe itself. The red light of the light bulb (on the left side of the shoulder rest) when pressing the contact switch indicated the health of the batteries and wiring. The safety box was attached from above in front of the latch. To turn on the fuse (before loading), its lever was lowered to "SAFE", to turn it off (before firing), it was raised to "FIRE". The sights were attached to the left side of the pipe and included a rear sight-slot and a front sight - a frame with four front sights at fixed ranges. A shoulder strap was used for carrying. The M9 reactive caliber grenade consisted of a streamlined body with a shaped charge, a ballistic tip and a bottom inertial fuse with a safety pin, a powder jet engine with an electric igniter and a 6-bladed stabilizer. The contact of the electric fuse of the grenade engine with the electric ignition device of the RPG was provided by a contact ring on the ballistic tip (from the pipe) and a contact behind the body. Grenade body diameter - 60 mm (2.36 inches), weight - 1.54 kg, length - 536 mm, initial speed - 81 m / s, maximum - 90 m / s, armor penetration - 90 mm normal.

Weight Ml "Bazooka" - 5.7 kg, length - 1550 mm, effective range for tanks - up to 200 m, for defensive structures - up to 365 m (400 yards), rate of fire - 4 rds / min, calculation - 2 people. Shooting was carried out from the shoulder. "Bazooka" Ml was easy to use, but the grenade's armor penetration was insufficient. The design of Ml "Bazooka" determined the path of development of RPGs for a long time, the word "Bazooka" has become a household word.

For the first time Ml "Bazooka" were used in 1942 in North Africa. RPG "Bazooka" has become the main means of an infantry platoon of the American army to fight tanks and enemy firing points. In each company of the infantry battalion, there were 5 RPGs, another 6 were in the company of heavy weapons. In total, about 460,000 of these RPGs were produced. At the end of the 40s, they were replaced by the 88.9-mm RPG M20 "Bazooka", created at the end of the war, but entered service during the fighting in Korea. During the war, a single-barreled 115-mm rocket launcher M12 "Bazooka" was also used - the launch tube was suspended between the tripod supports. The accuracy of its shooting was extremely low.

In 1943, a 57-mm recoilless rifle was successfully tested in the USA. It got to the front only in March 1945. The gun had a weight of 20 kg with a projectile weight of 1.2 kg, firing was carried out from the shoulder or a light tripod using an optical sight. But the 75-mm gun weighing 52 kg turned out to be more successful.

In 1941, in the UK, under the leadership of Colonel Blakker, a "semi-automatic" anti-tank grenade launcher was created, adopted in 1942. into service under the designation "PIAT Mk.G ("Projektor Infantry Ami Tank, Mark I"). The design consisted of a steel pipe with a tray welded in front, a massive bolt-striker, a reciprocating mainspring, a trigger, a bipod, a shoulder rest with a pillow and sighting devices.A grenade (mine), when loaded, was placed on a tray and closed the pipe.

Anti-tank rifle "PIAT" Mk.l and a grenade to it

Semi-automatic operated due to the recoil of the striker: after the shot, he rolled back and stood on the sear of the trigger mechanism. When the trigger lever was pressed, the firing pin seared, under the action of a reciprocating mainspring, it rushed forward and broke the cap of the propellant charge of the grenade, and the shot was fired "from roll-out", i.e. before the shutter comes to the extreme forward position. The sear at this time fell off the trigger lever and could capture the bolt when rolled back. Before the first shot, the shutter was cocked manually. The trigger mechanism had a safety lever on the right, which locked it when the flag was turned forward. The rod of the shoulder stop, which closed the pipe from behind, served as a guide rod and a stopper for the movement of the shutter. Sights were attached to the left side of the pipe and included a front sight and a folding diopter sight with two diopters - at a distance of 70 and 100 yards (64 and 91 m), an arc sight with a level was attached next to the diopter - for firing at long ranges. The bipod was attached to the pipe behind the tray with a clip with a lamb. In front of the shoulder rest there was a casing to hold the grenade launcher when firing with the left hand.

The grenade (mine) consisted of a streamlined body with a cumulative warhead, a head percussion fuse, a bottom detonator cap and a tail tube with an annular stabilizer. The fuse's fire beam was transmitted to the detonator cap through a "fire transfer" tube. A propellant charge with a primer was placed in the tail tube. Grenade body diameter - 88 mm, weight - 1.18 kg, combat charge - 0.34 kg, initial speed - 77 m / s, armor penetration - up to 120 mm. Weight "PIAT" (without grenade) - 15.75 kg, length - 973 mm, firing range for tanks - up to 91 m, for structures - 200-300 m, rate of fire - 4-5 rds / min, calculation - 2 people , regular ammunition - 18 grenades (min). carried over U PIAT" on the shoulder strap.

Attributing "PIAT" to reactive or "dynamo-reactive" systems seems erroneous: the propellant charge burned out before the grenade completely left the tray, and the recoil was absorbed not by the reaction of the gas jet, but by a massive shutter with a "roll-out", spring and shoulder pad. "PIAT" was more of a transitional model between small arms and reactive anti-tank systems. The absence of a gas jet made it possible - unlike jet systems - to fire from enclosed spaces. The disadvantage of "PIAT" was a lot of weight. "PIAT" was considered as the main infantry anti-tank weapon on the ground, where the use of anti-tank guns is difficult. The PIAT crews were part of the infantry battalion support company, the battalion headquarters company. "PIAT" were supplied to the Resistance units: in particular, the Home Army used them during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. In the summer of 1947, PIAT's own production was established in Israel. In service with the British Army "PIAT" was replaced only in 1951. RPG "British Bazooka".

During the war, such "positional" means as heavy easel grenade launchers appeared. Yes, in 1944. On the Soviet-German front, 88-mm grenade launchers "Pupchen" ("Puppchen" - chrysalis) appeared, outwardly resembling an artillery gun. "Pupchen" operated on an active-reactive principle: the smooth barrel was locked with a shutter-door, and the powder gases of the grenade engine were used to push it out of the barrel. The grenade differed from the "Ofenror" by a slightly shorter length and a different engine igniter.

The barrel was a pipe 1600 mm long with a bell at the end. The counterweight on the breech made aiming easier. The shutter was locked with a handle and a crank. In the gate, ejection, shock and safety mechanisms were assembled. The descent was made by a special lever. Sights included a front sight and an open sight, notched from 180 to 700 m. The barrel with a breech and a bolt fit on the trunnions into the upper carriage machine, welded from stamped parts. A shield 3 mm thick with inward-curved edges and a window for aiming was attached to the upper machine. The lower machine consisted of a single-beam frame with a permanent coulter, a pivot foot and a rule. Slides or stamped wheels with rubber tires were attached to the frame. In a marching manner, the barrel was attached to the bed for a counterweight. There were no lifting and turning mechanisms. Vertical aiming angles - from - 20 to + 25 degrees, horizontally - + -30 on wheels and 360 on skids. Grenade flight speed - up to 200 m / s, armor penetration - up to 150 mm. The most effective fire was at a range of 180-200 m. A plate for firing at tanks was attached to the shield. Weight "Puphen"

- 152 kg. It could be disassembled into 6 parts: barrel (19 kg), counterweight (23 kg), upper machine (12 kg), lower machine (43 kg), wheels (22 kg each). Calculation - 4 people. "Pupchen" was distinguished by its simplicity of design. The quantitative ratio of hand and heavy grenade launchers can be judged by the following figures: on March 1, 1945, the Wehrmacht had 139,700 Panzerschreck and 1649 Pupchen. A 105-mm rocket launcher was also developed - a pipe about 2 m long on a tripod. The firing range was 400 m, the calculation - 2 people.

Easel reusable grenade launchers with caliber and over-caliber grenades were also created in the USSR: in SKB-36 of the People's Commissariat of the Oil Industry under the leadership of A.P. Ostrovsky - SPG-82, at the Special Design Bureau of the Moscow Mechanical Institute - SPG-122 (supervisor - A.D. Nadiradze). Ostrovsky presented the prototype SPG-82 in May 1942. Nadiradze's sample was a continuation of the theme he started at TsAGI - a launcher for firing from the shoulder or machine (code name "System"). To improve the accuracy, the projectile was given rotation due to tangential nozzles (turbojet projectile). But the accuracy increased slightly, and the armor penetration of the cumulative warhead decreased during rotation. 408 82 mm "jet guns" with 80 mm armor penetration were made in early 1944, but the tests were not successful. Development work on the SPG-82 and the same type SPG-122 was completed only in 1948, and in 1950. SG-82 was adopted.

In 1945 in the Budapest area, a mounted grenade launcher designed for firing at especially protected targets was captured from the Hungarian units. He had a single-beam wheeled carriage with a coulter and folding wheels. A light frame with two 60-mm launch tubes and a shield protecting the gunner from grenade engine gases was mounted on the rotary device. The grenades were launched at the same time. Sighting range - up to 240 m. Reactive over-caliber grenade - so-called. "Needle of Savashi" - consisted of a streamlined body, a powder jet engine and a turbine that provides rotation in flight. Two shaped charges were placed in series in the case. The first (smaller diameter) was triggered by an impact fuse and a detonator and pierced the screen protecting the target, the second detonated with some delay from the explosion of the first. Characteristically, by the end of the war, weapons for hitting shielded targets appeared, although the Soviet troops made little use of shielding vehicles with additional sheets or mesh.

On the left is the Pupchen anti-tank grenade launcher, on the right is the launcher for the Savashi Needle rocket-propelled grenade

Table 3 Anti-tank grenade launchers

* In parentheses are data 854 "Ofenror"

Work on guided weapons

World War II gave impetus to the development of various types of guided (precision) weapons. Anti-tank guided weapons were not then brought to practical use, but some interesting experiments were made.

The first suitable anti-tank complex appeared in Germany. here in 1943. under the leadership of Dr. M. Kramer, the X-7 "Rotkappchen" ("Rotk-appchen" - Little Red Riding Hood) guided missile was developed. The projectile was a small-sized cruise missile - body diameter 140 mm, length 790 mm - weighing 9.2 kg with a reverse sweep wing. The WASAG powder jet engine developed a force of 676 N during the first 2.6 s, and then - 49 N for 8.5 s, provided the projectile with a speed of up to 98-100 m / s and a flight range of up to 1200 m. Control system, created on the basis of the X-4 aircraft projectile, included a stabilization unit, a switch, rudder drives, command and receiving units, and two cable reels. The stabilization of the position in flight was provided by a powder gyroscope, the signals from which came through the switch to the control relays. Signals from the control unit were transmitted through two wires with a diameter of 0.18 mm, wound on inertia-free coils ("views") at the ends of the wings. The steering wheel was mounted eccentrically on an arcuate rotary rod and included a gas flow interrupter and stabilizing washers with deflectable plates (trimmers) at the ends. It served as both an elevator and a rudder. The armor penetration of a cumulative warhead with a contact fuse reached 200 mm. The launcher was a tray mounted on a tripod with contacts for projectile wires. The installation was connected by cable to the remote command block. The operator visually accompanied the projectile in flight, controlling it with the help of handles in height and direction. Thus, the principles of first-generation anti-tank systems were laid down in the X-7 "Rotkaphen". By the spring of 1945. Rurstal Brekvede fired about 300 X-7 shells, but reports of attempts to use them in combat are very vague.

The groundwork in this area was created on the eve of the war in the USSR and in France. According to some reports, the French after the war received from the Americans a significant part of the information on German developments. In any case, it is no coincidence that in the 50s it was the French who were in the lead in the development of ATGMs.

Often, among the anti-aircraft weapons, "remote-controlled wedges" are mentioned, like the German Goliath controlled by wire (Sd Kfz 302, "device 302" or Motor-E, explosive charge 60 kg) and "Goliath" B-V (Sd Kfz 303, "device 671" or Motor-V, explosive charge 75 or 100 kg). Indeed, the fight against tanks was named among the tasks of these machines, however, their main purpose (as well as similar Soviet developments) was considered to be undermining fortifications, reconnaissance of the fire anti-tank system and clearing minefields. "Goliaths" were in service with special engineering companies as part of the 600th engineering battalion "Typhoon", an assault engineering brigade and cannot be considered among the "infantry anti-tank weapons of close combat." The chassis of the B-IV and Shprnger controlled "heavy charge carriers" was planned to be used for small-sized anti-tank self-propelled guns with launch tubes for anti-tank rocket-propelled grenades or recoilless rifles.

From the Soviet developments of the war period, we mention the "electric tankette-torpedo" ET-1 -627, developed in August 1941 on the initiative of a military engineer of the 3rd rank A.P. Kazantsev with the participation of the director of plant N 627 of the People's Commissariat of Electrical Industry (VNIIEM) A.G. .- Iosif'yana. The tankette was assembled on a wooden frame, had elements of the undercarriage of a small tractor, a caterpillar with a rubber-fabric base and wooden track shoes, an asynchronous electric motor driven by rear drive wheels. Movement and detonation control was carried out along three wires. Already in September 1941. the newly formed plant N 627 received the task of producing the first batch of 30 wedges in a month. According to Kazantsev, ET tankettes were planned to be used on the streets of Moscow, and after the counter-offensive near Moscow, they were used in battles on the Kerch Peninsula, where, in particular, 9 enemy tanks were destroyed. At the same time, power and signals were supplied from a specially converted light tank. Then ET appeared on the Volkhov front, when the blockade of Leningrad was broken. Models of tanks like the MT-34 were built on the ET chassis.

Guided anti-tank projectile "Rotkapfchen"

In some way, "controlled", or rather "live weapons" were dogs. The tactics of using demolition dogs was practiced throughout the 1930s and was tested in 1939 at Khalkhin Gol. The formation of detachments of tank destroyer dogs in the Red Army began in August 1941 at the Central Military School of Service Dog Breeding. The detachment included four companies of 126 dogs each. After the use of the 1st detachment near Moscow in the Klin direction, the commander of the 30th Army, Major General D.D. Lelyushenko reported that "anti-tank dogs are needed by the army and it is necessary to train more of them." In July 1942, the composition of individual detachments was reduced to two companies, which made it possible to increase their number and facilitate management. In June 1943, the detachments were reorganized into separate battalions of mine-detecting dogs and tank destroyers (OBSMIT) consisting of two companies - a mine-detecting company and a fighter company. Tank destroyer dogs were specially trained to rush under the bottom of tanks, while they were taught not to be frightened by explosions and the sounds of shots. A pack with 2-4 kg of explosives with a simple sensitive pin fuse was attached to the back of the dog. The launch of the dog under the tank was carried out from a distance of 75-100 m. The positions for launching the dogs were prepared next to the rifle ones. Dog handlers were armed with machine guns and grenades to destroy enemy tanks and manpower and fought as foot soldiers. The divisions of dogs - tank destroyers were abolished in the Red Army only in October 1943. In total, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, more than 300 tanks, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles were destroyed by dogs. Arguments about the "humanity" or "inhumanity" of such a method of fighting tanks are hardly appropriate in relation to the difficult conditions of the war. Among the shortcomings of this tool is the need to shoot "missed" dogs (which involved regular snipers), since they already posed a danger to their own troops.

Incendiaries in the anti-tank system

Various incendiaries were widely used to fight tanks and armored vehicles during World War II. The effectiveness of their use in the anti-tank defense system was explained by the fire hazard of the tanks themselves; American and many British cars, whose engines ran on high-quality gasoline, as well as Soviet light tanks, were especially sensitive in this regard.

Incendiary weapons are considered the property of the chemical troops, but during the war years "chemists" acted in combat formations of infantry units, so we consider examples of incendiary weapons in the range of "melee infantry weapons." For the needs of anti-tank defense units, incendiary grenades and checkers, portable and stationary (positional) flamethrowers were used.

Thus, the US Army had an ANM-14 incendiary grenade with a metal cylindrical body and a standard M200-A1 remote igniter. Soviet tank destroyers used the so-called. "thermite balls" - small balls of thermite (iron oxide with aluminum) weighing 300 g, with a grating igniter. The ball ignited almost instantly, the burning time reached 1 minute, the temperature was -2000-3000 degrees C. Without a shell, the ball was wrapped in paper to be carried in a pocket or bag.

Molotov cocktails, a cheap and easy-to-make improvisation that proved effective during the Spanish Civil War, also spread. "Incendiary bottles" were widely used by the Soviet troops in the initial period of the war - with an acute shortage of other anti-tank weapons. Already on July 7, 1941. The State Defense Committee adopted a special resolution "On anti-tank incendiary grenades (bottles)". For their release, beer and vodka bottles were used, equipped with self-igniting liquids "KS", "BGS" or combustible mixtures N1 and N3 based on aviation gasoline. For the preparation of the latter, gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, thickened with oils or a special powder OP-2, developed in 1939 under the guidance of A.P. Ionov, were used. The burning time of such mixtures (usually having a dark brown color) is 40-60 seconds, the developed temperature is 700-800 ° C, the mixtures adhered well to metal surfaces, similar to napalm that appeared later. The simplest "fire bottles" were plugged with a cork. Before the throw, the fighter had to replace it with a rag plug soaked in gasoline and set fire to the plug - the operation took a lot of time and made the "bottle" ineffective and dangerous. Two matches, fixed on the neck with an elastic band, could also serve as a fuse. They were set on fire with a grater or a box. In August 1941, a more reliable chemical fuse was adopted for "bottles" by A.T. Kuchin, M.A. Shcheglov and P.S. Maltist: an ampoule with sulfuric acid, bartholium salt and powdered sugar was attached to the bottle with an elastic band. "Fuse" ignited as soon as the ampoule broke along with the bottle. Self-igniting liquids "KS" and "BGS" containing phosphorus and sulfur (nicknamed by the Germans "Molotov cocktail") were a yellow-green solution with a burning time of 2-3 minutes, a combustion temperature of 800-1000 ° C. To protect the liquid from contact with air, a layer of water and kerosene was poured on top, the cork was fastened with electrical tape or wire, and in winter a substance that ignited even at -40 ° C was added. Instructions for use were attached to the bottle. The bottle should have been thrown onto the roof of the engine compartment of the tank. Experienced "fighters" spent 2-3 bottles to defeat a tank. Throwing range - 15-20 m. Bottles were the usual means of partisans. The "combat score" of the bottles is impressive: according to official figures, during the war years, only 2429 tanks, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles, 1189 bunkers and bunkers, 2547 other fortifications, 738 vehicles and 65 military depots were destroyed with their help. Since the middle of the war, incendiary bottles have been widely used in the system of anti-tank and anti-personnel plantings to create "fire explosives" - about 20 bottles were stacked around the anti-tank mines along the radius.

Incendiary bottles - "breakable grenades" - were used by most armies. So, the Americans used the "glass grenade" MZ with a broken fuse on the rim; bottles with a phosphorus-containing mixture were used by the British. Polish Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. used "bottle throwers" in the form of spring catapults and easel crossbows.

At the beginning of the war, a special rifle mortar appeared in the Red Army for firing (with the help of a wooden wad and a blank cartridge) Molotov cocktails. Bottles were used with thicker and more durable glass. The aiming range of throwing a bottle with such a mortar was 80 m, the maximum - 180 m, the rate of fire when calculating 2 people - 6-8 rounds / min. Near Moscow, a rifle squad was usually given two such mortars, a platoon had 6-8 mortars. Shooting was carried out with the emphasis of the butt in the pound. The shooting accuracy was low, and the bottles were often broken, so the mortar was not widely used. At the fronts, it was adapted for throwing delayed-action thermite bombs of the "TZSh" type or smoke bombs - when shelling bunkers or bunkers. During the battles in Stalingrad, the Barrikady plant produced a "bottle launcher" designed by the worker I.P. Inochkin.

The original incendiary weapon of the Red Army was the so-called. "amlulomet", used to combat manpower, destroy or blind enemy tanks and armored vehicles, shelling fortified buildings, etc. The ampoule consisted of a barrel with a chamber, a bolt, a firing device, sights and a carriage with a fork. Barrel - a pipe rolled from sheet 2 mm iron. Sights included a front sight and a folding sight stand. The barrel was fastened with trunnions in the carriage fork - a tripod, a wooden deck or a frame on skis. The projectile was a metal ampoule АЖ-2 or a glass ball with 1 liter of mixture "KS", fired with a blank 12-gauge hunting cartridge. The weight of the ampoule gun was 10 kg, the carriage - from 5 to 18 kg, the effective firing range - 100-120 m, the maximum -240-250 m, the calculation - 3 people, the rate of fire - 6-8 rds / min, ammunition - 10 ampoules and 12 expelling cartridges. Ampoules were very simple and cheap "flamethrower mortars", they were armed with special ampoule platoons. In combat, the ampoule gun often served as the core of a group of tank destroyers. Its use in defense as a whole justified itself, while attempts to use it in the offensive led to large losses in crews due to the short firing range. At the end of 1942 ampoules were withdrawn from service.

Table 4 Flamethrowers

At the beginning of the war, attempts made in the USSR to create "armor-burning" warheads based on a thermite charge accelerated by powder gases turned out to be unsuccessful and stopped with the transition to cumulative warheads.

The possibility of using flamethrowers in the fight against tanks was considered back in the First World War, but only theoretically. It was emphasized in a number of works and manuals on VET in the 1920s, with the proviso that this could take place "in the absence of other means". But in the Second World War, armies used flamethrowers quite widely as an anti-tank weapon in various conditions.

Soviet troops used knapsack pneumatic and "positional" high-explosive flamethrowers. Flamethrowers were equipped with A.P. Ionov’s viscous fire mixtures. ROKS-2 knapsack flamethrowers had a capacity of 10-11 liters of fire mixture, designed for 6-8 shots, a flame throwing range of up to 30-35 m. ROKS-3 had a weight of 23 kg, 8.5 liters of fire mixture were designed for 6-8 short (about 1 s) or 2-3 long shots, the range of flame throwing with a viscous mixture was up to 40 m. Separate companies (orro) and even battalions were formed (obro) knapsack flamethrowers. Companies were usually attached to a rifle regiment in battle, introduced into the composition of engineer assault battalions. High-explosive flamethrowers of the FOG type (the fire mixture was thrown out by propellant gases of an expelling charge) were less maneuverable, but had a more "powerful jet", charging was designed for one shot (up to 2 s). FOG-2 (1942), for example, had a weight of 55 kg, a capacity of 25 liters of fire mixture, a flamethrowing range with a viscous mixture - from 25 to 100-110 m. At the position, a high-explosive flamethrower was installed in a hole, fixed with pegs and masked. The flamethrower squad. (16 FOG) was located on the defensive in three "bushes". In the first military winter, the FOG was sometimes mounted on sleds or sleds and used as "mobile" in offensive battles. In 1943 separate motorized anti-tank flamethrower battalions (omptb, armed with -540 FOG) and separate flamethrower battalions (oob, 576 FOG) were formed, the main task of which in the offensive was to repel counterattacks by enemy tanks and infantry, and in defense - to fight tanks and manpower on the most important tank-hazardous directions.

In defensive battles, improvised flamethrowers were also used to repel enemy tank attacks. In besieged Odessa, for example, at the suggestion of engineer A.I. Leshchenko, trench flamethrowers were produced based on gas cylinders with a fire hose and a flame throwing range of up to 35 m.

The German infantry had light and medium flamethrowers. Light backpack "kl.Fm.W." 1939 models weighed 36 kg, included a cylinder for 10 liters of fire mixture and 5 liters of nitrogen, a cylinder for 1 liter of hydrogen, a fitting with a hose, could fire up to 15 shots at a distance of 25-30 m. landing units. Replaced him in 1944. came "F.W.-1" weighing 2 ^> kg, for 7 liters of mixture, with the same flame throwing range. Note that in the "infantry weapons program" F.W.-1 appeared as primarily an anti-tank weapon. Medium flamethrower "m.Fm.W." (1940) weighing 102 kg, with a capacity of 30 liters of fire mixture and 10 liters of nitrogen, could fire up to 50 shots at a distance of up to 30 m, was transported by a crew of 2 people on a two-wheeled cart, was used in defense.

An original thermite mine (land mine) was also designed in Germany: due to the shape and uneven strength of its body, a directed jet of high-temperature flame was formed during the explosion. Documentation on these developments was transferred to Japan, where they created a heavy device on their basis, capable of supposedly hitting a medium tank at 300 m. Soon, however, the device was converted into a Sakuradan bomb for kamikaze aircraft.

Tactics "tank destroyers"

Any weapon has an effect only with the appropriate tactics. Naturally, the PTO system developed during the years of the Second World War not only in the "technical" but also in the "tactical" sense. A new specialty was defined in the infantry - "tank destroyer". Tank destroyers were accordingly armed, organized, and the order of their combat work within the unit and interaction with other units was determined. Let's take a quick look at some tactical points.

In the USSR already on July 6, 1941. The order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command demanded the creation of "teams for the destruction of tanks", added "packages with explosives and ... flamethrowers of light tanks" to grenades and bottles, and also recommended "night attacks against tanks". The most experienced "grenade launchers" were assigned to combat tanks in rifle subunits. They were equipped with anti-tank grenades and incendiary bottles and were located in single trenches and crevices in tank-hazardous areas. Interaction with anti-tank artillery, even where it was available, was poorly organized - according to pre-war views, batteries of anti-tank guns should have been located behind natural obstacles, and not advanced to tank-dangerous directions. In combination with the short range - no more than 25 m - of grenades and bottles, this reduced the effectiveness of "teams to destroy tanks" and led to large losses of personnel.

In the autumn of 1941 in all rifle companies in the Red Army, groups of tank destroyers began to be created. The group included 9-11 people and, in addition to small arms, was armed with 14-16 anti-tank grenades, 15-20 "incendiary bottles", in battle acted together with armor-piercers - it was given 1-2 anti-tank guns. This allowed the infantry "during the period of a tank attack not only to cut off enemy infantry, but also to take an active part in the fight against the tanks themselves." Japanese troops in the Pacific Islands and in Manchuria made extensive use of suicide fighters, who threw themselves under a tank with a powerful charge. Although there were cases of throwing under a tank with a grenade in especially tense moments of the battle in all armies, perhaps only the Japanese made them a permanent element of anti-tank guns.

Table 4 Development of individual performance characteristics of Soviet and German tanks in the period 1939-1945

Infantry anti-aircraft weapons closely interacted with artillery in combat. In the initial period of the war in the Red Army, "anti-tank units" were practiced in defense, in which anti-tank guns and anti-tank guns were located, covering them with rifle or machine-gun units. During the battle near Moscow, within the battalion defense areas, anti-tank strongholds (PTOP) were created in tank-dangerous directions, which included 2-4 guns and anti-tank guns of rifle units. In the defense zone of the 316th rifle division from October 12 to October 21, 1941. PTOP destroyed up to 80 tanks. During the Battle of Stalingrad, anti-tank guns already included 4-6 guns, an anti-tank rifle platoon. In 1942, the journal "Military Thought" wrote: "Anti-tank artillery ... it is better to have groups of 2-6 guns in the so-called anti-tank strongholds, reliably covered by anti-tank obstacles ... provided with armor-piercers and tank destroyers." The order to all the commanders of the armies, commanders of divisions and regiments of the Western Front in relation to anti-tank missiles stated: "PTRs are also attached to strong points, and it must be taken into account that the greatest effectiveness of their fire is obtained when used in groups (3-4 guns) ... Tank destroyers with anti-tank grenades, bundles of conventional grenades and bottles of flammable liquid are an effective means of close combat against tanks. Teams of tank destroyers must be prepared at each strong point ... ". The instruction on anti-tank defense, published by the General Staff in the autumn of 1942, singled out company anti-tank guns, battalion anti-tank units in the system of anti-tank regiments and divisions. According to the draft Field Manual of 1943, the basis of the PTO was made up of strong points and areas. The composition of the PTOP usually included 4-6 guns, 9-12 anti-tank rifles, 2-4 mortars, 5-7 machine guns, up to a platoon of submachine gunners and a squad of sappers, sometimes tanks and self-propelled guns. 2-3 company PTOPs were united into battalion units (4-6 in the division zone), covered by anti-tank barriers and obstacles. Such a system fully justified itself during the defensive battle of the Battle of Kursk. Groups of sappers-tank destroyers also closely cooperated with rifle subunits, setting up explosive barriers directly in front of advancing enemy tanks. For this, regular mines TM-41, "mine belts" were used. In defense, fighter sappers often installed anti-tank mines on sleds or boards pulled up by ropes. The mobile anti-tank reserve of the units also included platoons of tank destroyer dogs - they were located in tank-hazardous directions not far from the positions of anti-tank artillery. The composition of such platoons also included the calculations of anti-tank rifles and light machine guns.

Infantry and artillery anti-aircraft weapons were often brought together organizationally. The anti-tank division of the Soviet rifle division, according to the state of 1942, had 18 45-mm anti-tank guns and an anti-tank rifle company (36 guns). And the infantry regiment of the US Army at the end of the war had a full-time anti-tank battery (company), armed with nine 57-mm anti-tank guns and nine Ml "Bazooka" RPGs.

During the war, the idea of ​​"enlarging" tank destroyer units was repeatedly expressed. So, according to the memoirs of N.D. Yakovlev, in March 1943. the commander of the Volkhov Front, K.A. Meretskov, proposed introducing special “grenadier” units into the rifle troops, armed with anti-tank and anti-tank grenades. On the other hand, G. Guderian recalled that on January 26, 1945, Hitler gave the order to form a "tank destroyer division." With a formidable name, it was supposed to consist only of companies of scooters (cyclists) with "Panzerfausts", i.e. be another improvisation of the end of the war.

PTR, anti-tank grenades and mines were successfully used by partisans. Since June 20, 1942 to February 1, 1944 the Soviet Central Headquarters of the partisan movement handed over to partisan detachments 2,556 anti-tank rifles, 75,000 anti-tank guns, and 464,570 fragmentation hand grenades. The partisans especially widely used incendiary bottles and makeshift "mobile" mines. PTR Soviet partisans used to fire at enemy trains: at locomotives or fuel tanks.

Some conclusions can be drawn regarding the development and combat use of infantry anti-tank weapons during the Second World War:

1. The experience of combat operations has shown the urgent need to saturate infantry units (squad-platoon-company) with weapons capable of effectively hitting all types of tanks and armored vehicles at ranges up to 400 m.

2. During the war, the "nomenclature" of such means grew - both through the creation and improvement of special anti-tank models (PTR, RPG), and by adapting "multi-purpose" weapons to the needs of anti-tank weapons (flare pistol, rifle grenade launchers, flamethrowers). At the same time, anti-tank weapons differed: in the principle of the damaging effect of the ammunition (kinetic energy of a bullet, cumulative effect, high-explosive or incendiary action), in the principle of "throwing" action (small and rocket weapons, hand grenades), long-range (PTR - up to 500, RPG - up to 200 , hand grenades - up to 20 m). Some tools were in service at the beginning of the war, others appeared during it and subsequently developed rapidly, while others (incendiary bottles, "sticky bombs", ampoule) were only "wartime improvisations." In the middle of the war, German specialists developed the new infantry anti-tank weapons system most fully, but the rapidly depleted resources and the rapid actions of the Red Army did not give the Wehrmacht the opportunity to fully use this advantage. Regarding the system of anti-tank weapons of the Red Army, it is worth noting that by the end of the war, as at its beginning, rifle units had hand grenades as their main means, applicable at ranges up to 20-25 m. up to 500 m. The fight against enemy tanks was again entirely assigned to artillery, which received in 1942-43. new anti-tank guns (45 mm M-42 gun, 57 mm ZIS-2, 76 mm ZIS-3), as well as HEAT shells for regimental guns and divisional howitzers. However, neither the growth of anti-tank artillery, nor its closer interaction with the infantry, did not relieve the latter of the need to fight enemy tanks in front of their own positions with their own means.

3. The infantry anti-tank weapons complex began to change dramatically from the middle of 1943. - the main role was transferred to models with a cumulative warhead, primarily to RPGs. The reason for this was a change in the system of armored armaments of the armies - the withdrawal of light tanks from combat units, an increase in the thickness of the armor of medium tanks and self-propelled guns to 50-100 m, heavy ones - up to 80-200 mm. The complex of anti-aircraft weapons, which developed in the post-war period, took shape almost by the spring of 1945. (taking into account experiments with a guided anti-tank projectile).

4. The increase in the saturation of troops with light anti-tank weapons operating in infantry combat formations increased the survivability, independence and maneuverability of subunits and units, strengthened the overall anti-tank system.

5. The effectiveness of anti-aircraft weapons in combat was determined not only by their performance characteristics, but also by the complex use of these weapons, the organization of close interaction between infantry, artillery and sappers both in defensive and offensive combat, and the degree of preparedness of the personnel of the units.

14.5 mm Degtyarev anti-tank rifle (PTRD) USSR 1941

Simonov 14.5 mm automatic anti-tank rifle (PTRS) 1941 USSR

R inactive disposable anti-tank grenade launcher "Panzerfaust" F-2 Germany 1944

7.92 mm anti-tank gun PzB 1939 Germany

7.92 mm anti-tank gun "UR" Poland 1935

13.9 mm anti-tank gun "Boys" Mk I 1936 Great Britain

Rocket disposable anti-tank grenade launcher "Panzerfaust" F-1 Germany 1943

88-mm rocket-propelled gun "Ofenror" 1943 Germany

88 mm projectile for anti-tank rifles

88-mm rocket-propelled anti-tank gun "Panzerschreck" 1944 Germany

60 mm rocket-propelled gun M1 (Bazooka) USA 1943

88.9 mm anti-tank rocket launcher M20 (Super Bazooka) USA 1947

German anti-tank towed guns of the period of the 2nd World War

50 mm anti-tank gun Pak-38

37 mm anti-tank gun Pak-35/36

75 mm anti-tank gun Pak-40

47 mm anti-tank gun Pak-37 (t)

88 mm anti-tank gun Pak-41/43

O main battle tank T-72

Main battle tank "Merkava" Mk2 Israel

Main battle tank "Challenger" Mk1 Great Britain

Main battle tank M1A1 "Abrams" USA

In this part, we will talk about the most massive and successful manufacturer of PTR for the entire Second World War.

the USSR

The development of PTR in the USSR has been carried out since 1936. several large KBs at once. As with potential opponents, development was carried out in parallel in several directions, namely:

Development of light anti-tank rifles for powerful rifle-caliber cartridges (7.62x122 and 7.62x155).

And the development of light PTR in more powerful calibers 12.7mm and 14.5mm

In the second half of the 30s, the Soviet command greatly overestimated the armor of the tanks of a potential enemy and immediately decided to design portable large-caliber anti-tank guns of 20-25mm caliber. At the same time, they severely limited the developers in the mass of weapons - up to 35 kg. As a result, out of 15 samples considered before 1938. none were adopted. In November 1938 the requirements of the Main Artillery Directorate themselves were changed, now a cartridge was ready for the new weapon, which had been developed since 1934.

The powerful B-32 cartridge of 14.5x114 mm caliber had excellent characteristics for that time. An armor-piercing incendiary bullet with a hardened core and a pyrotechnic composition left the barrel at a speed of 1100 m / s and pierced 20 mm of armor, at an angle of 70 degrees, at a distance of 300 m.

In addition to the B-32, the BS-41 bullet appeared a little later with even more impressive results. The cermet core allowed the BS-41 bullet to penetrate 30mm armor at a distance of 350m, and from a distance of 100m the bullet pierced 40mm armor. Also, for the purposes of the experiment, a capsule with an irritating substance, chloroacetophenone, was placed in the bottom of the BS-41 bullet. But the idea didn't really take off either.

The first gun to be adopted for the new cartridge was the development of N.V. Rukavishnikov. His PTR-39 made it possible to produce about 15 rounds per minute and successfully passed the tests. However, the PTR-39 did not go into mass production. Head of GAU - Marshal G.I. Kulik, based on erroneous information about new German tanks with reinforced armor, concluded that anti-tank rifles and even 45mm cannons were unsuitable for fighting new German tanks.

This decision (1940) actually left the Soviet infantryman without completely effective anti-tank weapons for June 1941. Let me remind you that on June 22, 1941. The main tank of the Wehrmacht was the PzKpfw III of various modifications - the frontal armor of the most modern of them was a maximum of 50mm, including overhead armor plates. The maximum armor of the turret and sides of the newest modification for 1941 was 30mm. That is, most tanks with a high degree of probability were hit by a 14.5mm PTR cartridge in almost any projection at distances of 300m or more.

This is not to mention the defeat of tracks, optical instruments, tanks and other vulnerabilities of the tank. At the same time, a huge number of German armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers were quite tough for the Soviet PTR, especially the "forty-five".

The PTR-39 designed by Rukavishnikov was not without flaws - it was rather complicated and expensive to manufacture and sensitive to operate. But still, given that with the start of the war, our army was left without any anti-tank rifle and considering that the Sholokhov ersatz gun (cal. 12.7mm DShK) was used - copies of the same one, only with a muzzle brake and a shock absorber, this mistake cost the Red Army a lot Army.

In 1941 at the GKO meeting, I.V. Stalin instructed to urgently develop a new anti-tank rifle for the Red Army. For reliability, the leader recommended entrusting the work to "one more, and preferably two" designers. Both brilliantly coped with the task in their own way - S.G. Simonov and V.A. Degtyarev, moreover, only 22 days passed from the moment the assignment was received to the test firing.

PTRD

July 4, 1941 Degtyarev began the development of his PTR and on July 14 he transferred the project to production, 2 magazine versions of Degtyarev's PTR were considered on July 28 at the Red Army Small Arms Directorate. In order to speed up and simplify production, one of the options was proposed to be made single-shot. Already in August of the 41st, the cartridge I mentioned with a BS-41 bullet from the Moscow Hard Alloy Plant arrived in time. And in October 1941. in the ranks of the Red Army, a new combat specialty appeared - an armor-piercer.

PTRD - A single-shot rifle with a longitudinally sliding rotary bolt. The rifled barrel was equipped with an active box-shaped muzzle brake. The shutter had two lugs, a simple percussion mechanism, a reflector and an ejector. The butt had a spring for damping recoil, which also performed the role of a return. The shutter in the coupling with the barrel after the shot rolled back, the shutter handle turned on the copy profile fixed on the butt, and when turned, unlocked the shutter. The shutter, after stopping the barrel, moved back by inertia, and got up on the shutter delay, the sleeve was pushed out by the reflector into the lower window.

Sending a new cartridge into the chamber and locking the shutter was done manually. Sights were taken out to the left and worked in two modes up to 400m and more than 400m. The calculation of the gun consisted of two people. The total mass of the PTR and ammunition was about 26 kg (the Degtyarev gun itself weighed 17 kg). For maneuverability, a carrying handle was placed on the gun. The gun was carried either by both, or by one fighter from the calculation. Only during 1942. The Soviet defense industry gave the front nearly 185,000 ATGMs.

PTRS

Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov took a slightly different path. Based on his own developments (for example, ABC-36), he created an anti-tank gun with gas automatics. This made it possible to achieve an excellent practical rate of fire of 16 or more rounds per minute. At the same time, this increased the total weight of the weapon to 22kg.

Simonov's design looks, of course, much more complex against the background of Degtyarev's design, however, it was simpler than Rukavishnikov's design. As a result, both samples were adopted.

So PTRS - Anti-tank self-loading rifle arr. 1941 Simonov systems A weapon designed to fight enemy light and medium tanks at a distance of up to 500m. In practice, it was also used to destroy firing points, mortar and machine-gun crews, bunkers, bunkers, low-flying aircraft and enemy manpower behind shelters at distances up to 800m.

Semi-automatic weapons used for the operation of automation the removal of part of the powder gases from the bore. The weapon is equipped with a three-position gas regulator. Food was supplied from an integral magazine with clips of 5 rounds. USM allowed only single fire. Locking - skewed shutter in a vertical plane, recoil compensation by means of a muzzle brake, softening nozzle on the butt. In this model, a special shock absorber was not needed, since the muzzle brake paired with the semi-automatic system itself was enough to reduce recoil, although the recoil of the PTRD is less noticeable.

In 1941 due to the rather complex and laborious production process, only 77 PTRS were received by the troops, but already in 1942 production was established and 63,000 PTRS went to the front. The production of PTRD and PTRS continued until 1945. During the war years, about 400,000 anti-tank rifles were produced in the USSR.

The combat use of PTR also took place in various parts of the world after the end of WWII. Soviet PTRs successfully penetrated the armor of American tanks in Korea, as well as the armor of the M113 armored personnel carrier in Vietnam.

Separate samples of Soviet anti-tank rifles were confiscated from Palestinian militants in Lebanon. The author saw with his own eyes a Soviet anti-tank rifle in a weaponry at the training base of the Givati ​​infantry brigade in the Negev desert in Israel. The Israelis called this weapon the "Russian Barret".

The cartridge 14.5x114 is still alive and is in service in many countries of the world.

During the Second World War, there were armor-piercing aces who had more than a dozen destroyed enemy tanks and even Luftwaffe aircraft on their account. The weapon played a very significant role in the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany. Despite. that by 1943 it had become extremely difficult to knock out a tank from an anti-tank rifle, the weapon remained in service until 1945. until it was replaced by rocket-propelled anti-tank grenade launchers.

Work was also underway to create a new PTR for a more powerful cartridge, for example, 14.5x147mm with high penetration. To hit the already medium tanks of the Wehrmacht of later series. But such weapons did not enter service, since by 1943 the infantry of the Red Army was fully equipped with anti-tank artillery. The production of PTRs declined, by the end of the war, only 40,000 PTRs remained in service with the Red Army.

In terms of the combination of basic qualities - maneuverability, ease of production and operation, firepower and low cost, Soviet anti-tank missiles significantly surpassed the enemy’s rifle anti-tank weapons. It is worth noting that the early PTR series were not without problems in operation. With the onset of the spring of 1942, both the design flaws and the urgently established production, as well as the lack of proper knowledge regarding operation in the troops themselves, appeared.

But through the efforts of the designers and workers, the shortcomings were corrected as soon as possible, and the troops began to receive detailed, but quite intelligible and simple instructions for the operation of the PTR. Designers Degtyarev and Simonov personally inspected the front-line units and observed the operation, collecting feedback from armor-piercing fighters. Already by the summer of 1942, the guns were finally finalized and became very reliable weapons that work in any climatic conditions.

In conclusion of this part, I will quote the chief of staff of the 1st Baltic Front, Colonel General V.V. Kurasova:

“During the Great Patriotic War,” he wrote on October 30, 1944, “anti-tank guns were used in all types of combat to cover tank-dangerous areas, both by whole units and groups of 3-4 guns. In offensive combat, anti-tank missiles were used in the probable directions of enemy counterattacks, being directly in the combat formations of the advancing infantry. In defense, anti-tank missiles were used in the most tank-dangerous directions as part of a platoon-company, echeloning in depth. The firing positions were chosen taking into account the conduct of flank fire, and in addition to the main ones, there were 2-3 spare positions, taking into account the conduct of group fire with all-round fire.

The experience of using anti-tank rifles during World War II shows that they had the greatest effect in the period up to July 1943, when the enemy used light and medium tanks, and the combat formations of our troops were relatively poorly saturated with anti-tank artillery. Starting from the second half of 1943, when the enemy began to use heavy tanks and self-propelled guns with powerful armor protection, the effectiveness of anti-tank rifles decreased significantly. Since that time, the main role in the fight against tanks has been entirely played by artillery. Anti-tank rifles, which have good accuracy of fire, are now used mainly against enemy firing points, armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers.

At the end of the Second World PTR, they smoothly turned into large-caliber sniper rifles. Although in some local conflicts, both anti-tank rifles of the Second World War and modern home-made ones, handicraft samples are used to combat lightly armored and other equipment, as well as enemy manpower.

This article does not mention all the samples that are classified as PTR. Conventionally, anti-tank rifles can be divided into three categories - light (rifle caliber), medium (heavy machine gun caliber) and heavy (bordering on air cannons and anti-tank artillery). I practically did not touch on the latter, since, in my understanding, they already bear little resemblance to a "gun".

Separately, it is necessary to consider the class of "recoilless", the development of which began in the USSR at the very beginning of the 30s ...

But that's a completely different story.

1,0 1 -1 7

By the beginning of the Second World War, the infantry was armed with high-explosive hand grenades and anti-tank rifles, that is, tools that originated in the last years of the First World War. "Anti-tank rifle" (PTR) is not a completely accurate term - it would be more correct to call this weapon an "anti-tank rifle." However, it has historically developed (apparently, as a translation of the German word "panzerbuhse") and has firmly entered our lexicon. The armor-piercing action of anti-tank rifles is based on the kinetic energy of the bullet used, and, therefore, depends on the speed of the bullet at the time of the meeting with an obstacle, the angle of the meeting, the mass (or rather, the ratio of mass to caliber), the design and shape of the bullet, the mechanical properties of the bullet material (core) and armor. The bullet, breaking through the armor, inflicts damage due to incendiary and fragmentation action. It should be noted that the lack of armor action was the main reason for the low efficiency of the first anti-tank rifle - a single-shot 13.37-mm Mauser developed in 1918. The bullet fired from this PTR was capable of penetrating 20 mm armor at a distance of 500 meters. In the interwar period, PTRs were tested in different countries, but for a long time they were treated more like a surrogate, especially since the German Reichswehr adopted the Mauser anti-tank rifle as a temporary replacement for the TuF machine gun of the appropriate caliber.

In the 1920s and 1930s, a light small-caliber gun or a heavy machine gun seemed to most experts the most successful and versatile solution for two tasks - air defense at low altitudes and anti-tank defense at short and medium ranges. It would seem that this view was also confirmed by the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 (although during those battles, both sides, in addition to the 20-mm automatic guns, used the preserved 13.37-mm Mauser anti-tank guns). However, by the end of the 30s, it became clear that the “universal” or “anti-tank” machine gun (12.7 mm Browning, DShK, Vickers, 13 mm Hotchkiss, 20 mm Oerlikon, Solothurn ”, “Madsen”, 25-mm “Vickers”), due to the combination of its weight and size indicators and efficiency, cannot be used at the forefront by small infantry units. Large-caliber machine guns during the Second World War, as a rule, were used for air defense needs or for shelling fortified firing points (a typical example is the use of the Soviet 12.7-mm DShK). True, they were armed with light armored vehicles, along with anti-aircraft guns, they were attracted to anti-aircraft defense, even included in anti-tank reserves. But the heavy machine gun did not actually become an anti-tank weapon. Note that the 14.5-mm Vladimirov KPV machine gun, which appeared in 1944, although it was created under the cartridge of an anti-tank rifle, by the time of its appearance could not play the role of "anti-tank". After the war, it was used as a means of combating manpower at considerable ranges, air targets and light armored vehicles.

The anti-tank guns used during the Second World War differed in caliber (from 7.92 to 20 millimeters), type (self-loading, magazine, single-shot), size, weight, layout. However, their design had a number of common features:
- high muzzle velocity was achieved through the use of a powerful cartridge and a long barrel (90 - 150 calibers);

Cartridges with armor-piercing tracer and armor-piercing incendiary bullets were used, which had armor-piercing and sufficient armor-piercing action. Note that attempts to create anti-tank rifles for the mastered cartridges of large-caliber machine guns did not give satisfactory results, and the cartridges were developed specially, and in 20-mm anti-tank guns they used converted cartridges for aircraft guns. 20mm PTRs became a separate branch of the "anti-tank machine guns" of the 20-30s of the last century;

To reduce recoil, muzzle brakes, spring shock absorbers, soft butt pads were installed;

To increase maneuverability, the dimensions of the mass and PTR were reduced, carrying handles were introduced, and heavy guns were quick-release;

In order to quickly transfer fire, the bipods were attached closer to the middle, for the uniformity of aiming and convenience, many samples were equipped with a “cheek”, a butt shoulder pad, a pistol grip served for control in most samples, it was provided to hold the left hand for a special handle or butt when firing;

The maximum reliability of mechanisms was achieved;

Great importance was attached to the ease of development and manufacture.

The problem of rate of fire was resolved in combination with the requirement for simplicity of design and maneuverability. Single-shot anti-tank rifles had a rate of fire of 6-8 rounds per minute, magazine - 10-12, and self-loading - 20-30.

12.7-mm single-shot "PTR Sholokhov" chambered for DShK, made in 1941

In the USSR, a government decree on the development of an anti-tank rifle appeared on March 13, 1936. S.A. Korovin M.N. Blum and S.V. Vladimirov. Until 1938, 15 samples were tested, but none of them met the requirements. So, in 1936, at the Kovrov plant No. 2 named after. Kirkizha made two prototypes of the 20-mm "company anti-tank gun" INZ-10 of the M.N. Blum and S.V. Vladimirov - on a wheeled carriage and bipod. In August 1938, eight anti-tank weapon systems for the company level were tested in Shchyurovo at the Small Arms Research Range:
— 20-mm anti-tank gun INZ-10;
- 12.7 mm anti-tank rifle converted by NIPSVO from the German "Mauser";
- 12.7 mm Vladimirov anti-tank rifle;
- 12.7 mm TsKB-2 anti-tank rifle;
- 14.5 mm anti-tank rifle of the Vladimirov and NIPSVO systems (14.5 mm cartridge developed by NIPSVO);
- 25 mm self-loading gun MTs (43-K of the Tsyrulnikov and Mikhno systems);
- 37 mm DR recoilless gun.

Light self-loading gun INZ-10 showed unsatisfactory armor penetration and accuracy. The mass of weapons in combat position was also large (41.9 - 83.3 kg). The rest of the systems were either found to be unsatisfactory or needed major improvements. At the beginning of 1937, NIPSVO tested an experimental Tula self-loading 20-mm anti-tank gun (gun) TsKBSV-51 developed by S.A. Korovin. This gun had a tripod and an optical sight. However, it was also rejected due to insufficient armor penetration, a large mass (47.2 kg) and an unsuccessful design of the muzzle brake. In 1938, B.G. offered his light 37-mm anti-tank gun. Shpitalny, head of OKB-15, but she was rejected even before the start of the tests. The attempt to convert the Shpitalny and Vladimirov’s (ShVAK) automatic 20-mm cannon into a “universal” anti-aircraft anti-tank weapon also failed. In the end, the requirements for anti-tank guns themselves were recognized as inappropriate. On November 9, 1938, new requirements were formulated by the Artillery Directorate. A powerful 14.5-mm cartridge has been finalized, having an armor-piercing incendiary B-32 bullet with a hardened steel core and a pyrotechnic incendiary composition (similar to the B-32 rifle bullet). The incendiary composition was placed between the shell and the core. Serial production of the cartridge began in 1940. The mass of the cartridge left 198 grams, bullets - 51 grams, cartridge length was 155.5 millimeters, sleeves - 114.2 millimeters. A bullet at a range of 0.5 km at a meeting angle of 20 degrees was capable of penetrating 20 mm cemented armor.

14.5 mm PTR Degtyarev arr. 1941

N.V. Rukavishnikov developed a very successful self-loading rifle for this cartridge, the rate of fire of which reached 15 rounds per minute (the self-loading 14.5-millimeter anti-tank rifle developed by Shpitalny failed again). In August 1939, it successfully passed the test. In October of the same year, it was put into service under the designation PTR-39. However, in the spring of 1940 Marshal G.I. Kulik, head of the GAU, raised the issue of the ineffectiveness of existing anti-tank weapons against the "newest Germany", about which intelligence appeared. In July 1940, the production of the PTR-39 was put into production by the Kovrov plant named after. Kirkizh was suspended. Erroneous views that armor protection and firepower of tanks would increase significantly in the near future had a number of consequences: anti-tank rifles were excluded from the weapons system (order dated August 26, 1940), production of 45-mm anti-tank guns was stopped, and an assignment was issued for urgent design of 107- millimeter tank and anti-tank guns. As a result, the Soviet infantry lost an effective close combat anti-tank weapon.

In the first weeks of the war, the tragic consequences of this mistake became visible. However, on June 23, tests of Rukavishnikov's anti-tank rifles showed a still high percentage of delays. Fine-tuning and putting this gun into production would require considerable time. True, individual Rukavishnikov anti-tank rifles were used in parts of the Western Front during the defense of Moscow. In July 1941, as a temporary measure, the workshops of many Moscow universities set up the assembly of a single-shot anti-tank rifle chambered for a 12.7-mm DShK cartridge (this gun was proposed by V.N. Sholokhov, and it was considered back in 1938). The simple design was copied from an old German 13.37 mm Mauser anti-tank rifle. However, a muzzle brake was added to the design, a shock absorber on the back of the butt, and light folding bipods were installed. Despite this, the design did not provide the required parameters, especially since the armor penetration of the 12.7 mm cartridge was insufficient to fight tanks. Especially for these anti-tank rifles, a cartridge was produced in small batches, having an armor-piercing bullet BS-41.

Finally, in July, a 14.5-mm cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet was officially adopted. To speed up work on a technologically advanced and effective 14.5-mm anti-tank rifle, Stalin, at a meeting of the State Defense Committee, proposed that the development be entrusted to "one more, and for reliability - to two designers" (according to the memoirs of D.F. Ustinov). The task was issued in July by S.G. Simonov and V.A. Degtyarev. A month later, designs ready for testing were presented - only 22 days passed from the moment the assignment was received to test shots.

V.A. Degtyarev and employees of KB-2 of the plant. Kirkizha (INZ-2 or Plant No. 2 of the People's Commissariat for Armaments) on July 4 began the development of a 14.5 mm anti-tank rifle. At the same time, two store options were developed. On July 14, working drawings were transferred to production. On July 28, the Degtyarev anti-tank rifle project was considered at a meeting in the Red Army Small Arms Directorate. On July 30, Degtyarev was offered to simplify one sample by converting it into a single-shot one. This was necessary to speed up the organization of mass production of anti-tank rifles. A few days later, the sample was already presented.

At the same time, work was underway to fine-tune the cartridge. On August 15, a variant of a 14.5-mm cartridge with a BS-41 bullet having a powder ceramic-metal core was put into service (bullet weight was 63.6 g). Bullet was developed by the Moscow plant of hard alloys. 14.5-mm cartridges differed in color: the nose of the B-32 bullet was painted black, there was a red belt, the BS-41 bullet was painted red and had a black nose. The cartridge primer was covered with black paint. This coloring allowed the armor-piercer to quickly distinguish between cartridges. A cartridge with a BZ-39 bullet was produced. Based on the BS-41, an “armor-piercing incendiary-chemical” bullet with a capsule with a HAF gas-forming composition in the rear was developed (the German “armor-piercing chemical” cartridge for Pz.B 39 served as a model). However, this cartridge was not accepted. The acceleration of work on anti-tank guns was necessary, since the problems of anti-tank guns in rifle units worsened - in August, due to a lack of anti-tank artillery, 45-mm guns were removed from the divisional and battalion level to form anti-tank artillery brigades and regiments, the 57-mm anti-tank gun was removed from production due to technological problems.

On August 29, 1941, after a demonstration to members of the State Defense Committee, the self-loading sample of Simonov and the single-shot Degtyarev were adopted under the designations PTRS and PTRD. Due to the haste of the issue, the guns were accepted before the end of the tests - the tests of anti-tank guns for survivability were carried out on September 12-13, the final tests of the modified anti-tank guns on September 24. New anti-tank guns were supposed to fight light and medium tanks, as well as armored vehicles at a distance of up to 500 meters.

14.5 mm PTR Simonov arr. 1941

The production of PTRD was started at the plant number 2 named after. Kirkizha - in early October, the first batch of 50 guns was put into assembly. In the Department of the Chief Designer on October 10, they created a special. documentation group. As a matter of urgency, a conveyor was organized. Equipment and tools were prepared out of turn. On October 28, a specialized production of anti-tank rifles was created under the leadership of Goryachiy - at that time the task for anti-tank weapons was a priority. Later, Izhmash, the production of the Tula Arms Plant, evacuated to Saratov and others, joined the production of anti-tank rifles.

Degtyarev's single-shot anti-tank gun consisted of a barrel with a cylindrical receiver, a longitudinally pivoting sliding bolt, a butt with a trigger box, trigger and impact mechanisms, a bipod and sights. In the bore there were 8 rifling with a stroke length of 420 mm. The active box-shaped muzzle brake was capable of absorbing up to 60% of the recoil energy. The cylindrical bolt had a straight handle in the back and two lugs - in the front, it installed a percussion mechanism, a reflector and an ejector. The percussion mechanism included a mainspring and a drummer with a striker; the drummer's tail looked like a hook and went out. The bevel of its core, when the shutter was unlocked, took the drummer back.

The receiver and trigger boxes were connected rigidly connected to the inner tube of the butt. The inner tube, which has a spring shock absorber, was inserted into the butt tube. The movable system (bolt, receiver and barrel) moved back after the shot, the bolt handle “ran” onto the copy profile fixed on the butt, and when turned, unlocked the bolt. The shutter after stopping the barrel by inertia moved back, getting up on the shutter delay (left side of the receiver), while the sleeve was pushed by the reflector into the lower window in the receiver. The shock absorber spring returned the movable system to the forward position. Inserting a new cartridge into the upper window of the receiver, sending it, as well as locking the shutter, was done manually. The trigger mechanism included a trigger, a trigger lever and a sear with springs. Sights were carried to the left on the brackets. They included a front sight and a flip rear sight at a distance of up to and over 600 meters (in the anti-tank guns of the first releases, the rear sight moved in a vertical groove).

On the butt there was a soft pillow, a wooden stop designed to hold the gun with the left hand, a wooden pistol grip, a “cheek”. Folding stamped bipods on the barrel were attached with a clamp with a lamb. A handle was also attached to the barrel with which the weapon was carried. The accessory included a pair of canvas bags each for 20 rounds. The total weight of the Degtyarev anti-tank rifle with ammunition was approximately 26 kilograms. In battle, the gun was carried by the first or both calculation numbers.

A minimum of parts, the use of a butt tube instead of a frame greatly simplified the production of an anti-tank rifle, and the automatic opening of the bolt increased the rate of fire. Degtyarev's anti-tank rifle successfully combined simplicity, efficiency and reliability. The speed of setting up production was of great importance in those conditions. The first batch of 300 PTRD units was completed in October and already in early November it was sent to Rokossovsky's 16th army. On November 16, they were first used in combat. By December 30, 1941, 17,688 Degtyarev anti-tank rifles were produced, and during 1942 - 184,800 units.

The Simonov self-loading anti-tank rifle was created on the basis of an experimental Simonov self-loading rifle of the 1938 model, which worked according to the scheme with the removal of powder gas. The gun consisted of a barrel with a muzzle brake and a vapor chamber, a receiver with a butt, a trigger guard, a bolt, a reloading mechanism, a firing mechanism, sights, a bipod and a magazine. The bore was the same as that of the PTRD. The open-type gas chamber was fastened with pins at a distance of 1/3 of the barrel length from the muzzle. The receiver and the barrel were connected by a wedge.

The barrel bore was locked by tilting the bolt core down. Locking and unlocking was controlled by the stem of the shutter, which has a handle. The reloading mechanism included a gas regulator with three positions, a rod, a piston, a tube and a pusher with a spring. A pusher acted on the bolt stem. The shutter return spring was located in the stem channel. The drummer with a spring was placed in the channel of the shutter core. The shutter, having received an impulse of movement from the pusher after the shot, moved back. At the same time, the pusher returned forward. At the same time, the cartridge case was removed by the bolt ejector and reflected upward by the protrusion of the receiver. After the cartridges ran out, the shutter got up to stop in the receiver.

A trigger mechanism was mounted on the trigger guard. The trigger mechanism had a helical mainspring. The design of the trigger mechanism included: a trigger sear, a trigger lever and a hook, while the axis of the trigger was located at the bottom. The store and the lever feeder were hinged to the receiver, its latch was located on the trigger guard. The cartridges were placed in a checkerboard pattern. The store was equipped with a pack (clip) with five rounds of ammunition with the lid folded down. The affiliation of the rifle included 6 clips. The front sight had a fence, and the sector sight notches from 100 to 1500 meters in increments of 50. The anti-tank rifle had a wooden butt with a shoulder pad and soft cushion, a pistol grip. The narrow neck of the butt was used to hold the gun with the left hand. Folding bipods were attached to the barrel with the help of a clip (swivel). There was a handle for carrying. In combat, an anti-tank rifle was carried by one or both crew numbers. The disassembled gun on the campaign - the receiver with the butt and the barrel - was transferred in two canvas covers.

The manufacture of the Simonov self-loading anti-tank rifle was simpler than the Rukavishnikov rifle (the number of parts was a third less, the machine-hours were 60% less, and the time was 30%), but much more difficult than the Degtyarev anti-tank rifle. In 1941, 77 Simonov anti-tank rifles were produced, in 1942 the number was already 63,308 units. Since anti-tank rifles were urgently accepted, all the shortcomings of the new systems, such as the tight extraction of the cartridge case from the Degtyarev PTR or the twin shots from the Simonov PTR, were corrected during production or “brought up” in military workshops. With all the manufacturability of anti-tank rifles, the deployment of their mass production in wartime required a certain amount of time - the needs of the troops began to be satisfied only from November 1942. The establishment of mass production made it possible to reduce the cost of weapons - for example, the cost of Simonov's anti-tank rifle from the first half of 1942 to the second half of 1943 fell almost twice.

Anti-tank rifles bridged the gap between the "anti-tank" capabilities of artillery and infantry.

Since December 1941, companies armed with anti-tank rifles (27 each, and later 54 rifles) were introduced into rifle regiments. Since the autumn of 1942, platoons (18 guns) of anti-tank rifles were introduced into the battalions. In January 1943, the PTR company was included in the motorized rifle and machine gun battalion (later - the battalion of submachine gunners) of the tank brigade. Only in March 1944, when the role of anti-tank rifles decreased, the companies were disbanded, and the “armor-piercers” were retrained as tankers (since they were re-equipped with T-34-85, whose crew consisted of not four, but five people). The companies were introduced into the anti-tank battalions, and the battalions - into the anti-tank fighter brigades. Thus, attempts were made to ensure close interaction of PTR units with infantry, artillery and tank units.

The first anti-tank guns were received by the troops of the Western Front, engaged in the defense of Moscow. Directive of Army General G.K. Zhukov, commander of the troops of the front, dated October 26, 1941, speaking of sending 3-4 platoons of anti-tank rifles to the 5th, 16th and 33rd armies, demanded “to take measures for the immediate use of this weapon, exceptional in terms of efficiency and strength ... their battalions and regiments. Zhukov's order of December 29 also pointed out the disadvantages of using anti-tank rifles - the use of crews as shooters, the lack of interaction with anti-tank artillery and groups of tank destroyers, cases of leaving anti-tank rifles on the battlefield. As you can see, the effectiveness of the new weapon was not immediately appreciated, the command staff simply had a poor idea of ​​​​the possibilities of its use. It is also necessary to take into account the shortcomings of the first batches of anti-tank rifles.

Degtyarev's anti-tank rifles received their first combat use in the 16th Army of Rokossovsky. The most famous battle was a collision on November 16, 1941 at the Dubosekovo junction during the defense of Moscow, a group of tank destroyers of the 2nd battalion of the 1075th regiment of the 316th Panfilov rifle division and 30 German tanks. 18 tanks that participated in the attacks were hit, but less than a fifth of the entire company survived. This battle showed the effectiveness of anti-tank grenades and anti-tank rifles in the hands of "tank destroyers". However, he also revealed the need to cover the "fighters" with arrows and support with light regimental artillery.

To understand the role of anti-tank rifle units, it is necessary to recall tactics. In battle, the commander of a rifle battalion or regiment could leave a company of anti-tank rifles entirely at his disposal or transfer them to rifle companies, leaving at least a platoon of anti-tank rifles in the anti-tank area of ​​​​the regiment in defense as a reserve. A platoon of anti-tank rifles could operate in full strength or split into half-platoons and squads of 2-4 guns each. The anti-tank rifle squad, acting independently or as part of a platoon, in battle had to “choose a firing position, equip it and disguise it; quickly prepare for firing, as well as accurately hit enemy armored vehicles and tanks; during the battle covertly and quickly change the firing position. Firing positions were chosen behind artificial or natural obstacles, although quite often the crews simply took cover in bushes or grass. Positions were chosen in such a way as to ensure circular fire at ranges up to 500 meters, and occupied a flank position to the direction of movement of enemy tanks. Interaction was also organized with other anti-tank formations and rifle units. Depending on the availability of time at the position, a full profile trench with a platform was prepared, a trench for circular firing without a platform or with it, a small trench for firing in a wide sector - in this case, firing was carried out with a removed or bent bipod. Fire on tanks from anti-tank rifles was opened, depending on the situation, from a distance of 250 to 400 meters, preferably, of course, in the stern or side, but in infantry positions armor-piercers quite often had to "hit in the forehead." Calculations of anti-tank rifles were dismembered in depth and along the front at distances and intervals from 25 to 40 meters at an angle back or forward, during flanking fire - in one line. The front of the anti-tank rifle squad is 50-80 meters, the platoon - 250-700 meters.

During the defense, "armor-piercing snipers" were placed in echelon, preparing the main position and up to three spare ones. A gunner-observer on duty remained at the position of the squad before the start of the offensive of the enemy armored vehicles. If the tank was moving, it was recommended to focus the fire of several anti-tank rifles on it: when the tank approached, fire was fired at its turret; if the tank overcame a barrier, scarp or embankment - along the bottom; in case of removal of the tank - in the stern. Taking into account the strengthening of the armor of tanks, fire from anti-tank rifles was usually opened from a distance of 150-100 meters. When they approached the positions directly or when breaking through into the depths of the defense, armor-piercers and "tank destroyers" used anti-tank grenades and Molotov cocktails.

The commander of a platoon of anti-tank rifles could single out a squad participating in the defense to destroy enemy aircraft. This was a common task. So, for example, in the defense zone of the 148th SD (Central Front) near Kursk, 93 heavy and light machine guns and 65 anti-tank rifles were prepared to destroy air targets. Often, anti-tank guns were placed on improvised anti-aircraft guns. A tripod machine created for this purpose at the plant No. Kirkizh was not accepted into production, and this is perhaps fair.

In 1944, a staggered arrangement of anti-tank rifles was practiced in depth and along the front at a distance of 50 to 100 meters from each other. At the same time, mutual shooting of the approaches was ensured, and dagger fire was widely used. In winter, anti-tank guns were mounted on drags or sleds. In closed areas with impenetrable spaces for anti-tank rifle positions, groups of fighters with incendiary bottles and grenades were located in front of them. In the mountains, the crews of anti-tank rifles were located, as a rule, at road turns, entrances to valleys and gorges, while defending heights - on tank-accessible and most gentle slopes.

In the offensive, a platoon of anti-tank rifles moved in rolls in the battle formation of a rifle battalion (company) in readiness to meet enemy armored vehicles with fire from at least two squads. The anti-tank rifle crews took up positions in front between the rifle platoons. During an offensive with an open flank, armor-piercers, as a rule, should be kept on this flank. A squad of anti-tank rifles usually advanced on the flanks or in the gaps of a rifle company, a platoon of anti-tank rifles - a battalion or company. Between positions, the crews moved under the cover of mortar and infantry fire along or hidden approaches.

During the attack, anti-tank guns were located at the line of attack. Their main task was to defeat enemy fire (primarily anti-tank) weapons. In the event of the appearance of tanks, the fire was immediately transferred to them. During the battle, in the depths of the enemy’s defense, platoons and squads of anti-tank rifles supported the advance of rifle subunits with fire, protecting it “from sudden raids by armored vehicles and enemy tanks from ambushes”, destroying counterattacking or dug-in tanks, as well as firing points. The calculations were recommended to hit armored vehicles and tanks with flank and cross fire.

During battles in the forest or settlements, since the battle formations were dismembered, anti-tank rifle squads were often attached to rifle platoons. Moreover, in the hands of the commander of the regiment or battalion, the reserve of anti-tank rifles remained obligatory. During the offensive, anti-tank rifle units covered the rear and flanks of rifle regiments, battalions or companies, firing through wastelands or squares, as well as along the streets. When taking up defense in the city, positions were placed at street intersections, squares, basements and buildings in order to keep alleys and streets, gaps and arches under fire. During the defense of the forest, the positions of anti-tank rifles were placed in depth, so that roads, clearings, paths and clearings were fired upon. On the march, a platoon of anti-tank rifles was attached to a marching outpost or followed in constant readiness to meet the enemy with fire in the column of the main forces. Anti-tank rifle units operated as forward and reconnaissance detachments, especially in rough terrain that made it difficult to carry heavier weapons. In the forward detachments, the armor-piercing detachments perfectly complemented the tank brigades - for example, on July 13, 1943, the advance detachment of the 55th Guards Tank Regiment successfully repulsed the counterattack of 14 German tanks with fire from anti-tank rifles and tanks in the Rzhavets area, knocking out 7 of them. Former Lieutenant General of the Wehrmacht E. Schneider, an armaments specialist, wrote: “The Russians had a 14.5 mm anti-tank rifle in 1941, which caused a lot of trouble for our tanks and light armored personnel carriers that appeared later.” In general, in some German works about the Second World War and the memoirs of Wehrmacht tankers, Soviet anti-tank rifles were mentioned as weapons “worthy of respect”, however, due to the courage of their calculations. With high ballistic data, the 14.5-mm anti-tank rifle was distinguished by its manufacturability and maneuverability. The Simonov anti-tank rifle is considered the best weapon of this class of the Second World War in terms of a combination of operational and combat qualities.

Having played a significant role in anti-tank defense in 1941-1942, anti-tank rifles by the summer of 43 years - with an increase in the armor protection of assault guns and tanks over 40 millimeters - had lost their positions. True, there were cases of successful combat between infantry anti-tank formations and enemy heavy tanks in defensive positions prepared in advance. For example, a duel between the armor-piercer Ganzha (151st Infantry Regiment) and the "Tiger". The first shot in the forehead did not give any result, the armor-piercer removed the anti-tank rifle into the trench and, having let the tank pass over him, fired into the stern, immediately changing position. During the turn of the tank in order to move to the trench, Ganzha fired a third shot at the side and set it on fire. However, this is the exception rather than the rule. If in January 1942 the number of anti-tank rifles in the troops was 8,116 units, in January 1943 - 118,563 units, 1944 - 142,861 units, that is, in two years it increased by 17.6 times, then already in 1944 it began to decline. By the end of the war, the active army had only 40 thousand anti-tank rifles (their total resource on May 9, 1945 was 257,500 units). The largest number of anti-tank rifles was submitted to the ranks of the army in 1942 - 249,000 pieces, but already in the first half of 1945, only 800 units. The same picture was observed with 12.7-mm, 14.5-mm cartridges: in 1942 their production was 6 times higher than the pre-war level, but by 1944 it had noticeably decreased. Despite this, the production of 14.5 mm anti-tank rifles continued until January 1945. In total, 471,500 units were produced during the war. The anti-tank rifle was a front line weapon, which explains the significant losses - during the war, 214 thousand anti-tank rifles of all models, that is, 45.4%, were lost. The largest percentage of losses was observed in 41 and 42 years - 49.7 and 33.7%, respectively. The losses of the material part corresponded to the level of losses among the personnel.

The following figures speak of the intensity of the use of anti-tank rifles in the middle of the war. During the defense on the Kursk Bulge, 387,000 cartridges for anti-tank rifles were used up on the Central Front (48,370 per day), and on the Voronezh - 754,000 (68,250 per day). During the Battle of Kursk, more than 3.5 million cartridges for anti-tank rifles were used up. In addition to tanks, anti-tank guns fired at firing points and embrasures of the bunker and bunker at a distance of up to 800 meters, and at aircraft - up to 500 meters.

In the third period of the war, Degtyarev and Simonov's anti-tank rifles were used against light armored vehicles and lightly armored self-propelled guns, which were widely used by the enemy, as well as to combat firing points, especially in battles within the city, up to the storming of Berlin. Often, guns were used by snipers to hit targets at a considerable distance or enemy shooters who were behind armored shields. In August 1945, Degtyarev and Simonov's anti-tank rifles were used in battles with the Japanese. Here, this type of weapon could be in place, especially given the relatively weak armor of Japanese tanks. However, the Japanese used little tanks against the Soviet troops.

Anti-tank rifles were in service not only with infantry, but also with cavalry units. Here, packs for cavalry saddles and pack saddles of the 1937 model were used to transport the Degtyarev gun. The gun was mounted above the horse's croup on a pack on a metal block with two brackets. The rear bracket was also used as a swivel support for shooting from a horse at ground and air targets. At the same time, the shooter stood behind the horse, which was held by the groom. To drop anti-tank rifles to partisans and landing forces, an elongated UPD-MM airborne bag with a shock absorber and a parachute chamber was used. Cartridges were quite often dropped from strafing flight without a parachute in burlap-wrapped caps. Soviet anti-tank guns were transferred to foreign formations that were formed in the USSR: for example, 6786 guns were transferred to the Polish Army, 1283 units to Czechoslovak units. During the Korean War of 50-53, Soviet 14.5 mm anti-tank rifles were used by North Korean soldiers and Chinese volunteers against light armored vehicles and hitting point targets at a considerable distance (this experience was adopted from Soviet snipers).

The improvement of anti-tank rifles and the development of new schemes for them went on continuously. Rukavishnikov's single-shot 12.7 mm anti-tank rifle tested in February 1942 can be considered an example of an attempt to create a lighter anti-tank gun. Its mass was 10.8 kg. The shutter system made it possible to shoot at a speed of up to 12-15 rounds per minute. It was possible to replace the barrel with a 14.5 mm. Lightness and simplicity prompted the specialists of the landfill to recommend the new Rukavishnikov gun for mass production. But the growth of armor protection for assault guns and enemy tanks required a different approach.

The search for anti-tank weapons that would be able to operate in infantry units and fight the latest tanks went in two directions - the “enlargement” of anti-tank rifles and the “lightening” of anti-tank guns. In both cases, ingenious solutions were found and rather interesting designs were created. The experienced single-shot anti-tank guns of Blum and the PEC guns (Rashkov, Ermolaev, Slukhodky) aroused great interest in GBTU and GAU. Blum's anti-tank gun was designed for a 14.5 mm cartridge (14.5x147) in which the muzzle velocity of the bullet was increased to 1500 meters per second. The cartridge was created on the basis of the cartridge case of a 23-mm shot of an aircraft cannon (at the same time, a 23-mm shot was developed on the basis of a standard 14.5-mm cartridge to lighten the air gun). The gun had a rotary longitudinally sliding bolt, having two lugs and a spring-loaded reflector, which ensured reliable removal of the sleeve at any speed of the bolt. The barrel of the gun was supplied with a muzzle brake. On the butt there was a leather pillow on the back of the head. Folding bipods were used for installation. RES anti-tank rifles were developed for a 20-mm shot with a projectile having an armor-piercing core (without explosive). The RES barrel was locked by a horizontally moving wedge gate, which was opened manually and closed with a return spring. There was a safety lever on the trigger mechanism. The folding stock with a buffer resembled Degtyarev's anti-tank rifle. The gun was equipped with a muzzle brake-flash suppressor and a wheeled machine with a shield. In April 1943, at the GBTU training ground, the captured Pz.VI "Tiger" was shelled, which showed that Blum's anti-tank rifle was capable of penetrating 82-mm tank armor at a distance of up to 100 meters. On August 10, 1943, both anti-tank guns fired on the Shot courses: this time they recorded penetration of 55-mm armor by a bullet from Blum’s anti-tank rifle at a distance of 100 meters, and 70-mm armor was pierced from RES (at a distance of 300 meters, a projectile RES penetrated 60 mm armor). From the conclusion of the commission: "in terms of armor-piercing action and power, both tested samples of anti-tank guns are significantly superior to the anti-tank guns of Degtyarev and Simonov, which are in service. The tested guns are a reliable means of combating medium tanks of the T-IV type and even more powerful armored vehicles." Blum's anti-tank gun was more compact, so the question of its adoption was raised. However, this did not happen. Small-scale production of 20 mm RESs was carried out in Kovrov - in 1942, factory No. 2 produced 28 units, and in 1943 - 43 units. This is where the production ended. In addition, at plant No. 2, the Degtyarev anti-tank rifle was converted into a “two-caliber” one with an increased initial speed chambered for a 23-mm VYa cannon (mastering the production of a cannon at the plant began in February 1942). In another version of the Degtyarev anti-tank gun with an increased initial speed, the principle of sequential firing of charges along the length of the barrel was used, according to the scheme of a multi-chamber gun, theoretically calculated in 1878 by Perrault. From above, approximately in the middle of the barrel of an anti-tank gun, a box with a chamber was attached, which was connected by a transverse hole to the bore. A blank 14.5 mm cartridge was inserted into this box, locked with a conventional bolt. When fired, powder gases ignited the charge of a blank cartridge, which, in turn, increased the speed of the bullet, maintaining pressure in the bore. True, the recoil of the weapon increased, and the survivability of the system and reliability turned out to be low.

The growth of armor penetration of anti-tank rifles did not keep pace with the increase in armor protection. In a journal dated October 27, 1943, the art committee of the GAU noted: “The anti-tank rifles of Degtyarev and Simonov often cannot penetrate the armor of a German medium tank. Therefore, it is necessary to create an anti-tank gun capable of penetrating armor of the order of 75-80 millimeters at 100 meters, and nailing armor of 50-55 millimeters at an angle of 20-25 °. Even the "two-caliber" Degtyarev anti-tank rifles and the heavy "RES" hardly met these requirements. Work on anti-tank guns was actually curtailed.

Attempts to "lighten" artillery systems to the parameters of infantry weapons were in line with the Infantry Combat Regulations of 1942, which included anti-tank guns in the number of infantry weapons. An example of such an anti-tank gun can be an experienced 25-mm LPP-25, developed by Zhukov, Samusenko and Sidorenko in 1942 at the Artillery Academy. Dzerzhinsky. Weight in combat position - 154 kg. The calculation of the gun - 3 people. Armor penetration at a distance of 100 meters - 100 millimeters (sub-caliber projectile). In 1944, the airborne 37-mm cannon ChK-M1 Charnko and Komaritsky was adopted. The original recoil suppression system made it possible to reduce the combat weight to 217 kilograms (for comparison, the mass of a 37-mm cannon of the 1930 model was 313 kilograms). The height of the line of fire was 280 millimeters. With a rate of fire of 15 to 25 rounds per minute, the cannon pierced 86 mm armor at a distance of 500 meters and 97 mm armor at 300 meters with a sub-caliber projectile. However, only 472 guns were made - they, like the "reinforced" anti-tank guns, simply did not find a need.

A source of information:
Magazine "Equipment and weapons" Semyon Fedoseev "Infantry against tanks"

In this part, we will talk about the most massive and successful manufacturer of PTR for the entire Second World War.

the USSR

The development of PTR in the USSR has been carried out since 1936. several large KBs at once. As with potential opponents, development was carried out in parallel in several directions, namely:

Development of light anti-tank rifles for powerful rifle-caliber cartridges (7.62x122 and 7.62x155).

And the development of light PTR in more powerful calibers 12.7mm and 14.5mm

In the second half of the 30s, the Soviet command greatly overestimated the armor of the tanks of a potential enemy and immediately decided to design portable large-caliber anti-tank guns of 20-25mm caliber. At the same time, they severely limited the developers in the mass of weapons - up to 35 kg. As a result, out of 15 samples considered before 1938. none were adopted. In November 1938 the requirements of the Main Artillery Directorate themselves were changed, now a cartridge was ready for the new weapon, which had been developed since 1934.

The powerful B-32 cartridge of 14.5x114 mm caliber had excellent characteristics for that time. An armor-piercing incendiary bullet with a hardened core and a pyrotechnic composition left the barrel at a speed of 1100 m / s and pierced 20 mm of armor, at an angle of 70 degrees, at a distance of 300 m.

In addition to the B-32, the BS-41 bullet appeared a little later with even more impressive results. The cermet core allowed the BS-41 bullet to penetrate 30mm armor at a distance of 350m, and from a distance of 100m the bullet pierced 40mm armor. Also, for the purposes of the experiment, a capsule with an irritating substance, chloroacetophenone, was placed in the bottom of the BS-41 bullet. But the idea didn't really take off either.

The first gun to be adopted for the new cartridge was the development of N.V. Rukavishnikov. His PTR-39 made it possible to produce about 15 rounds per minute and successfully passed the tests. However, the PTR-39 did not go into mass production. Head of GAU - Marshal G.I. Kulik, based on erroneous information about new German tanks with reinforced armor, concluded that anti-tank rifles and even 45mm cannons were unsuitable for fighting new German tanks.

This decision (1940) actually left the Soviet infantryman without completely effective anti-tank weapons for June 1941. Let me remind you that on June 22, 1941. The main tank of the Wehrmacht was the PzKpfw III of various modifications - the frontal armor of the most modern of them was a maximum of 50mm, including overhead armor plates. The maximum armor of the turret and sides of the newest modification for 1941 was 30mm. That is, most tanks with a high degree of probability were hit by a 14.5mm PTR cartridge in almost any projection at distances of 300m or more.

This is not to mention the defeat of tracks, optical instruments, tanks and other vulnerabilities of the tank. At the same time, a huge number of German armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers were quite tough for the Soviet PTR, especially the "forty-five".

The PTR-39 designed by Rukavishnikov was not without flaws - it was rather complicated and expensive to manufacture and sensitive to operate. But still, given that with the start of the war, our army was left without any anti-tank rifle and considering that the Sholokhov ersatz gun (cal. 12.7mm DShK) was used - copies of the same one, only with a muzzle brake and a shock absorber, this mistake cost the Red Army a lot Army.

In 1941 at the GKO meeting, I.V. Stalin instructed to urgently develop a new anti-tank rifle for the Red Army. For reliability, the leader recommended entrusting the work to "one more, and preferably two" designers. Both brilliantly coped with the task in their own way - S.G. Simonov and V.A. Degtyarev, moreover, only 22 days passed from the moment the assignment was received to the test firing.

PTRD

July 4, 1941 Degtyarev began the development of his PTR and on July 14 he transferred the project to production, 2 magazine versions of Degtyarev's PTR were considered on July 28 at the Red Army Small Arms Directorate. In order to speed up and simplify production, one of the options was proposed to be made single-shot. Already in August of the 41st, the cartridge I mentioned with a BS-41 bullet from the Moscow Hard Alloy Plant arrived in time. And in October 1941. in the ranks of the Red Army, a new combat specialty appeared - an armor-piercer.

PTRD - A single-shot rifle with a longitudinally sliding rotary bolt. The rifled barrel was equipped with an active box-shaped muzzle brake. The shutter had two lugs, a simple percussion mechanism, a reflector and an ejector. The butt had a spring for damping recoil, which also performed the role of a return. The shutter in the coupling with the barrel after the shot rolled back, the shutter handle turned on the copy profile fixed on the butt, and when turned, unlocked the shutter. The shutter, after stopping the barrel, moved back by inertia, and got up on the shutter delay, the sleeve was pushed out by the reflector into the lower window.

Sending a new cartridge into the chamber and locking the shutter was done manually. Sights were taken out to the left and worked in two modes up to 400m and more than 400m. The calculation of the gun consisted of two people. The total mass of the PTR and ammunition was about 26 kg (the Degtyarev gun itself weighed 17 kg). For maneuverability, a carrying handle was placed on the gun. The gun was carried either by both, or by one fighter from the calculation. Only during 1942. The Soviet defense industry gave the front nearly 185,000 ATGMs.

PTRS

Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov took a slightly different path. Based on his own developments (for example, ABC-36), he created an anti-tank gun with gas automatics. This made it possible to achieve an excellent practical rate of fire of 16 or more rounds per minute. At the same time, this increased the total weight of the weapon to 22kg.

Simonov's design looks, of course, much more complex against the background of Degtyarev's design, however, it was simpler than Rukavishnikov's design. As a result, both samples were adopted.

So PTRS - Anti-tank self-loading rifle arr. 1941 Simonov systems A weapon designed to fight enemy light and medium tanks at a distance of up to 500m. In practice, it was also used to destroy firing points, mortar and machine-gun crews, bunkers, bunkers, low-flying aircraft and enemy manpower behind shelters at distances up to 800m.

Semi-automatic weapons used for the operation of automation the removal of part of the powder gases from the bore. The weapon is equipped with a three-position gas regulator. Food was supplied from an integral magazine with clips of 5 rounds. USM allowed only single fire. Locking - skewed shutter in a vertical plane, recoil compensation by means of a muzzle brake, softening nozzle on the butt. In this model, a special shock absorber was not needed, since the muzzle brake paired with the semi-automatic system itself was enough to reduce recoil, although the recoil of the PTRD is less noticeable.

In 1941 due to the rather complex and laborious production process, only 77 PTRS were received by the troops, but already in 1942 production was established and 63,000 PTRS went to the front. The production of PTRD and PTRS continued until 1945. During the war years, about 400,000 anti-tank rifles were produced in the USSR.

The combat use of PTR also took place in various parts of the world after the end of WWII. Soviet PTRs successfully penetrated the armor of American tanks in Korea, as well as the armor of the M113 armored personnel carrier in Vietnam.

Separate samples of Soviet anti-tank rifles were confiscated from Palestinian militants in Lebanon. The author saw with his own eyes a Soviet anti-tank rifle in a weaponry at the training base of the Givati ​​infantry brigade in the Negev desert in Israel. The Israelis called this weapon the "Russian Barret".

The cartridge 14.5x114 is still alive and is in service in many countries of the world.

During the Second World War, there were armor-piercing aces who had more than a dozen destroyed enemy tanks and even Luftwaffe aircraft on their account. The weapon played a very significant role in the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany. Despite. that by 1943 it had become extremely difficult to knock out a tank from an anti-tank rifle, the weapon remained in service until 1945. until it was replaced by rocket-propelled anti-tank grenade launchers.

Work was also underway to create a new PTR for a more powerful cartridge, for example, 14.5x147mm with high penetration. To hit the already medium tanks of the Wehrmacht of later series. But such weapons did not enter service, since by 1943 the infantry of the Red Army was fully equipped with anti-tank artillery. The production of PTRs declined, by the end of the war, only 40,000 PTRs remained in service with the Red Army.

In terms of the combination of basic qualities - maneuverability, ease of production and operation, firepower and low cost, Soviet anti-tank missiles significantly surpassed the enemy’s rifle anti-tank weapons. It is worth noting that the early PTR series were not without problems in operation. With the onset of the spring of 1942, both the design flaws and the urgently established production, as well as the lack of proper knowledge regarding operation in the troops themselves, appeared.

But through the efforts of the designers and workers, the shortcomings were corrected as soon as possible, and the troops began to receive detailed, but quite intelligible and simple instructions for the operation of the PTR. Designers Degtyarev and Simonov personally inspected the front-line units and observed the operation, collecting feedback from armor-piercing fighters. Already by the summer of 1942, the guns were finally finalized and became very reliable weapons that work in any climatic conditions.

In conclusion of this part, I will quote the chief of staff of the 1st Baltic Front, Colonel General V.V. Kurasova:

“During the Great Patriotic War,” he wrote on October 30, 1944, “anti-tank guns were used in all types of combat to cover tank-dangerous areas, both by whole units and groups of 3-4 guns. In offensive combat, anti-tank missiles were used in the probable directions of enemy counterattacks, being directly in the combat formations of the advancing infantry. In defense, anti-tank missiles were used in the most tank-dangerous directions as part of a platoon-company, echeloning in depth. The firing positions were chosen taking into account the conduct of flank fire, and in addition to the main ones, there were 2-3 spare positions, taking into account the conduct of group fire with all-round fire.

The experience of using anti-tank rifles during World War II shows that they had the greatest effect in the period up to July 1943, when the enemy used light and medium tanks, and the combat formations of our troops were relatively poorly saturated with anti-tank artillery. Starting from the second half of 1943, when the enemy began to use heavy tanks and self-propelled guns with powerful armor protection, the effectiveness of anti-tank rifles decreased significantly. Since that time, the main role in the fight against tanks has been entirely played by artillery. Anti-tank rifles, which have good accuracy of fire, are now used mainly against enemy firing points, armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers.

At the end of the Second World PTR, they smoothly turned into large-caliber sniper rifles. Although in some local conflicts, both anti-tank rifles of the Second World War and modern home-made ones, handicraft samples are used to combat lightly armored and other equipment, as well as enemy manpower.

This article does not mention all the samples that are classified as PTR. Conventionally, anti-tank rifles can be divided into three categories - light (rifle caliber), medium (heavy machine gun caliber) and heavy (bordering on air cannons and anti-tank artillery). I practically did not touch on the latter, since, in my understanding, they already bear little resemblance to a "gun".

Separately, it is necessary to consider the class of "recoilless", the development of which began in the USSR at the very beginning of the 30s ...

But that's a completely different story.