The British Army entered World War II with anti-tank weapons that no longer met modern requirements. Due to the loss of a significant part (more than 800 units) of 40-mm QF 2 pounder anti-tank guns in May 1940, the situation on the eve of a possible German invasion of the British Isles became critical. There was a time when the British anti-tank batteries had only 167 serviceable guns. You can read more about British anti-tank artillery here: British Anti-Tank Artillery in World War II.
It cannot be said that the British command on the eve of the war did not at all take measures to equip the infantry units of the "company-battalion" link with light anti-tank weapons. Back in 1934, the military department, within the framework of the Stanchion program (Russian support), initiated the development of an anti-tank rifle for a 12.7 mm Vickers heavy machine gun cartridge. Captain Henry Boyes, who was considered an expert in small arms, was appointed to lead the project.
However, it soon became clear that it was impossible to create a weapon that meets the specified requirements under the 12, 7x81 mm cartridge. To increase the armor penetration, it was necessary to create a new cartridge 13, 9x99, which is also known as.55Boys. Subsequently, cartridges with two types of bullets were mass-produced for the anti-tank rifle. The first version was equipped with a bullet with a hardened steel core. A bullet weighing 60 g with an initial velocity of 760 m / s from 100 m at a right angle pierced 16 mm armor. The result, frankly, was not impressive; the Soviet heavy machine gun DShK and the 12.7mm Sholokhov anti-tank rifle, urgently created in the first months of the war, had about the same armor penetration. The only advantage of this 13, 9 mm ammunition was its low cost. The best armor penetration was possessed by a 47.6 g bullet with a tungsten core. A bullet that left the barrel at a speed of 884 m / s at a distance of 100 m at an angle of 70 ° pierced the 20 mm armor plate. Of course, by today's standards, the armor penetration is low, but for the middle of the 30s, when the armor thickness of the bulk of the tanks was 15-20 mm, it was not bad. Such characteristics of armor penetration were sufficient to successfully cope with lightly armored vehicles, vehicles and enemy manpower behind light cover.
The weapon with a total length of 1626 mm without cartridges weighed 16, 3 kg. The five-round magazine was inserted from above, and therefore the sights were shifted to the left relative to the barrel. They consisted of a front sight and a diopter sight with an installation at 300 and 500 m, mounted on a bracket. The reloading of the weapon was carried out with a longitudinally sliding bolt with a turn. Practical rate of fire 10 rds / min. The bipod of the weapon was folding T-shaped, which increased stability on loose surfaces. An additional monopod support was mounted on the butt. To compensate for recoil on the barrel with a length of 910 mm, there was a muzzle brake-compensator. In addition, the recoil was softened by the return spring of the movable barrel and the butt pad shock absorber.
The maintenance and carrying of the 13, 9-mm PTR was to be carried out by a calculation of two people. The second member of the crew was needed to transport ammunition, equip empty magazines, help carry weapons on the battlefield, and arrange a position.
Serial production of the Boys Mk I PTR began in 1937 and continued until 1943. During this time, about 62,000 anti-tank rifles were produced. In addition to the British state arms company Royal Small Arms Factory, the production of anti-tank rifles was carried out in Canada.
The baptism of fire of the PTR Boys Mk I took place during the Soviet-Finnish Winter War. The weapon was popular with the Finnish infantry, as it allowed them to fight the most common Soviet T-26 tanks. In the Finnish army, anti-tank rifles were designated 14 mm pst kiv / 37. Several hundred PTRs marked 13.9-mm Panzeradwehrbuchse 782 (e) were used by the Germans.
During the fighting in France, Norway and North Africa, the Boys Mk I PTR demonstrated good effectiveness against armored vehicles, German Panzer I light tanks, Panzer II and Italian M11 / 39. In most cases, 13, 9-mm armor-piercing bullets pierced the armor of weakly protected Japanese Type 95 and Type 97 tanks. Anti-tank rifles successfully fired at the embrasures of firing points and vehicles. The shooting accuracy was such that a growth target was hit from the first shot at a distance of 500 m. By the standards of the end of the second half of the 30s, the Boys Mk I anti-tank rifle had good characteristics, but as the protection of armored vehicles grew, it rapidly became obsolete and already in 1940 did not provide penetration of the frontal armor of German medium tanks even when fired at close range. Nevertheless, the 13.9 mm anti-tank rifle continued to be in service. In 1942, a limited edition Boys Mk II model with a shorter barrel and reduced weight was released for the paratroopers. The shortening of the barrel quite predictably led to a drop in muzzle velocity and a decrease in armor penetration. However, it was more likely not an anti-tank, but a sabotage weapon designed to destroy aircraft at airfields, shelling cars and steam locomotives. There is a known case when saboteurs with PTR fire from the roof of a building damaged a German midget submarine of the "Biber" type, which was sailing along a canal on the Belgian coast. Canadian-made PTRs were used in Korea as large-caliber sniper rifles. In the post-war period, British anti-tank guns were used by various armed groups. In September 1965, IRA militants fired shots from the Boyes anti-tank missile system near the port of Waterford disabled one of the turbines of the British patrol boat HMS Brave. In the 70-80s, a number of 13, 9-mm anti-tank rifles were at the disposal of the PLO units. Palestinians have repeatedly fired anti-tank rifles on Israeli army patrols. However, at present, PTR Boys can only be seen in museums and private collections. The reason for this is primarily a specific and nowhere else used ammunition.
An acute shortage of anti-tank artillery required the adoption of emergency measures to strengthen the anti-tank capabilities of infantry units in defense. At the same time, preference was given to the cheapest and most technologically advanced models, even to the detriment of efficiency and safety for personnel. Therefore, in the British army, preparing to defend against the German amphibious assault, anti-tank hand grenades became widespread, which was not in the American armed forces. Although the British, like the Americans, were well aware that the use of hand-thrown high-explosive and incendiary grenades would inevitably lead to large losses among those who would use them.
In 1940, several different types of grenades were hastily developed and adopted. Despite the fact that they were structurally different, the common thing was the use of available materials and a simple, often primitive design.
In the middle of 1940, a 1.8 kg high-explosive anti-tank grenade No.73 Mk I, which due to the cylindrical shape of the hull received the unofficial nickname "thermos".
The cylindrical body 240 mm long and 89 mm in diameter contained 1.5 kg of ammonium nitrate impregnated with nitrogelatin. An instant inertial fuse borrowed from the No. 69, in the upper part of the grenade was closed with a plastic protective cap. Before use, the cap was twisted, and a canvas tape was released, at the end of which a weight was attached. After being thrown, under the action of gravity, the load unwound the tape, and it pulled out the safety pin holding the ball of the inertial fuse, which was triggered when it hit a hard surface. When a warhead exploded, it could break through 20 mm of armor. However, according to British data, the maximum throwing range was 14 m, and, having thrown it, the grenade launcher had to immediately take cover in a trench or behind a solid wall of stone or brick.
Since using grenade No. 73 Mk I could be effectively fought only with light armored vehicles, and she herself posed a huge danger to those who used it, the grenade was practically not used for its intended purpose. During the hostilities in Tunisia and Sicily, No. 73 Mk I usually destroyed light field fortifications and made passages in barbed wire. In this case, the inertial fuse, as a rule, was replaced by a safer fuse with a fuse. Production of high-explosive anti-tank grenade No. 73 Mk I ceased already in 1943, and during the hostilities it was available mainly in the engineer-sapper units. However, a number of grenades were sent to the resistance forces operating in the territory occupied by the Germans. So, on May 27, 1942, SS Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich was killed by the explosion of a specially modified high-explosive grenade in Prague.
Due to its shape and low efficiency, No. 73 Mk I from the very beginning caused a lot of criticism. It was very difficult to accurately throw it at the target, and the armor penetration left much to be desired. In late 1940, the original anti-tank grenade, also known as the "sticky bomb", entered trials. A 600 g charge of nitroglycerin was placed in a spherical glass flask covered with a woolen "stocking" impregnated with a sticky composition. As planned by the developers, after the throw, the grenade was supposed to stick to the tank's armor. To protect the fragile flask from damage and preserve the working properties of the glue, the grenade was placed in a tin casing. After removing the first safety pin, the cover fell into two pieces and released the sticky surface. The second check activated a simple 5 second remote detonator, after which the grenade had to be thrown at the target.
With a mass of 1022 g, thanks to a long handle, a well-trained soldier could throw it at 20 m. The use of liquid nitroglycerin in a war charge made it possible to reduce the cost of production and make a grenade powerful enough, but this explosive is very sensitive to mechanical and thermal effects. In addition, during the tests, it turned out that after the transfer to the firing position, there is a possibility of the grenade sticking to the uniform, and when the tanks are very dusty or in the rain, it does not stick to the armor. In this regard, the military objected to the "sticky bomb", and it took the personal intervention of Prime Minister Winston Churchill to be adopted. After that, the "sticky bomb" received the official designation No. 74 Mk I.
Although for the equipment of the grenade No. 74 Mk I was used safer due to special additives "stabilized" nitroglycerin, which has the consistency of solid oil, when fired by a bullet and exposed to high temperatures, the grenade charge exploded, which did not happen with ammunition filled with TNT or ammonal.
Before production ceased in 1943, British and Canadian enterprises managed to produce about 2.5 million. Garnet. From mid-1942, the series included a Mark II grenade with a more durable plastic body and an upgraded fuse.
According to the instructions for use in an explosion, a nitroglycerin charge could penetrate 25 mm armor. But grenade No. 74 was never popular among the troops, although it was used during the hostilities in North Africa, the Middle East and New Guinea.
The high-explosive "soft" grenade No. 82 Mk I, which was nicknamed "ham" in the British army. Its production was carried out from mid-1943 to the end of 1945. The design of the grenade was extremely simple. The body of the grenade was a cloth bag, tied at the bottom with braid, and from above tucked into a metal lid, onto which the fuse used in No. 69 and No. 73. When creating the grenade, the developers believed that the soft shape would prevent it from rolling off the upper armor of the tank.
Before use, the bag had to be filled with plastic explosives. The weight of an empty grenade with a fuse was 340 g, the bag could hold up to 900 g of C2 explosive at 88, 3% consisting of RDX, as well as mineral oil, plasticizer and phlegmatizer. In terms of the destructive effect, 900 g of C2 explosives corresponds to approximately 1200 g of TNT.
High-explosive grenades No. 82 Mk I were mainly supplied to the airborne and various sabotage units - where plastic explosives were in significant quantities. According to a number of researchers, the "soft bomb" turned out to be the most successful British high-explosive anti-tank grenade. However, by the time it appeared, the role of hand-held anti-tank grenades had dropped to a minimum, and it was most often used for sabotage purposes and for the destruction of obstacles. In total, the British industry supplied 45 thousand No. 82 Mk I. "Soft bombs" were in service with the British commandos until the mid-50s, after which they were considered obsolete.
British anti-tank grenades usually include ammunition known as No. 75 Mark I, although in fact it is a low-yield high-explosive anti-tank mine. The mass production of mines began in 1941. The main advantage of a 1020 g mine was its low cost and ease of production.
In a flat tin case, similar to a flask 165 mm long and 91 mm wide, 680 g of ammonal was poured through the neck. At best, this amount of explosive was enough to destroy the track of a medium tank. Inflict serious damage to the undercarriage of an armored tracked vehicle mine No. 75 Mark I in most cases could not.
On top of the body there was a pressure plate, under it were two chemical fuses-ampoules. At a pressure of more than 136 kg, the ampoules were destroyed by the pressure bar and a flame was formed, causing the explosion of the tetrile detonator capsule, and from it the main charge of the mine detonated.
During the fighting in North Africa, mines were issued to infantrymen. It was envisaged that No. 75 Mark I must be thrown under a tank track or armored vehicle wheel. They also tried to put them on sleds tied to cords and pull them under a moving tank. In general, the effectiveness of the use of mines-grenades turned out to be low, and after 1943 they were mainly used for sabotage purposes or as engineering ammunition.
The experience of using Molotov cocktails against tanks during the Spanish Civil War and in the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland did not pass by the British military. At the beginning of 1941, it passed tests and was put into service with the incendiary "grenade" No. 76 Mk I, also known as Special Incendiary Grenade and SIP Grenade (Self Igniting Phosphorus). Until mid-1943, about 6 million glass bottles were filled with flammable liquid in Great Britain.
This ammunition had a very simple design. A 60 mm layer of white phosphorus was placed at the bottom of a glass bottle with a capacity of 280 ml, which was poured with water to prevent spontaneous combustion. The remaining volume was filled with low-octane gasoline. A 50 mm strip of crude rubber was added to the gasoline as a thickener for the combustible mixture. When a glass bottle shattered on a hard surface, the white phosphorus came into contact with oxygen, ignited, and ignited the spilled fuel. A bottle weighing about 500 g could be manually thrown about 25 m. However, the disadvantage of this incendiary "grenade" can be considered a relatively small volume of flammable liquid.
However, the main method of using glass incendiary grenades in the British army was to shoot them with weapons known as the Projector 2.5-inch or Northover Projector. This weapon was developed by Major Robert Nortover for the emergency replacement of anti-tank guns lost at Dunkirk. The 63.5 mm bottle thrower had a number of drawbacks, but due to its low cost and extremely simple design, it was adopted.
The total length of the weapon slightly exceeded 1200 mm, the mass in a combat-ready position was about 27 kg. Disassembly of the bottle thrower into separate units for transportation was not provided. At the same time, the relatively low weight and the possibility of folding the tubular supports of the machine made it possible to transport it by any available vehicle. The fire from the cannon was carried out by a calculation of two people. The initial velocity of the "projectile" was only 60 m / s, which is why the firing range did not exceed 275 m. The effective rate of fire was 5 rds / min. Soon after it was adopted, the Northover Projector was adapted for shooting with No. 36 and cumulative rifle No. 68.
Until mid-1943, more than 19,000 bottle-throwers were supplied to the territorial defense troops and combat units. But due to low combat characteristics and low durability, the weapon was not popular among the troops and was never used in hostilities. Already at the beginning of 1945, bytylkoms were removed from service and disposed of.
Another ersatz weapon designed to compensate for the lack of specialized anti-tank weapons was the Blacker Bombard, designed by Colonel Stuart Blaker in 1940. At the beginning of 1941, the serial production of guns began, and it itself received the official name of the 29 mm Spigot Mortar - "29 mm stock mortar".
The Baker's Bombard was mounted on a relatively simple rig, suitable for transportation. It consisted of a base plate, a rack and a top sheet, on which a support for the turning part of the weapon was attached. Four tubular supports were attached to the corners of the slab on hinges. At the ends of the supports there were wide openers with grooves for the installation of stakes driven into the ground. This was necessary to ensure stability when firing, since the bombard did not have recoil devices. A circular sight was located on the protective shield, and in front of it, on a special beam, an outrigger rear sight, which was a U-shaped plate of large width with seven vertical struts. Such a sight made it possible to calculate the lead and determine the guidance angles at various ranges to the target. The maximum firing range of an anti-tank projectile was 400 m, an anti-personnel fragmentation projectile - 700 m. However, getting into a moving tank at a distance of more than 100 m was practically impossible.
The total weight of the gun was 163 kg. The calculation of the bombard was 5 people, although, if necessary, one fighter could also fire, but the rate of fire was reduced to 2-3 rds / min. A trained crew showed a rate of fire of 10-12 rounds per minute.
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To place the gun in a stationary position, a concrete pedestal with a metal support at the top was used. For a stationary installation, a square trench was dug, the walls of which were reinforced with brick or concrete.
For firing from the "bombard", 152-mm over-caliber mines were developed. To launch the mine, an 18 g charge of black powder was used. Due to the weak propelling charge and the specific design of the bombard, the muzzle velocity did not exceed 75 m / s. In addition, after the shot, the position was clouded with a cloud of white smoke. That unmasked the location of the weapon and interfered with the observation of the target.
The defeat of armored targets was to be carried out with a high-explosive anti-tank mine with a ring stabilizer. She weighed 8, 85 kg and was loaded with almost 4 kg of explosives. Also, the ammunition included an anti-personnel fragmentation projectile weighing 6, 35 kg.
Over the course of two years, British industry has fired about 20,000 bombs and more than 300,000 shells. These weapons were mainly equipped with territorial defense units. Each company of the "people's militia" was to have two bombards. Eight guns were assigned to each brigade, and in the airfield defense units, 12 guns were provided. Anti-tank regiments were ordered to additionally have 24 units in excess of the state. The proposal to use "anti-tank mortars" in North Africa did not meet with understanding from General Bernard Montgomery. After a short period of operation, even undemanding reservists began to abandon bombards under any pretext. The reasons for this were the low quality of manufacture and extremely low accuracy of fire. In addition, during practical firing, it turned out that about 10% of fuses in shells were denied. Nevertheless, "Bombard Baker" was officially in service until the end of the war.
During the Second World War, rifle grenades were used in the armies of many states. In 1940, the British Army adopted the No. 68 AT. A grenade weighing 890 g contained 160 g of pentalite and could penetrate 52 mm armor along the normal. To reduce the likelihood of a ricochet, the head of the grenade was made flat. In the rear of the grenade there was an inertial fuse. Before firing, a safety check was removed to bring it into a firing position.
The grenades were fired with a blank cartridge from Lee Enfield rifles. For this, a special mortar was attached to the muzzle of the rifle. The firing range was 90 meters, but the most effective was 45-75 meters. A total of about 8 million grenades were fired. Six serial combat modifications are known: Mk I - Mk-VI and one training. Combat variants differed in manufacturing technology and different explosives used in the warhead.
Much more often than tanks, cumulative rifle grenades fired at enemy fortifications. Thanks to its rather massive body, equipped with a powerful explosive, the No. 68 AT had a good fragmentation effect.
In addition to the cumulative rifle grenades No. 68 AT in the British army used grenade No. 85, which was the British analogue of the American M9A1 grenade, but with different fuses. It was produced in three versions Mk1 - Mk3, differing in detonators. A grenade weighing 574 g was fired using a special 22-mm adapter worn on the rifle barrel, its warhead contained 120 g of RDX. With a caliber 51 mm grenade No. 85 had the same armor penetration as No. 68 AT, however, its effective firing range was higher. The grenade could also be fired from a light 51-mm mortar. However, due to the low armor penetration and the small range of the aimed shot, rifle grenades did not become an effective means of fighting enemy armored vehicles and did not play a noticeable role in hostilities.
In anticipation of a possible German invasion of Great Britain, feverish efforts were made to create an inexpensive and effective infantry anti-tank weapon capable of counteracting German medium tanks at close range. After the adoption of the "anti-tank bombard" Colonel Stuart Blaker worked on the creation of a lighter version of it, suitable for use in the "squad-platoon" link.
The progress made in the field of cumulative projectiles made it possible to design a relatively compact grenade launcher that could be carried and used by one soldier. By analogy with the previous project, the new weapon received the working designation Baby Bombard. At an early stage of development, the grenade launcher provided for the use of technical solutions implemented in the "Blaker Bombard", the differences were in reduced size and weight. In the future, the appearance and principle of operation of the weapon underwent significant adjustments, as a result of which the prototype lost any resemblance to the basic design.
An experimental version of the hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher reached readiness for testing in the summer of 1941. But during testing, it turned out that it did not meet the requirements. The weapon was unsafe to use, and the cumulative grenades, due to the unsatisfactory operation of the fuse, were unable to hit the target. After unsuccessful tests, further work on the project was headed by Major Mills Jeffries. It was under his leadership that the grenade launcher was brought to a working condition and put into service under the name PIAT (Projector Infantry Anti-Tank - Anti-tank rifle grenade launcher).
The weapon was made according to a very original scheme, which had not been used before. The design was based on a steel pipe with a welded tray in front. The pipe housed a massive bolt-striker, a reciprocating combat spring and a trigger. The front end of the body had a round cover, in the center of which there was a tubular rod. The needle firing pin of the striker moved inside the rod. A bipod, a shoulder rest with a shock-absorbing cushion and sights were attached to the pipe. When loading, the grenade was placed on the tray and closed the pipe, while its shank was put on the stock. Semi-automatic operated due to the recoil of the bolt-striker, after the shot, he rolled back and got up to a combat platoon.
Since the mainspring was powerful enough, cocking it required considerable physical effort. In the course of loading the weapon, the butt plate turned at a small angle, after which the shooter, resting his feet on the butt plate, had to pull the trigger guard. After that, the mainspring was cocked, the grenade was placed in the tray, and the weapon was ready for use. The propellant charge of the grenade burned out until it was completely released from the tray, and the recoil was absorbed by a massive bolt, a spring and a shoulder pad. The PIAT was essentially an intermediate model between rifle and rocket anti-tank systems. The absence of a hot gas jet, characteristic of dynamo-jet systems, made it possible to fire from enclosed spaces.
The main ammunition was considered to be an 83-mm cumulative grenade weighing 1180 g, containing 340 g of explosive. A propellant charge with a primer was placed in the tail tube. In the head of the grenade there was an instant fuse and a "detonation tube" through which a beam of fire was transmitted to the main charge. The initial speed of the grenade was 77 m / s. The firing range against tanks is 91 m. The rate of fire is up to 5 rds / min. Although the declared armor penetration was 120 mm, in reality it did not exceed 100 mm. In addition to cumulative, fragmentation and smoke grenades with a firing range of up to 320 m were developed and adopted, which made it possible to use the weapon as a light mortar. Grenade launchers, produced at different times, were equipped entirely with several holes, designed for firing at different distances, or equipped with a limb with appropriate markings. The sights made it possible to fire at a range of 45-91 m.
Although the grenade launcher could be used by one person, with an unloaded weapon mass of 15, 75 kg and a length of 973 mm, the shooter was not able to transport a sufficient number of grenades. In this regard, a second number was introduced into the calculation, armed with a rifle or a submachine gun, which was mainly engaged in carrying ammunition and guarding the grenade launcher. The maximum ammunition load was 18 shots, which were carried in cylindrical containers, grouped in three pieces and equipped with belts.
Serial production of PIAT grenade launchers began in the second half of 1942, and they were used in hostilities in the summer of 1943 during the landing of the Allied forces in Sicily. The grenade launcher crews, along with the 51-mm mortar servants, were part of the fire support platoon of the infantry battalion and were in the headquarters platoon. If necessary, anti-tank grenade launchers were attached to separate infantry platoons. Grenade launchers were used not only against armored vehicles, but also destroyed firing points and enemy infantry. In urban conditions, cumulative grenades quite effectively hit the manpower that took refuge behind the walls of houses.
PIAT anti-tank grenade launchers are widely used in the armies of the states of the British Commonwealth. In total, by the end of 1944, about 115 thousand grenade launchers were produced, which was facilitated by a simple design and the use of available materials. Compared to the American "Bazooka", which had an electrical circuit for the ignition of the starting charge, the British grenade launcher was more reliable and did not fear being caught in the rain. Also, when firing from a more compact and cheaper PIAT, a dangerous zone was not formed behind the shooter, in which people and combustible materials should not have been. This made it possible to use the grenade launcher in street battles for firing from confined spaces.
However, the PIAT was not devoid of a number of significant shortcomings. The weapon was criticized for being overweight. In addition, small and physically not too strong shooters cocked the mainspring with great difficulty. In combat conditions, the grenade launcher had to cock the weapon while sitting or lying down, which was also not always convenient. The range and accuracy of the grenade launcher left much to be desired. At a distance of 91 m in combat conditions, less than 50% of the shooters hit the frontal projection of a moving tank with the first shot. In the course of combat use, it turned out that about 10% of cumulative grenades bounced off the armor due to the failure of the fuse. The 83-mm cumulative grenade in most cases pierced the 80-mm frontal armor of the most common German medium tanks PzKpfw IV and self-propelled guns based on them, but the armor effect of the cumulative jet was weak. When hitting a side covered by a screen, the tank most often did not lose its combat effectiveness. PIAT did not penetrate the frontal armor of heavy German tanks. As a result of the hostilities in Normandy, British officers, who studied the effectiveness of various anti-tank weapons in 1944, came to the conclusion that only 7% of German tanks were destroyed by PIAT shots.
However, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages, and the grenade launcher was used until the end of the war. In addition to the countries of the British Commonwealth, 83-mm anti-tank grenade launchers were supplied to the Polish Home Army, the French resistance forces and under Lend-Lease in the USSR. According to British data, 1,000 PIATs and 100,000 shells were delivered to the Soviet Union. However, in domestic sources, there is no mention of the combat use of British grenade launchers by the soldiers of the Red Army.
After the end of World War II, the PIAT grenade launcher quickly disappeared from the scene. Already in the early 50s in the British army, all grenade launchers were withdrawn from combat units. Apparently, the Israelis were the last to use PIAT in combat in 1948 during the war of independence.
In general, the PIAT grenade launcher as a wartime weapon fully justified itself, however, the improvement of the pin system, due to the presence of fatal shortcomings, had no prospects. The further development of light infantry anti-tank weapons in Great Britain mainly followed the path of creating new rocket-propelled grenade launchers, recoilless guns and guided anti-tank missiles.
