Antitank Rifles and MGs. 1930-1945.

[CharlesBronson]

Two not very high quality but interesting nevertheless images of the actual deployment of the Pzb 39, in France by ciclist troops and Russia.



Source: Waffen Arsenal Nº140: Deutsche Panzernahbekämpfungsmittel 1917-1945

[CharlesBronson]

Czech antitank rifle zk-382

A real monster. calibre 7,92 mm x 145 , Muzzle velocity ...1320 m/s, that gave an amazing capable to break any german tank in service in 1939-41






The rifle use the "bullpup" configuration, is a manually bolt lock operated and seems to be loaded with 5 rounds clip.

Unfortunately I havent a picture of the muzzle but there must be some kind of muzzle brake there.

[Soren]

Regarding the S18-100, the design was a cooperation between Rheinmetall's and Solothurn's design team.

[B-17engineer]

Rheinmetall also made guns for fighters such as Bf-109 etc.

[CharlesBronson]

The Solothurn was actually more or less a subsidiary of Rheinmetall so the relation was close.

I have an extensive topic about RB aircraft guns in the technical section.

Panzerbüchse Modell SS 41.

This rifle was another semiautomatic Patrone 318 rifle, but in this case the design was not a reply from the Waffen Amt of the Heer (German Army) but to the SS Wafen academy in Brünn (Brno Czech republic).



Czechs working for the Waffen SS employed as a base several rifles already produced for the Czech army in the Interwar periods, those already used the advanced bullpup configuration, this means the magazine below the trigger and with part of the mechanism embeded in the shoulder stock.
The PB. SS 41 rifle works with the recoil forces and had a rotating bolt head to lock the chamber.



This entirely Czech design was manufactured by the Swiss Solothurn firm in 1941-42 (probably in order to avoid sabotage)

It used a side mounted 10 round magazine and the total lenght of the M ss Pzb 41 was 1360 mm (1100mm barrel). The muzzle was equipped with a single chamber brake in order to reduce felt recoil, the max rate of fire ( all according to SS officers) were 70 rpm and the practical about the half of that figure.

Detail of the side mounted magazine and safety knob.

[CharlesBronson]

Aditional images of the Pzb SS 41.

Bolt fully back. In here is also possible to apreciate the tilt angle in the side mounted magazine.






Shoulder rest.



Rear sight, max regulation 500 meters.

[CharlesBronson]

The Karabiner K-98 as antitank weapon.

The main weapon of the german infantry, The 98K, could be also used as antitank , or better said antiarmor when coupled with the firing cup "schiessbecher" ( wich literally means something like shooting baker) the SchB was originally designed as a high explosive fragmentation grenade launcher for antipersonnel purposes. Starting In 1940 a special family of shaped charge grenades were introduced for fighting armor.

The Schiessbecher was basically a short rifled barrel with a caliber of 30mm and a length of 25cm. It weighed 0.75kg and was attached to the bore of the rifle. A rather complicated aiming device was mounted to the left of the original sights and allowed for aiming ranges of up to 300m. Usually this device was trown away in the field and replaced by the rear sight or other "guesstimates" means to aim. the grenade s body reproduced a negative of the SchB rifling so that allowed a spin stabilized flight towards the target.



The first type of AT ammunition used was the Gewehrpanzergranate 30, a slim hollow charge grenade that fit into the SchB.

Gw.Pz.gr 30 squematic



Due the small bursting charge and lack of penetration this was replaced in late 1942 by the Gross Gewehrpanzergranate with a 5 cm warhead and 390 grams in total weight. The quoted penetration of the Gw Pz Gr Gross is 80 mm, teorically allowing to destroy or at list penetrate most of tanks in service up to 1944.

All the rifle grenades were propelled by a 7,92x57 treisspatrone, special blank.

Muzzle velocity was about 70-90 mps and range 100-200 m.

loading the GW Pz Gr 30



SchB with the Gross Pz grenate fit.

[HoHun]

Hi Charles,

>the firing cup "schiessbecher" ( wich literally means something like shooting baker)

Actually, it literally means "shooting cup"

LEO Results for "Becher"

>7,92x57 treisspatrone

Probably "Treibpatrone" ('driving cartridge')?

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

[CharlesBronson]

Oh, thank you, seems that my german is rusty.

[CharlesBronson]

The Karabiner K-98 as antitank weapon. (II)

Other hollow charge grenade used in the K-98 was the GGP series.
The Gewehrgranate zur Panzerbekämpfung ("rifle grenade for fighting tanks") of the company WASAG that was usually referred to under it's abbreviation GGP or GG/P, it also carried the designation GGP 40 or GG/P 40. This larger weapon's shaft could not fit into the SchB so a special spigot was attached to the muzzle in the rifle to fire it.



Over this spigot fits the hollow tail-piece of the grenade. It is fitted to the rifle, in the same manner as a bayonet, over the bayonet standard and foresight block, and is locked in position by a spring-loaded bolt. On firing the propelling cartridge, the gasses pass out of the barrel of the rifle, through the spigot, and into the hollow tail-piece to propel the grenade.



The GGP was put in service in mid 1940, weighed 520g and had a length of 23.4 cm. The warhead had a diameter of 60mm and carried a shaped charge of 175g that enabled the GGP to penetrate 40mm of armor. As it could not achieve a spin from the Schiessbecher's rifling it had to depend on six stabilizing fins attached to the rear of it's shaft for flight stabilization.

Later a longer cap was put onto the warhead that allowed for an earlier detonation of the shaped charge which increased the penetration performance to 45mm. This final production version of the GGP had a length of 29.5cm.

GGP improved

[CharlesBronson]

15 mm ZB vz/60.

A large caliber antiarmor machinegun, originally manufactured in Czechkoslovakia in 1938.



Weight 57 kg, operation by gas, and belt feed, originally designed for infantry use later was developed by BSA as vehicle armament. It could be fired in semi-automatic mode as well as fully automatic. It was used on the Light Tank Mk VIC and on armoured cars such as the Humber Armoured Car Mark.

Muzzle velocity 900 mps. Penetration 20 mm at 350 meters.

[CharlesBronson]

Despite the not so good penetration power of the Boys it was used by the germans when captured as you might apreciate in this picture, the Afrika Korps was know for never discard anything. The rifle is a monopod Mark I.