Hand held anti tank weapons were widely used in the Second World War, cheaper to produce than an anti-tank gun they could be moved around a battlefield without the need for mechanised transport. It was a matter of hide, wait until your target was in range and fire. Then hope you've knocked out your tank and it can't fire back. This scene from Band of Brothers from about 4.56 shows how they 101st knocked out a Panzer with a nice shot to the soft underbelly.
The PIAT (Projectile Infantry Anti Tank)had an advantage over the bazooka in that it left no smoke trail. It was basically a tube with a steel spring inside and it was used widely by the British army until 1951. Not the best of weapons according to the video below.
The German panzerfaust was based on the U.S bazooka. I can't seem to find a reliable source online, but according to good old wikipedia, Nazi Germany made over 6 million of them, and they were used by all Axis powers.
Friday, 24 March 2017
Monday, 13 March 2017
Churchill Tank #WW2
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| Churchill Mk I tank found at: http://someinterestingfacts.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Churchill-ARV-MK-I-300x218.jpg |
The Churchill tank was rushed into production in 1940 when Britain only had 100 tanks to defend its shores, predicatebly there were many teething problems. Armed with first a 2 pounder then 6 pounder guns, they were superseded by 75mm guns from salvaged Sherman tanks, others proving ineffective.
There were many marks of Churchills produced, even one with a 95mm gun, but what stands out are the special adaptations of the Churchill tank which were used on D-Day.They were fitted with flame throwers towing a fuel tank behind, the AVTR carried a bundle of wood to drop into trenches enabling tanks to cross over, they laid bridges and were fitted with a large mortar used to destroy bunkers. Please have a look at my previous posts here: http://oldecuriosity.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/d-day-6th-june-1944-hobarts-funnies.html &; http://oldecuriosity.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/d-day-6th-june-1944-more-of-hobarts.html
It had a good turning circle and low silhouette, by the time the MK IV was produced it had a max speed of 17mph and a range of 90 miles. According to www.tanks there were 1600 built. http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/gb/A22_Churchill_Tank.php
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