Scots Guards
British Mortars & Anti Tank Weapons
Mortars |
Anti Tank Weapons |
2 Inch mortar |
Boys Anti-Tank Rifle |
3 inch mortar |
Rifle Grenade Anti- Tank #68 |
4.2 inch mortar |
Projector Infantry Anti Tank (PAIT) |
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2in Mortar
CALIBER; 2inch
BARREL; 53cm long
WEIGHT;
-IN ACTION: 8.5kg
FIRING MECHANISM;
Trip
ELEVATION; +45 - +90
degrees
TRAVERSE;
PROJECTILE &
WEIGHT; 1kg H.E., 900g SMOKE, 595g FLARE
MAXIMUM RANGE; 450m
RATE OF FIRE; 8
R.P.M.
This mortar fired 2 inch calibre bombs, firing out to a practical range of 450
metres. Rate of fire of 4 rounds per minute, 1065 kg in weight. It had a crew
of Two.
3 inch mortar
CALIBER; 3inch
BARREL; 129.5cm long
WEIGHT;
-BARREL: 20kg
-BIPOD: 20.5kg
-BASEPLATE: 17kg
-IN ACTION: 51kg
FIRING MECHANISM;
Drop, fixed striker
ELEVATION; +45 - +80
degrees
TRAVERSE; 5.5 dgrees
left or right
PROJECTILE &
WEIGHT; 4.5kg H.E., 4.5kg SMOKE
MAXIMUM RANGE; 1450m
(Mk1), 2560m (Mk2)
RATE OF FIRE; 10
R.P.M.
This mortar fired 76.2mm 4.5kg (10lb) bombs out to 115 metres to 1,463 metres
(mk 1) or 2,560 metres (Mk 2) depending on the charge, at a rate of 5 rounds
per minute. It had a Three man crew and weighed 50.8kg as fired. With an
Elevation of between +45 to +80 degrees
4.2 inch mortar
This mortar fired 106.7mm 8.9kg bombs out to 1,000 to 3,750 metres depending on the charge. It had a rate of fire of 8-10 rounds per minute, with a 4 crew.
Boys Anti-Tank Rifle
CALIBER; .55inch
LENGTH; 161cm
WEIGHT; 16.3kg
BARREL; 91cm long, 7
grooves right hand twist
FEED SYSTEM; 5 Round
detachable box (top mounted)
| Weighing 36lbs in weight, the Boys rifle was a man-portable weapon but was also fitted to a wide range of vehicles. It was 1.612 metres long, with a five round top-mounted detachable box magazine. The Boys was a Bolt action rifle firing a steel-cored bullet. Its recoil was considerable so it was fitted with a muzzle brake and allowed to recoil against a buffer spring. The Boys could defeat 21mm of armour at 300 metres with a 90 degree impact angle. The Boys was phased out as tank armour grew thicker |
Rifle Grenade Anti- Tank #68
LENGTH; 16.5cm
WEIGHT; 893g
FILLING; 156g of
LYDITE, PENTOLITE OR RDX
RANGE; 90m
PENETRATION; 50mm at
90m at 0 degrees angle
FUSING; Impact
Projector Infantry Anti Tank (PAIT)
LENGTH; 99cm
WEIGHT; 14.5kg
FEED SYSTEM; Single
shot
SYSTEM OF OPERATION;
Spigot discharger
MUZZLE VELOCITY;
105m per second
PENETRATION; 75-80mm
PROJECTILE &
WEIGHT; Hollow charge 1.35kg
RANGE; Effective
90m, Maximum 680m
| The PIAT was a projectile launcher, firing a bomb which was a 1.13kg hollow charge projectile with a range of upto 400 yards, and was launched by releasing a powerful spring which triggered a shell and fired the bomb off, the intense recoil recocked the spring. The preliminary cocking of the weapon had to be done by a man standing on the cocking handle, or a very strong man with his arms. PIAT however, suffered from significant recoil, and if fired from a standing position could knock the user off his feet. The PIAT weighed in at 16 kg, 0.95 metres long. Range of 100 m against tanks, 350 metres against structures |