PIAT

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PIAT.jpg
PIAT in use by Canadian troops

The PIAT, for Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank, was one of the earlier anti-tank weapons based on a HEAT shell. It was developed by the British starting in 1941, reaching the field in time for the invasion of Sicily in 1943. Unlike the US bazooka and its German copy, the Panzerschreck, the PIAT could be used safely in enclosed spaces which made it more useful in close-combat and for hiding in houses.

At the start of World War II, all major armies were investing in research into HEAT to produce an infantry weapon capable of defeating modern armor. The US and Germans concentrated on rockets to propel their weapons, but in 1941 when the PIAT was being developed, these systems were nowhere near ready for use.

Instead they turned to a prewar weapon known as the Blacker Bombard, a large mortar type of weapon, known as a spigot discharger, invented by Lt-Col Blacker, RA. The spring pushed against a 12 pound (5 kg) steel canister and rod that rode up the barrel and impacted with the rear of the shell, igniting a small propulsion charge. The heavy bolt and rod, known as the spigot, was used primarily to damp out the recoil of the round leaving the barrel. The charge was also intended to reset the spring, meaning that the weapon had to be cocked only once, by pulling up on the tube while standing on a handle mounted at the rear.

The Blacker Bombard was never used operationally, and was retained for use by the Home Guard but was perfect for modification as the launcher for a HEAT round. For this use the upper portion of the "barrel" was cut away on one side to form a tray, which could be reloaded by dropping rounds into it while lying prone. The charge on the shell was small enough that it caused no real smoke or backblast, a significant advantage over the bazooka. On the downside the spring required a heavy barrel to hold it, and the spigot itself added even more weight, resulting in a weapon that weighed 34 pounds (15 kg) unloaded. Furthermore the charge often failed to reset the spigot, requiring the user to retire behind cover to re-cock the weapon.

In general use the PIAT had a rated range of about 100 m, but that was considered the extreme and was typically fired at much shorter ranges. However it also proved useful in a mortar-like role as well, by firing in a parabolic arc up to 350 m in the "house breaking" role. The three pound (1.4 kg) HEAT warhead was able to penetrate about 100 mm of armor at 100 m. This was too little to defeat the frontal armor of the newer German designs, but remained effective against side and rear armor.

Contents

Combat use

Early use in Sicily proved that a "perfect" hit was required or the round would not detonate, and the weapon soon garnered a poor opinion among the troops. The Army then instigated a rapid series of improvements, and by the time of the invasion of the Italian mainland, the weapon had matured. The PIAT could then be found in all theatres, although the slow reload time meant it was generally considered a one-shot-per-battle weapon.

On the morning of the D-Day landings, a single PIAT disrupted a German attempt to reach the invasion beaches. Troops had landed by glider and had seized and held the vital bridges over the Caen Canal and the Orne River. Among the positions held was a "T-junction" on the main road from Benouville to Le port which led on to Caen. A German force of 6 tanks, infantry and a battery of 88's approached the junction. Sgt. "Wagger" Thornton (D Company) Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry armed with the only working PIAT and 2 rounds shot the lead tank, a Panzer IV, at short range. The tank blew up, blocking the junction for heavy vehicles and preventing the German counter-attack from reaching the beaches.

Private Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada earned the Victoria Cross after crawling to within 10 metres of a Panther to destroy it.


The PIAT remained the main British platoon-level anti-tank weapon until 1950, when it was replaced by the US 3.5 in (85 mm) M20 bazooka, and then later by the ubiquitous Carl Gustav rifle.


The naval weapon Hedgehog was another application of the spigot discharger principle.

Specification

  • Manufacturer : ICI Ltd., various others.
  • Service: 1942 - 1950
  • Overall length : 39 in(990 mm)
  • Weight : 31.7 lb (14.4kg)
  • Projectile weight : 3 lb (1.35 kg)
  • Muzzle velocity : 450 ft/s (137 m/s)
  • Effective range : 109 yd (100 m)armour, 350 yd (320 m) "house-breaking"
  • penetration : 4 in (102 mm) armour at 115 yd (105 m)
  • Ammunition
    • Bomb HE/AT; Infantry Projector, AT, Mk 3/L
    • Weight - approx 2 3/4 lb (1.2 kg)
    • Length - 16.6 in (422 mm)
    • Colour - Service colour or brown, with red filling ring around forward portion of body, a blue band edged above and below with yellow and with "TNT3" in black on the blue band.

External links

  • Nase noviny (http://www.geocities.com/nasenoviny/PIATen.html)
  • Arnhem Archive (http://www.arnhemarchive.org/equip_piat.htm)


See also

Template:WW2 Brit Comm Infantry Gunsja:PIAT pl:Granatnik PIAT pt:PIAT

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