Another interesting modification came about during the US Army’s sniping trials.
It arrived too late to see service in the First World War and was effectively a new weapon. In early 1903 their first report dismissed the 4.7 inch (120 mm, used in South Africa) and the 30 pounder (used in India) from further consideration because they lacked firepower. After the liberation of the Philippines, these rifles were then used during the Hukbalahap Rebellion and by Filipino forces in the Korean War. Source: Wikimedia, The British Army had shown interest in an anti-tank rifle during the First World War, mainly that designed by famous gun designer Philip Thomas Godsal. In June 1916 the BEF commander General Haig requested a return to the lighter Mk I carriage. By the outbreak of war in 1914 41 guns had been produced, 13 being in Canada and India. A Boys Mk.1. TE Moderator. These exiled armies were organised along similar lines to the British Army and so the Boys saw issue at platoon level and in similar fashion to the British, it would be replaced in 1943-44 by other more effective infantry mobile anti-tank weapons. As far as we are aware it is not a montage photo. Illustration by Yuvnashva Sharma funded by our Patreon Campaign. While its usefulness on the European Front was waning, on the Far Eastern front it remained relevant. Source:Imperial War Museum Finland was lacking in many modern arms, including anti-tank weaponry and asked any nation for help. During the closing weeks of 1939, the Soviet Union’s invasion of Finland shocked the world and many gave the Finns only a few weeks before they capitulated. It was used to 'up-gun' some foreign-built vehicles in British service, notably to produce the Sherman Fireflyvariant of the US M4 Sherman tank, giving British tank units the ability to hold their own … A still from the Disney film, ‘Crack That Tank’ commissioned by Canada to help dismiss the rumours about the Boys. It was a weapon that could, when in the right hands, perform well. barrels) and 1397 carriages.[11]. Out of the 100 in service, only 6 were lost in combat. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Your email address will not be published. Some were also sold to the Republic of Ireland to help supplement their military forces during the Second World War (known as the Emergency) but, like many other smaller forces, their distribution is unknown. War Office, Small Arms Training Volume I, Pamphlet No. 5 Anti-Tank Rifle 1942. Source: Imperial War Museum A small, unknown amount was also in use by Jewish Insurgents and later by Israeli Forces in the post-war years. Looking closer I could see the edges of the white object. Sergeant Major John Sheppard of the 1/5th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment (TA) was deployed near the village of Tretten to help protect the right flank when three German Panzers approached his position. The weapon was extremely effective at penetrating the armor of the Soviet BT and T-26 tanks but the Finns found that they needed to aim for the crew positions in order to get the best use out of the gun. By this time heavy batteries had ceased to be part of each infantry division and batteries became part of what were eventually called Heavy Artillery Groups with several batteries of different types.
The vast majority of these were deployed with the Universal Carrier and were seen as a vehicle armament, used for engaging hardpoints and soft-skinned vehicles rather than a dedicated anti-tank weapon (they employed their own anti-tank rifles for that). Some were sent to Portuguese possessions, such as Macau, in case Japan didn’t respect their neutrality. Field Army Artillery. A British soldier on Salisbury Plain, 1939. It fired a separate round (i.e. 60 pounder was a heavy field gun or ‘gun of position’ designed to be towed by either a horse team or mechanical vehicle. Another modification was the replacement of the monopod with a Bren gun bipod, which helped with production. Another user of the Boys was the Republic of China. Ian Skennerton mentions in his book, “The Lee-Enfield Story”, that a smoothbore 13.2mm Boys was tested in mid-1945 and it is theorised that it was for testing a sabot round. Zaloga, Steven J. , The Anti-Tank Rifle, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018, Weeks, John S. , Men against tanks: a history of anti-tank warfare, Mason/Charter, 1975, War Office, Boys Anti Tank Rifle Mark I, Aldershot Gale and Polden Limited, 1944, War Office, Small Arms Training Volume I, Pamphlet No. The other advantage was it was of simple design and didn’t require a lot of maintenance, unlike the original brake, that needed dissembling and oiling when not in use. However, they disliked the weight and preferred the more versatile American Bazooka. The Boys was able to penetrate sandbags and even rocks in order to negate the Axis advantage. As one Australian says after a battle in the desert, “The Italians counterattacked with nine tanks and hundreds of infantrymen. [22] Batteries in the other minor theatres appear to have mostly retained a 4-gun structure. Also the both men and their guns seem to be differently sharp. It was designed to take a modified .50 BMG cartridge but, after initial trials, the bullet was increased to a .55 calibre.
During the Korean War, the United States Army saw there was a need for a long-range, heavy calibre rifle and Ralph Walker of Selma Alabama converted several Boys to .50 using M2 barrels (similar to their sniper trials during the Second World War) and attaching telescopic sights to them. Within popular history culture, it is normally maligned as a useless deadweight upon the infantryman. This moved most of the weight when traveling away from the limber on to the carriage's own wheels - most weight was on the gun carriage wheels rather than the limber wheels and it was 1 ton heavier. Even so. Numerous parts were made from aluminum to help save on weight. Your email address will not be published. The barrel was a wire wound A tube in a jacket with a screw breech. with weight over the gun carriage) typical of the Mk II carriage mounting. In connection to the Irish Boys, the Official Irish Republican Army is known to have possessed one which they used during an attack on HMS Brave Borderer in September 1965, causing severe damage to one of its turbines. Despite the overwhelming odds, the dogged defence of the Finns had stalled the Soviet advance and allowed for military aid to reach the frontlines. The penetration certainly wasn’t poor. A group of Chinese Nationalist Soldiers practicing with a Boys Anti-Tank rifle.
Its cradle was difficult to make. A Boys Mk1* in its packed and stripped down form. Chemical shells were used with 60 pounder but not smoke or incendiary. Many were mounted on the Universal Carrier in a primitive form of tank destroyer (despite regulations stating that all weapons should be dismounted from the Carrier before use). the picture showing the Boys gun in Israeli service is obviously a montage.
Japanese armor was relatively light (the Type 95 had a top thickness of 16mm and the Type 97 30mm) and so easily fell prey to the Boys. The lower carriage comprised a box trail.
Source: Wikimedia, The Boys has somewhat of a mixed reputation. [12], Wartime manufacturing of the carriage was simplified in Mk II by removing the provision to retract the gun for traveling. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. However, by the outbreak of war, the Rifle platoons still only had one Boys per Platoon but the Mechanised Platoons had 4 per platoon, mounted in Universal Carriers. Anti-tank rifles work by hitting critical parts of the tank which are thus disabled.
Jaegerplatoon- AT Rifles Source: Twitter These vehicles were armed with Bren Guns and Boys Anti-Tank Rifle. shell to 12,300 yards (11,200 m). shell and bagged cartridge were loaded separately). From this influence they built, like many other anti-tank rifles of the time, a large-scale bolt action rifle. Source: acant.org.au This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 60 pounder remained unchanged except for carriage modifications to enable mechanisation and new sights. From early 1915, 60 pounder batteries moved from Division to Army control. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Only against the Fiat M13/40, with its 30mm frontal armor, did it struggle. In 1934, the Small Arms Committee started a programme for an anti-tank rifle to be used at platoon level with the ability to penetrate 16mm of armor at 100 yards (91 meters).
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