The Piat Anti-Tank Weapon,During World War II most of the major warring powers phased out the anti-t

The Piat Anti-Tank Weapon,During World War II most of the major warring powers phased out the anti-tank rifle, which was becoming more and more obsolete as armor thickness increased, and replaced them with warhead firing designs.  The Americans had the bazooka, the Germans had the panzerfaust and panzerschrek, Britain had the bizarre Piat.  Standing for “Projector Infantry Anti-tank”, the Piat was unique in that it didn’t fire a rocket or use an explosive charge to propel its warhead, rather it was a spring loaded device similar to earlier spigot mortars.  The British chose this design for two main reasons; it was a simple system and it was cheap to produce.  While certainly novel, the Piat had some flaws which made it less than ideal when it came to combat use.First and foremost, the spring was a pain to cock.  One had to brace the weapon with his legs and pull back on the spring to set it in place, much in the same way a Medieval archer would cock a crossbow.  If a soldier was particularly short, or injured, cocking the Piat would be especially difficult.  Fortunately the warhead had a small explosive charge which would detonate when the Piat was fired.  The force of this charge would recock the spring, so the user only had to cock the weapon for its first shot. This system in itself caused another problem in the form of a very stout recoil.  British soldiers often joked the they deserved the Victoria Cross just for firing the thing.  The Piat was also heavy, weighing in at 32 pounds with a 3 pound warhead.  The weapon was typically worked by a two man crew, one who fired the weapon, and a second carried ammunition and loaded it.  However in a pinch a single person could operate the Piat if necessary. Lastly the Piat had limited range, 350 yards at the most, 100 yards was its optimum range, in combat 50 yards was more practical.Despite its flaws the Piat did have some advantages over other competing weapons.  Since the Piat produced no rear exhaust like a rocket launcher, it could be fired indoors and in close quarters. It was also a very versatile weapon, which when used with high explosive warheads could be utilized as an anti-infantry mortar or to destroy light fortifications. Most importantly, in close quarters the Piat was a deadly tank killer, able to knock out Panzer IV’s and even the infamous Tiger Tank.  The Piat was first produced in 1942, and used by the British throughout World War II and the Korean War.  They were also used by the Free French, Free Polish, and exported to the Soviet Union.  Many were also used by the Israeli’s during the 1948 Arab - Israeli War as well as both sides of the Indo - Pakistani War of 1971. -- source link
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