PIAT

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The PIAT, for Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank, was one of the earlier anti-tank weapons based on a HEAT (high-explosive anti-tank) projectile. It was developed by the British starting in 1941, reaching the field in time for the invasion of Sicily in 1943.

Due to the nature of the projectile and length of the weapon, the PIAT could be used more easily in enclosed spaces than the American bazooka or the German Panzerschreck, which made it more useful in close-combat and for urban warfare. It was also primitive, heavy, cumbersome, strenuous to cock, and had a very short range compared to other anti-tank weapons.

1 History
2 Combat use
3 Specification
4 How to cock a PIAT
5 Notes and references
6 External links
7 See also

[edit] History

PIAT in use by Canadian troops

At the start of World War II, all major armies were investing in research into HEAT (high-explosive anti-tank) projectiles to produce an infantry weapon capable of defeating modern tanks which were essentially immune to the weapons carried by normal infantry. The Germans concentrated on recoiless weapons and the US on rockets to propel these new anti-tank weapons, but in 1941 when the PIAT was being developed, rocket powered weapons were nowhere near ready for use.

The British instead turned to a prewar weapon known as the Blacker Bombard, a large mortar type of weapon, known as a "spigot discharger" or spigot mortar, invented by Lt-Col Blacker, RA. The Bombard consisted of a heavy "barrel" containing a large spring. The spring pushed against a 12 pound (5 kg) steel canister and rod that rode up the barrel and struck the rear of the bomb, 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. However the design was suitable for modification as the launcher for a HEAT round. The drop in size of the warhead required (an effective HEAT shell was 3 lb compared to the 20 lb HE used on the Bombard) meant that the PIAT would be much lighter and more maneuverable than the Bombard's 150 kg mass. A section of the "barrel" was cut away on the top to form a tray for the round, which could be reloaded with fresh rounds with the operator remaining prone. The charge on the shell was small enough that it caused no real smoke or backblast, a significant advantage over the bazooka. However, the heavy duty spring and spigot pushed the weight up, resulting in a weapon that weighed 34 pounds (15 kg) unloaded. Furthermore, if the charge failed to reset the spigot, which happened often enough (especially when the firer could not take the recoil), the operator had to retire behind cover to re-cock the weapon. This required a 200 pound (91 kg) pull, and to get the necessary pull the user needed to stand up.

In general use, the PIAT had a rated range of about 100 m, but that was considered the extreme and it was typically fired at much shorter ranges. The three pound (1.4 kg) HEAT warhead was able to penetrate about 100 mm of armor. This was too little to defeat the frontal armor of the newest German tanks, but remained effective against side and rear armor. The PIAT could also function in a mortar-like role, where the shell was fired in a parabolic arc up to 350 m. The PIAT was also widely used in the "house-breaking" role, being fired into a room near the proposed assault team's entrance.

An attachement that allowed the PIAT to fire 2in mortar shells, was produced in limited numbers.

[edit] 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 reputation among the troops. The Army then instigated a rapid series of improvements, and the weapon had matured by the time of the invasion of the Italian mainland. The PIAT could then be found in all theatres, although the slow reload time meant it was generally considered a one-shot-per-confrontation weapon due to the extremely heavy spring.

One problem reported with the PIAT was that the bombs it fired were quite sensitive, due to the special firing mechanism, and if dropped could explode. Hence some bombs were given special caps over the ignition device to prevent this. Also the bomb had to be positioned correctly or it would not fire and would have to be removed then the gun re-cocked, taking time before it could be fired again.

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 two tanks followed by infantry support approached the junction. Sgt. Charles "Wagger" Thornton (D Company) Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry armed with the only working PIAT and two rounds shot the lead tank armed with a cannon at short range. The sergeant lay unprotected and flat on his belly on the left side of the road deck. The shot impacted exactly in the middle of its right flank and the tank blew up, while some surviving German grenadiers were shot at by Thornton's second man, Eric Woods, armed with a Sten gun. The other tank beat a hasty retreat along with the rest of the troops. The tank burning, exploding and having been thrown upside down, was now blocking the junction for heavy vehicles and seriously hindering or preventing heavier German counter-attack from reaching the beaches. The explosion of the wreck forced the remaining Germans to withdraw, and the commander of the vehicle behind the one destroyed by Thornton reported back to his superior saying that the British were armed with 6-pounder anti-tank guns (he believed this to be the case due to the ferocity of the explosion). However, Sgt. Thornton personally expressed dislike for "that bloody weapon".^[1]

Private Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada earned the Victoria Cross after crawling to within thirty feet of a Panther to destroy it with a PIAT.

In one of the most remarkable examples of bravery under fire, Major Robert Henry Cain also earned the Victoria Cross at Arnhem during Operation Market Garden. Using a PIAT (in addition to several other weapons) he destroyed or disabled six tanks, four of which were Tigers, as well as a number of self-propelled guns.

The PIAT remained the main British platoon-level anti-tank weapon until 1950, when it was replaced by the US M20 Super Bazooka, known as Launcher, Rocket, 3.5 inch UK (M20) in British service and then later by the ubiquitous Carl Gustav recoilless rifle.

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

[edit] Specification

Line drawing of PIAT and "bomb" not to scale

Manufacturer : ICI Ltd., various others.
Service: 1942–1950
Overall length : 39 in (990 mm)
Weight : 31.7 lb (14.4 kg)
Projectile weight : 3 lb (1.35 kg)
Muzzle velocity : 450 ft/s (137 m/s)
Effective range : 110 yd (100 m) armor, 350 yd (320 m) "house-breaking"
Penetration : 4 in (102 mm) of steel armor

Ammunition
- Bomb HEAT; Infantry Projector, AT, Mk 3/L
- Weight - approx 2 3/4 lb (1.25 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.

[edit] How to cock a PIAT

From the 1943 British Army manual Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank:

'Lie on the back and rest the projector on the chest, with the bomb support pointing over one shoulder and the shoulder piece flat on the ground. Keep the front support clear of the body and arms. Place the insteps on the shoulder piece, one foot on each side of the outer casing. Grasp the trigger guard firmly with one hand from underneath; with the other grasp any part of the projector that will give good leverage. Sit up or bend the knees if necessary, according to cover. Pull the outer casing away from the shoulder piece and turn it anticlockwise as far as it will go. Pulling with the hands and pushing with the feet, continue to pull on the outer casing until a click is heard. Considerable effort is required to overcome the resistance of the mainspring. The click denotes the action is cocked.'

[edit] Notes and references

^ See Pegasus Bridge by Stephen E. Ambrose; for correcting reports on Ambrose's book, see now contemporary report on Sgt. Charles Thornton's Military Medal; by Brigadier the Lord Lovat and by paratrooper John Butler (of the 7th Para Battalion) who all state that that they had seen a burning half-track on June 6, not any "tank". Confirmation obtained by M. Jacquinot, director Musée Memorial Pegasus at Benouville.