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{{Short description|Anti-materiel rifle designed to penetrate the armor of armored fighting vehicles}}{{more citations needed|date=September 2014}}
[[
An '''anti-tank rifle''' is an [[anti-materiel rifle]] designed to penetrate the [[vehicle armor|armor]] of [[armored fighting vehicle]]s, most commonly [[tank]]s, [[armored personnel carrier]]s, and [[infantry fighting vehicle]]s. The term is usually used for weapons that can be carried and used by one person, but is sometimes used for larger weapons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/the-swiss-armys-first-mass-anti-tank-rifle-the-tankbuchse-tb-41-24mm/ |title=The Swiss Army's First Mass Anti-Tank Rifle The Tankbüchse (Tb) 41 24mm|website=Small Arms Defense Journal|date=17 September 2019 |author=Tom Murphy}} A {{convert|74|kg|lb|abbr=on}} "anti-tank rifle" requiring seven men to set it up.</ref> The usefulness of rifles for this purpose ran from the introduction of tanks in [[World War I]] until the [[Korean War]]. While medium and heavy tank armor became too thick to be penetrated by rigid projectiles from rifles that could be carried by a single soldier, anti-tank rifles continued to be used against other "soft" targets, though [[recoilless rifle]]s and [[rocket-propelled grenade]]s such as the [[bazooka]] were also introduced for infantry close-layer defense against tanks.▼
▲An '''anti-tank rifle''' is an [[anti-materiel rifle]] designed to penetrate the [[vehicle armor|armor]] of [[armored fighting vehicle]]s, most commonly [[tank]]s, [[armored personnel carrier]]s, and [[infantry fighting vehicle]]s. The usefulness of rifles for this purpose ran from the introduction of tanks in [[World War I]] until the [[Korean War]]. While medium and heavy tank armor became too thick to be penetrated by rigid projectiles from rifles that could be carried by a single soldier, anti-tank rifles continued to be used against other "soft" targets, though [[recoilless rifle]]s and [[rocket-propelled grenade]]s such as the [[bazooka]] were also introduced for infantry close-layer defense against tanks.
== History ==
The tug of war between armour and projectiles had been developing for a long while among naval vessels, since the advent of the [[Ironclad warship|
=== World War I ===
[[Image:Mauser Tank-Gewehr M1918.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr]] 13.2 x 92 mm anti-tank rifle at the ''Musée de l'Armée'' in Paris.]]
The first tanks, beginning with the British [[Mark I (tank)|Mark I]] launched against the German trenches in [[World War I]], were nearly impregnable to ordinary rifle fire. Most [[armoured car (military)|armoured cars]] were similarly protected, but troops rarely faced armoured cars, as they could not navigate the landscape of trench warfare very well. Though tanks and armoured cars were vulnerable to artillery, mortars, and grenades, infantry was at a significant disadvantage when facing [[armoured fighting vehicle]]s since they had no effective [[direct fire]] weapon, with the exception of the ubiquitous trench [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]], improvised on the spot. In the direct fire mode, this weapon was manhandled by German infantry over the front of a trench wall and fired at low angles by eye at approaching enemy vehicles. Though somewhat effective, these actions were obviously very hazardous to any desperate mortar crew as their exposure could attract enemy fire.<ref>"Men Against Tanks" John Weeks, Publisher: David & Charles PLC; 1st Edition. edition (28 Aug 1975) {{ISBN|0-7153-6909-1}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7153-6909-8}}</ref>
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Even as the rounds were introduced, tanks were being designed and built with thicker armour rendering these rounds largely ineffective, though they remained in use against the older designs and armoured cars. Hence, a purpose-built weapon was required to counter the newer tanks.
The first purposely-designed infantry [[anti-tank]] rifle was designed by Germany. The [[Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr]] large-calibre (13.2 mm) rifle was capable of penetrating the armour of the newer generations of tanks and allowed a chance at stopping them. The high recoil of the rifle was very hard on the firer, sometimes breaking the [[collar bone]] or dislocating the shoulder. Although the rifle was unique to its role, it was a development of the Mauser rifles and high-powered British sporting rifles that had preceded it. The 13.2 x 92 mm (0.
At the same time, in the US, a half-inch high velocity round was being developed for use against aircraft. It would be used with the [[Browning Arms Company|Browning]]-designed .50 calibre machine gun. This round was
=== World War II ===
[[File:AT Rifle wz.35.jpg|thumb|[[
At the start of World War II, only some European nations had an anti-tank rifle based on a high-velocity, large-calibre round, such as the British [[Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55 in, Boys|Boys anti-tank Rifle]]. The first combat use of anti-tank rifles took place during the [[invasion of Poland]] of 1939. The [[Wz. 35 anti-tank rifle]] was extensively used by most [[Polish Army|Polish units]]. The Wz. 35 with [[7.92 mm DS|7.92 mm]] anti-tank rifle ammunition was a very effective weapon against all German tanks of the period (the [[Panzer I]], [[Panzer II|II]] and [[Panzer III|III]], as well as the Czechoslovak-made [[LT-35]] and [[LT-38]]).<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WJEkAAAACAAJ |author=Zbigniew Gwóźdź, Piotr Zarzycki | publisher = SIGMA NOT | year = 1993 | ISBN = 83-85001-69-7 |title=Polskie konstrukcje broni strzeleckiej |access-date=6 June 2013}}</ref> At up to {{cvt|400|m|||}}, it could destroy all lightly armoured vehicles. It could penetrate {{cvt|15|mm|||}} of armour, sloped at 30° at {{cvt|300|m|-1||}} distance, or {{cvt|33|mm|||}} of armour at {{cvt|100|m|-1|}}.
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The Soviet [[PTRS-41]] and [[PTRD]] of World War II vintage were used by [[North Korea]]n and Chinese forces during the [[Korean War]] as they lacked more modern infantry anti-tank weapons.
=== Cold War and modern day ===
Although retaining many of the technical characteristics of the anti-tank rifles, the [[Cold War]] era weapons are only conceptual descendants of anti-tank weapons wielded by the Second World War infantry, and both large-calibre [[sniper rifle]]s and [[anti-materiel rifle]]s owe only some part of their design heritage to them.
Although no longer capable of penetrating even the side armour of modern [[main battle tank]]s, they are capable of causing serious damage to their external fittings such as periscopes, optics, sensors, tank treads, and machine guns. For example, Croatian [[RT-20 (rifle)|RT-20]] was developed to destroy thermal sights on Serbian tanks.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Aleksandrov |first=Evgeny |date=December 2008 |title=«Ручная пушка» RT-20 |trans-title="Hand cannon" RT-20 |url=http://www.kalashnikov.ru/upload/medialibrary/754/038_042.pdf |magazine=Kalashnikov |pages=38-42 |language=ru}}</ref> They are also useful in disabling or even destroying lesser armoured rear units and support vehicles, helicopters, low-flying [[UAV]]s and personnel.
== Selected anti-tank rifles ==
Some examples of anti-tank rifles include:
*Mauser [[Gewehr 98]] with [[K bullet
* German [[
* Finland
** [[Lahti L-39]]
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** [[Panzerbüchse|Panzerbüchse 38]]
** [[Panzerbüchse|Panzerbüchse 39]]
**
* Poland
** [[Anti-tank rifle, model 35]]
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* [http://wio.ru/galgrnd/ww2atr.htm Soviet ATR aces of WWII]
{{Firearms}}
{{Authority control}}
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