Anti-tank rifle

An anti-tank rifle is a rifle designed to penetrate the armor of vehicles, particularly tanks. The usefulness of rifles for this purpose ran from the introduction of tanks in World War I and 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 targets, though recoilless rifles and rocket-propelled grenades such as the bazooka were also introduced for infantry close-layer defense against tanks. Anti-materiel rifles of today, such as the Barrett M82, are a development of the Second World War technology.

History

The tug of war between armor and projectiles had been developing for a long while among naval vessels, since the advent of the Ironclad. It wasn't until soldiers met armored vehicles that the conflict of infantry firearms and armor began. The introduction of armored cars and tanks resulted in the development of the first anti-tank weapons, among the first of which were high-powered rifles. These had appeared in the 19th century for big-game hunting. The anti-tank rifle followed the same route: a large bullet with a high velocity and the ability to penetrate armor.

Anti-tank warfare

Anti-tank warfare arose as a result of the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during the First World War. Since the first tanks were developed by the allies in 1916 but not principally used till 1917 the first anti-tank weapon was developed by Germany. It was a scaled-up bolt-action rifle designated the Mauser Tank-Gewehr Model 1918 that fired a 13mm cartridge with a solid bullet that could penetrate the thin armor of tanks of the time and destroy the engine or ricochet inside killing occupants. Because tanks represent an enemy's greatest force projection (aside from nuclear artillery and tank vs. tank engagements), anti-tank warfare has been incorporated into the doctrine of nearly every combat service since. The predominant anti-tank weapons at the start of the Second World War were the tank-mounted gun, limbered (towed) anti-tank guns and anti-tank grenades used by the infantry as well as ground-attack aircraft such as the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.

Anti-tank warfare evolved rapidly, particularly on the Eastern Front, to include new infantry and infantry support weapons such as the bazooka, anti-tank combat engineering, specialized anti-tank aircraft and self-propelled anti-tank guns (tank destroyers). Both the Soviet Red Army and the German Army developed methods of combating tank-led offensives, including deployment of static anti-tank weapons embedded in in-depth defensive positions, protected by anti-tank obstacles and minefields, and supported by mobile anti-tank reserves and ground attack aircraft.