With the introduction of the tank to the battlefield in World War I, infantry required some kind of weapon that could be used to combat it. Almost immediately, “anti-tank rifles” appeared. Most anti-tank rifles were simply larger, more powerful versions of standard rifles, usually larger than .50 caliber, firing a steel-core armor penetrating round.
When World War II began, these weapons were fairly effective, particularly against light tanks and other lightly-armored vehicles. As tank armor improved over the course of the war, however, they quickly disappeared from the battlefield, replaced by more advanced and sophisticated weapons that could fire explosive charges.
The Soviet Union primarily fielded two kinds of anti-tank rifles: the Simonov 14.5mm PTRS-41 and the Degtyaryov 14.5mm PTRD-41. Both weapons could penetrate up to 40mm of armor plate at a range of about 100 meters on a direct hit. Since most German tanks had side and rear armor that was less than 40mm—and other vehicles such as armored cars and half-tracks had even less—these rifles could be used effectively for the entire war—although at tremendous risk to the crews who used them because of the relatively short range required to achieve penetration.
When World War II began, these weapons were fairly effective, particularly against light tanks and other lightly-armored vehicles. As tank armor improved over the course of the war, however, they quickly disappeared from the battlefield, replaced by more advanced and sophisticated weapons that could fire explosive charges.
The Soviet Union primarily fielded two kinds of anti-tank rifles: the Simonov 14.5mm PTRS-41 and the Degtyaryov 14.5mm PTRD-41. Both weapons could penetrate up to 40mm of armor plate at a range of about 100 meters on a direct hit. Since most German tanks had side and rear armor that was less than 40mm—and other vehicles such as armored cars and half-tracks had even less—these rifles could be used effectively for the entire war—although at tremendous risk to the crews who used them because of the relatively short range required to achieve penetration.
- Includes unit flags and unit cards for use with the Art of Tactic WWII game.
