Piats

what about the statement that the resetting-device of the clip did fail to work pretty often?? in the heat of a battle it must have been a problem to reset it by hand!

 

what about the statement that the resetting-device of the clip did fail to work pretty often?? in the heat of a battle it must have been a problem to reset it by hand!

There is a good report by a soldier having to do it lying down in a field with Panzers coming at him. Not something anyone would ever want to do. I'll try and find it for you.

 

Hi Dave

Major Cain used a Piat a lot at Arnhem until one blow up in his face.. But something for you Recce in the woods at Arnhem...

Cheers
Tom

It blew up in his face because he fired it just a fraction too soon and the projectil clipped the wall he standing next to.

 

and the projectil clipped the wall he standing next to


i just did some research and found a few statements of tommys who said that allready the cartridge itself was really dangerous to explode when toppling onto the fuze.

 

Quite probably - It was simply a bomb. I was just referring to that particular instance.

 

I wrote earlier. about being the outpost on my own armed with this bloody awful contraption by the name of PIAT...I could not even load the spring..It took two of us.

Out there waiting for the Panzer's to arrive, knowing full well that my days were numbered.....

 

what alternatives did the army provide for its riflemen to engage armour?? AT-grenades or something else??

 

I wrote earlier. about being the outpost on my own armed with this bloody awful contraption by the name of PIAT...I could not even load the spring..It took two of us.

Out there waiting for the Panzer's to arrive, knowing full well that my days were numbered.....
Did you have to fire it in Anger Brian?

 

Something rang a bell in my mind on the way to work this morning. I checked the ordnance list for Southern Sudan and there was a listing for the PIAT there.

"UK, Grenade 89mm HEAT, Spigot, Mark iv."

So it was still in use in Sudan but I would think only in the early years of the 24 year civil war which ended 4 years ago. I certainly never came across any while I was there.



Incidentally, N.E.W stands for net explosive weight

 

I have fired it. Thankfully not at a Panzer. Had I ? I would not be here writing this... That is for sure. I fired it at a cliff face to bore a hole about 6 feet deep. It was a method of getting a hole into solid rock, in preparation for bringing the cliff down.

The recoil was like being hit by a mule, and an angry one at that, The drill was to fire the bloody thing, and roll to one side as the Bomb fin came straight back at the user. You also had to make sure there wee no trees or saplings behind you, or your sex life would be over ! AND keep your legs closed......


About the only thing the PIAT was good for, was that it enables us to then pack a small amount of Amanol deep inside the 6 foot deep hole.. blow that ...That produced a cavity 6 feet in.... that was then packed with Amanol and tamped, then there was enough HE to blow the whole bloody caboodle of a cliff face .....BOOM

I have written about my lonely vigil in the outpost with the blood PIAT. Round the shrubs and trees we could hear the Panzer's revving...... While I had the PIAT on top of a dug out..... Determined to get one.. had I fired it it would probably have broken my neck anyway, and if that did niot Happen... the Panzer Grenadiers would get me, for there was no way back form the outpost....

Near the Dutch town of Weert by the way. fortunately the Panzer's drove in a different direction.

The buggers got me later anyway. On the lonly road between Overloon and Venraij.
Sapper

 

I have fired it. Thankfully not at a Panzer. Had I ? I would not be here writing this... That is for sure. I fired it at a cliff face to bore a hole about 6 feet deep. It was a method of getting a hole into solid rock, in preparation for bringing the cliff down.

The recoil was like being hit by a mule, and an angry one at that, The drill was to fire the bloody thing, and roll to one side as the Bomb fin came straight back at the user. You also had to make sure there wee no trees or saplings behind you, or your sex life would be over ! AND keep your legs closed......


About the only thing the PIAT was good for, was that it enables us to then pack a small amount of Amanol deep inside the 6 foot deep hole.. blow that ...That produced a cavity 6 feet in.... that was then packed with Amanol and tamped, then there was enough HE to blow the whole bloody caboodle of a cliff face .....BOOM

I have written about my lonely vigil in the outpost with the blood PIAT. Round the shrubs and trees we could hear the Panzer's revving...... While I had the PIAT on top of a dug out..... Determined to get one.. had I fired it it would probably have broken my neck anyway, and if that did niot Happen... the Panzer Grenadiers would get me, for there was no way back form the outpost....

Near the Dutch town of Weert by the way. fortunately the Panzer's drove in a different direction.

The buggers got me later anyway. On the lonly road between Overloon and Venraij.
Sapper

...sounds like allready firing the PIAT should qualify you for a medal.

 

Medals ? Oh I have quite a collection.. Makes me look like a Christmas tree..!
All dirty and gathering dust,t he ribbons are a positive disgrace. My old sparring partner Captain Jack had been awarded two Croix de geurres,,,,, When we went to church to lay up the colours. I got Jack to wear them. He turned up with two medals with screwed up ribbons, and unpolished medals and a huge grin.... Sadly Captain Jack has left us
Sapper

 

May I make the point that the PIAT bomb did not lay lose in the tray, the rear end of the tail was held by clips. The spigot could then accurately enter the tail to fire the propelling cartridge, and recock that ruddy great spring.

Whilst in a War Museum here in Holland I saw 2 different PIAT projectiles.
One with wat looked liked a clip and one without the clip.
I asked the weapon specialist of the museum about it but he never noticed the difference and looked surprised.

So, I think there were at least 2 different versions of the projectile,
one that laid loose in the tray(As Sapper said) and 1 wich was held by a clip.

Ron...

 

Thought the attached report made by an officer of 11 Para who had fought at Arnhem would be of interest. You can find it here:

ParaData | A living history of the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces

 

Thought the attached report made by an officer of 11 Para who had fought at Arnhem would be of interest. You can find it here:

ParaData | A living history of the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces

Thanks for the link Paul

 

I looked at him and said, "You eejit - there's no bomb, you forgot to load it."


Priceless

 

Here is a photo I found at our NARA.

Caption reads:

"Platoon Sgt. Fred G. Hipkin demonstrates the firing position
of a Piat, British antitank weapon, weighing 35 lbs. It can
be manned by a 1 or 2 man team. Mt. Trocchio area, Italy.

"2nd Bn. London Irish rifles, 78th Div."

Date: 25 March 1944.

III-SC 189039, Credit NARA.


Dave

 

We kept ours in the three tonner, hidden away at the back in the vain hope that no one would think of it...Our PIATs bomb was loose in the tray.Just moving would make it flop out the tray onto the ground,, t was an abortion, with a kick like a mule and pretty small chance of hitting anything. Like all "Hollow Charges the blast forms the front of the projectile into a solid shot, and the blast follows though NOT SIDEWAYS!

So anything in front it would create a hole but the blast was concentrated as all hollow charges are.

certainly the worst weapon, followed closely by the Sten of sad memory...famed for firing when you did not mean it.... and not firing when you did. Welded construction and the cost? About six and eleven three farthings !
Sapper