Piats

Discussion in 'Weapons, Technology & Equipment' started by kingarthur, Jun 24, 2010.

  1. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Military Medal award Greece 1944 - Rifleman Harry Fink D Coy 11 KRRC

    "On the night of 31st Dec 1944, a determined attack was made on the Pallini Wireless Station by 50 ELAS supported by a captured ex RAF Armoured Car No.91526. With complete disregard of his own safety, Rifleman Fink, approached the Armoured Car and engaged it with a PIAT at close range. The first round missfired, but the second round his the Armoured Car and blew up as it was found to have been laden with a vast quantity of dynamite. His bravery undoubtedly saved many men guarding the radio station."

    WO Recommendation is missing from TNA discovery. Primary Sources: 50 RTR WD (WO 170/864) "Swift and Bold. The Kings Royal Rifle Corps Second World War 1939 - 1945" by Gen Hareward Wake and "A Stretcher Bearer from El Alamein to Greece" by Bob Hopper
     
    Chris C likes this.
  2. Listy

    Listy Well-Known Member

    Wait... Is that a Rolls Royce he managed to wallop?
     
  3. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    I believe it was an Otter

    Gus
     
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  4. Topfmine

    Topfmine Active Member

    Not sure if its been mentioned or i have mentioned before, there is a video of a Canadian guy on the BOCN forum and i think its on youtube as well who has a licence or is allowed by law to shoot one, he made some dummy rounds up and projector cartridges, not sure if the cartridges were surplus from a old stock box, but it was quite impressive to see being fired. I was more interested where the ejected other half of the cartridge went as during my local heritage research i am interested to see the firing position and work out the target area of where these weapons were used usually about a foot in front of the firer. I also find that the PIAT is such a lump in weight you need a jeep to lug it around, you would have thought there would be an easier way to propel a anti tank round.
     
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  5. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    I read the posts here and thought ; knowing the PIAT's weight is a hardy perennial I'd compare it to the much lauded Anglo-Swedish NLAW used now in the Ukraine, assembled in Belfast by Thales.

    Wiki shows the PIAT weighed plus other aspects:
    From: PIAT - Wikipedia

    Wiki shows the NLAW weighed:
    From: NLAW - Wikipedia
     
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  6. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I have a feeling that fellow had to disassemble/disable his PIAT, sadly.
     
  7. chrisgrove

    chrisgrove Senior Member

    I wonder how the PIAT compared in weight with the 84mm Carl Gustav, which always seemed an awful lump to cart around (and loud too!).
    Chris
     
  8. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    Here to help Chris. It does depend on whether you carried the M2 version or the post-1986 M3 / M4.

    Weight: (M2) 14.2 kg (31 lb) or (M4/M3E1) 6.6 Kg (14.5 lb)
    Length: M2) 1,130 mm (44 in) or (M4/M3E1) 950 mm (37 in)

    From: Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle - Wikipedia
     
  9. Topfmine

    Topfmine Active Member

    Not sure what the laws are in Canada about PIATs, i assume they are banned.
     
  10. JeremyC

    JeremyC Well-Known Member

    I've just (enjoyed) reading through this entire thread and am surprised that no-one has yet mentioned the passage in George MacDonald Fraser's "Quartered Safe Out Here" where he describes using a PIAT against boats on the Sittang River, presumably in late-July 1945. Supports the several posts that have been made here about how horrible a device it was . . .
     
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  11. chrisgrove

    chrisgrove Senior Member

    Definitely the earlier, heavier version. Though I didn't carry it often, I did feel sorry for the guy who did!
    Chris
     
  12. Listy

    Listy Well-Known Member

    I believe the gentleman was an American. He's gone on to work on a Fliegerfaust.

    This causes me no small amount of grumpiness. ;)

    May I direct sir here (von Poop having a look at a work on the Spigots):
    Book Review - Defeating the panzer Stuka Menace. David Lister.

    Or here:


    This is precisely why I spent a decade on Blacker and his spigots.
     
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  13. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Piat team: Troops of the 2nd Bn. Gordon Highlanders cross an improvised bridge north of Celle. The original bridge had been blown.
    upload_2022-7-2_20-43-3.png
    IWM BU 3547
     
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  14. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    At the risk of stating the obvious, the first man is carrying the launcher, and the next two are each carrying three rounds of ammunition.
     
  15. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

  16. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Point 174 Gueriat el Atach near Medjez el Bab Tunisia, Easter 1943.
    John Oscroft of the 2nd Sherwood Foresters was told to fire at a Tiger with his PIAT.
    Crawling forward to get as close as he dared, he saw the bomb bounce off the Tiger..........
    The full story is in the link below.

    Tiger 131 - A Twist in the Tale - The Tank Museum
     
  17. Listy

    Listy Well-Known Member

    Oh what a surprise!
    'Having the dubious honour of carrying a PIAT anti-tank weapon'
     
  18. Don Juan

    Don Juan Well-Known Member

    I'll have to look through some of the war diaries I've got, because from memory a lot of the infantry battalions in Tunisia were absolutely bursting to "bag" a Tiger. Maybe that was bravado, but it appeared genuine enough to me.

    The Tank Museum's favourite narrative of plucky incompetent Brits with crappy equipment is starting to get really, really, really tiresome now. They seem to be absolutely determined to remain 20 years out of date with the historiography.
     
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  19. Listy

    Listy Well-Known Member

    It's not just Bovy,
    Britain's Struggle To Build Effective Tanks During The Second World War

    I'd suggest NSFW as it makes one shout at the Computer screen and alarm your co-workers.

    The trouble is the people in charge setting the direction of travel are the previous generation. It'll hopefully smooth out as time goes by.
    Or you (or Mr Wheatcroft) can give me £1bn quid and I'll start my own museum!
     
    Don Juan likes this.
  20. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    DJ,
    Perhaps your research might place a wider perspective on this battle, it was quite a struggle taking place over Easter Weekend 1943.
    It is largely overlooked by historians, who have spent much time writing about 78 Division at Longstop.

    But I fear that we digress from the thread.
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2022

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