PTRD
Encyclopedia
The PTRD-41 was an anti-tank rifle
produced and used from early 1941 by the Soviet Red Army
during World War II
. It was a single-shot weapon which fired a 14.5x114mm round. Although unable to penetrate the frontal armor of German tanks, it could penetrate the thinner sides of early-war German tanks as well as thinly armored self-propelled guns. The 14.5 mm armor-piercing bullet had a muzzle velocity of 1012 m/s. It could penetrate an armor plate up to 35 to 40mm (40mm with tungsten ammunition) thick at a distance of 100 meters at 0 degrees. During the initial invasion, and indeed throughout the war, most German tanks had side armor thinner than 40mm (PzKpfw I & II: 13-20mm, III & IV series: 30mm, PzKpfw V Panther (combat debut mid-1943): 40-50mm), which meant that the PTRD teams need to be close to very close–sometimes point blank distances–to have a chance of penetrating the sides of these tanks. However due to the high velocity and small size of the round, it had a very high chance of shattering or utterly failing against armor it should have penetrated, which was aggravated if the target was not at a perpendicular angle.
. Vasily Degtyaryov copied its lock and several features of the German Panzerbüchse
38 when hasty construction of an anti-tank rifle was ordered in July 1941.
The PTRD and the similar PTRS-41
were the only individual anti-tank weapon available to the Red army in numbers during the war. Due to the obsolescence and inadequate ability against tanks PTRD users would attempt to shoot view ports rather than actually try to penetrate the vehicles armor. This tactic was quickly deemed "ineffective" and only served to give away the position of the PTRD unit. After poor results against the enemy tanks the PTRD and PTRS were finally relegated to anti-materiel duty in 1943 as they were still effective against lesser armored vehicles such as armored half-tracks, armored cars and unarmored vehicles.
The PTRD suffered from numerous flaws; the most notable are the lack of penetration versus enemy vehicles which frustrated PTRD teams, its size and weight which hampered its mobility and deployment, and its immense muzzle flash which gave away the unit's firing position. The PTRD was eventually replaced by the RPG series
of anti-tank rocket launchers.
After World War II the PTRD was also used extensively by North Korea
n and Chinese
armed forces in the Korean War
. During this war, William Brophy, an American Army Ordnance officer, mounted a .50 BMG
barrel to a captured PTRD to examine the effectiveness of long-range shooting. The weapon proved effective out to 2,000 yards.
Anti-tank rifle
An anti-tank rifle is a rifle designed to penetrate the armour 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...
produced and used from early 1941 by the Soviet Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was a single-shot weapon which fired a 14.5x114mm round. Although unable to penetrate the frontal armor of German tanks, it could penetrate the thinner sides of early-war German tanks as well as thinly armored self-propelled guns. The 14.5 mm armor-piercing bullet had a muzzle velocity of 1012 m/s. It could penetrate an armor plate up to 35 to 40mm (40mm with tungsten ammunition) thick at a distance of 100 meters at 0 degrees. During the initial invasion, and indeed throughout the war, most German tanks had side armor thinner than 40mm (PzKpfw I & II: 13-20mm, III & IV series: 30mm, PzKpfw V Panther (combat debut mid-1943): 40-50mm), which meant that the PTRD teams need to be close to very close–sometimes point blank distances–to have a chance of penetrating the sides of these tanks. However due to the high velocity and small size of the round, it had a very high chance of shattering or utterly failing against armor it should have penetrated, which was aggravated if the target was not at a perpendicular angle.
History
In 1939 the USSR captured several hundred Polish Model 35 anti-tank rifles, which proved effective in the September CampaignInvasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
. Vasily Degtyaryov copied its lock and several features of the German Panzerbüchse
Panzerbüchse
The Panzerbüchse 39 was a German anti-tank rifle used in World War II. It was an improvement of the unsuccessful Panzerbüchse 38 rifle. Panzerbüchse literally means "tank hunting rifle".-PzB 38:...
38 when hasty construction of an anti-tank rifle was ordered in July 1941.
The PTRD and the similar PTRS-41
PTRS-41
The PTRS-41 is the semi-automatic cousin of the PTRD anti-tank rifle.-Design:The PTRS-41 was produced and used by the Soviet Union during World War II. In the years between the World Wars, Soviet Union began experimenting with different types of armour-piercing anti-tank cartridges...
were the only individual anti-tank weapon available to the Red army in numbers during the war. Due to the obsolescence and inadequate ability against tanks PTRD users would attempt to shoot view ports rather than actually try to penetrate the vehicles armor. This tactic was quickly deemed "ineffective" and only served to give away the position of the PTRD unit. After poor results against the enemy tanks the PTRD and PTRS were finally relegated to anti-materiel duty in 1943 as they were still effective against lesser armored vehicles such as armored half-tracks, armored cars and unarmored vehicles.
The PTRD suffered from numerous flaws; the most notable are the lack of penetration versus enemy vehicles which frustrated PTRD teams, its size and weight which hampered its mobility and deployment, and its immense muzzle flash which gave away the unit's firing position. The PTRD was eventually replaced by the RPG series
RPG-2
The RPG-2 was the first rocket-propelled grenade launcher designed in the Soviet Union.-Development:The RPG-2 , was a man-portable, shoulder-launched rocket-propelled grenade anti-armor weapon...
of anti-tank rocket launchers.
After World War II the PTRD was also used extensively by North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n and Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
armed forces in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. During this war, William Brophy, an American Army Ordnance officer, mounted a .50 BMG
.50 BMG
The .50 Browning Machine Gun or 12.7×99mm NATO is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-06 cartridge...
barrel to a captured PTRD to examine the effectiveness of long-range shooting. The weapon proved effective out to 2,000 yards.