Picture of the day

Smokey Smith earned his VC in Italy with a PIAT and a Thompson SMG. Legend has it that he was pi$$ed as a billy goat at the time. It would take very big balls to go tank hunting with a PIAT.

Last I heard of the PIAT we had a report of PIAT rounds or parts thereof washing up on the shores of Georgian Bay nearly 30 yrs ago. It seems that a lot of unexpended ammo had been dumped into the lake after WW2, and that the cases has disintegrated leaving the projectiles to float free because of the airspace in the warheads.:eek:
 
ArmedGinger said:
Supposedly the giant spring in those things that helped propel the round gave it a weird forward recoil (like a pellet gun) that made it annoying to shoot accurately.
Click to expand...

Good jesus lord. No, the spring was to drive the firing pin face on the spigot up the backside of the PIAT bomb that in turn fired the bombs propellant charge and sent it on its way, the second role of the spring was to absorb the recoil of the round firing that in turn recocked the mechanism for further firing. The whole spring launching myth is one that never goes away. And now for a great line from a great movie.

 
Last edited:
ArmedGinger said:
Supposedly the giant spring in those things that helped propel the round gave it a weird forward recoil (like a pellet gun) that made it annoying to shoot accurately.
Click to expand...

Always wondered why the PIAT was accepted and retained , when rocket propulsion was a viable option ? Easier to operate, No recoil and the option of more effective projectiles. :confused:

Grizz
 
The giant spring didn't propel the bomb. The thing is a spigot mortar. Spigot mortars were made in various sizes, some quite large.
The propulsion cartridge is inside the tail of the bomb. When the trigger is pulled, the "bolt" hurtles forward, and the spigot enters the tail of the bomb, and strikes the cartridge. The bomb is blown off the spigot, while at the same time the spigot is blown backwards, compressing the recoil spring, and re-cocking the "bolt", ready for another bomb to be laid in the trough.
Hand launched rocket launchers were an option being developed about the same time. US with the 2.36", Germans with the 88mm. Developing rocket motors that were safe and reliable in different temperatures was a bit of a challenge. The PIAT projectile used the same shaped charge technology as the rockets. It was a primitive thing that served its purpose, but became obsolescent quite quickly.
 
purple said:
Smokey Smith earned his VC in Italy with a PIAT and a Thompson SMG. Legend has it that he was pi$$ed as a billy goat at the time. It would take very big balls to go tank hunting with a PIAT.
Click to expand...

The man himself.

a145490-v6.jpg


No photograph exists of his balls, but available evidence would indicate the kilt was mandatory as trousers could not comfortably contain them.
 
The PIAT was a stop gap weapon at best.

I was trained on the US 3.5 rocket launcher and it didn't inspire much confidence as you watched it's projectile wobble in an arc to the target like a lobbed soft ball.
 
Major Pope - the 2 i/c of the RCR was the first officer killed in Sicily ..... he tried to take on a German mk iv tank (or three) unsuccessfully with a PIAT. My father recalled that Pope had announced (while they were convoying to Pachino) that he planned to be the first to win a VC in that action.... the other officers suggested that he should let them know when he planned to do it so they could stay clear of the fireworks.

here’s a link that provides some insight:
https://zuehlke.ca/excerpt-through-blood-and-sweat/

Wrt to Galloway - there is an old African proverb that ‘until the Lion learns to write - tales of the hunt will always favour the Hunter’




 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom