Antitank Rifles & Machineguns.

World War II German Military
#41

I dont know if anyone has posted pics etc. about the shoulder fired A.T. rifles used during WW2, The Solothurn is the second most popular in the U.S. among shooters, and collectors, it is superior to the Lahti-39, in many ways, even though in their final versions, they both chambered the same 20 x 138mm cartridge. The Solothurn had an optical sight, and an interchangable barrel. and had the advantage of a very efficient muzzle brake, and a monopod beneath the shoulder stock. Performance on the battlefield was better as the low recoil, and optics made for a higher rate of effective fire. I have had my hands on one of these fine weapons, a real jewel of a mechanism. It is part of a friends collection.
anyway, I do have a pic, here someplace,also one of the typical 20 mm ammo of that time, so enjoy.

,20 mm AT rounds.jpg

soluthern2.jpg

solothurn-PhotoItalyBersaglieri.jpg
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#42

You will find more of this model and others in here:

http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3357

#43

Thankyou my friend, I have some pics and info on other makers 20 mm rifles, I will put them together in the general discussions area. Enjoy the weekend.

#44

Here you got another, Solo-18-100, used by the Hungarian army.

#45

S-18-100 and S-18-1000, waffen magazine Nº 63.

…

#46

continue from above.

S-18-1100 was a fully automatic capable variant of the Solo-18-1000, here is displayed in several antitank and antiaircraft mountings.

#47

I don’t read German. Does it say anything about why the S18-1100 was given an automatic fire capability?

#48

To be used as light infantry support gun, antitank gun and antiaircraft cannon.

#49

Hello Tony ,

the S 18 1000 has a fire selector and couldt fire auto and full auto .

The S 18 1100 is the full auto version but an fire selector couldt be easily

buildt in.

#50

Thanks GK but I think Tony knows that already.

#51

those antitank rifles were completly obsolete by the time the panzerfausts were in mass production. even in the beginging of the war they still had to hit the side of armoured vehicles to get a penitration.

#52

Panzerbüchse Modell SS 41.

This rifle was another semiautomatic Patrone 318 rifle, but in this case the design was not a reply from the Waffen Amt of the Heer (German Army) but to the SS Wafen academy in Brünn (Brno Czech republic).

Czechs working for the Waffen SS employed as a base several rifles already produced for the Czech army in the Interwar periods, those already used the advanced bullpup configuration, this means the magazine below the trigger and with part of the mechanism embeded in the shoulder stock.
The PM. SS 41 rifle works with the recoils forces and had a rotating bolt head to lock the chamber.

This entirely Czech design was manufactured by the Swiss Solothurn firm in 1941-42 (probably in order to avoid sabotage)

It used a side mounted 10 round magazine and the total lenght of the M ss Pzb 41 was 1360 mm (1100mm barrel). The muzzle was equipped with a single chamber brake in order to reduce felt recoil, the max rate of fire ( all according to SS officers) were 70 rpm and the practical about the half of that figure.

Detail of the side mounted magazine and safety knob.

#53

Aditional images of the Pzb SS 41.

Bolt fully back. In here is also possible to apreciate the “tilt” of the side mounted magazine.

Shoulder rest.

Rear sight, max regulation 500 meters.

#54

A couple of comments:

The PzB SS 41 was officially known as the M.SS 41, according to the designation stamped on the one which I examined.

The Czech original was designed for a much longer and more powerful-looking 7.92mm cartridge, as shown in the photo below from THIS thread:

#55

Hehe, incidentally I have a topic of the Zk-382 in here: :D, Initially I have no idea what caliber was.

http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5118

#56

Mauser MG 141:

In 1939 Mauser technicians decide to investigate about the possible use of a heavy machinegun for the antiarmor role both for infantry and aircraft use. The result was the experimental MG 141.

This gun was fully an automatic one and it used the same Patrone 318 (7,92x95mm) round of the antitank Pzb 38/39.

The design is larguely based in the aviation gun MG-151, it used a short recoil barrel and a rotating bolt lock mechanism and it was belt feed. No more of 20-25 MG 141 manufactured and is very likely that it never was deployed in combat.

Barrel lenght: 1000 mm.

Total lenght 1742 mm

Weight : 23 kg.

Rate of fire (ciclic): 800-900 rpm.

#57

Actually, there is evidence that it was…this is from the draft of a book on machine guns on which I am working with Max Popenker (due for publication next year):

“Forty PzKw I Ausf C (VK601) light tanks were reportedly built with this gun, two being issued to the 1st Panzer Division for combat trials in 1943, while the remainder were kept in reserve and may have been issued to units during the Normandy campaign. Other vehicles intended to carry it were the Pz Kpfw II Ausf G (a few built but never issued), and the Panzerspahwagen RK Ausf A (never built).”

#58

Actually, there is evidence that it was…this is from the draft of a book on machine guns on which I am working with Max Popenker (due for publication next year):

You definately need me in that book Tony :smiley:

The VK 601 didnt use the Mauser MG 141 but the Mauser EW 141.Wasnt the same.

I have some beautiful shots of that weapon, give me some time.

#59

Do you have a source for that info? I await the photos with interest :slight_smile:

#60

I always do, 3 in this ocassion. In this case I strongly recomend the series “Panzer Tracts” by Hilary Louis Doyle y Thomas Jentz, they have a lot of unpublished photos of tank armament and tank interiors

The good thing about is that they didnt use old literature for his book but the german informs, drawings, original pictures and combat reports so you got the real deal and not suggestive impression. For the armor of WW2 every book is a paradise.

The number in wich the EW 141 is depicted is Panzer Tracts 1-2 - Panzerkampfwagen I (kl.Bef. - VK18.01)

The other source is Neymecszky Protivotankoboe/Kulomet 1918-1945 of a russian editorial sorry if I miss the translation of that but is cyliric.

The other is a bunch of old "Waffen " magazines from the 70s. There is also some good websites in german too.

I will put some images but for ethical reason I cant scan all those so…well I guess you must to find some book.

I insist, You definately need me in that book Tony :smiley: