British WW2 PIAT Discharge Cartridge
INFO ONLY. NOT FOR SALE. P76-13
The Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank (PIAT) was a British anti-tank weapon developed during the Second World War. The PIAT was designed in response to the British Army's need for a hand-held infantry anti-tank weapon that was more effective than the current weapons it possessed. It consisted of a steel tube, a trigger mechanism and firing spring, and was based on the spigot mortar system; instead of using a propellant to directly fire a round, the spring was cocked and tightened. When the trigger was pulled, it released the spring which pushed the spigot forward into the rear of the bomb. This detonated the propellant in the bomb itself, which was then thrown forward off the spigot. It possessed an effective range of approximately 100 yards (91 m).
This system meant that the PIAT did have several advantages, which included a lack of muzzle smoke to reveal the position of the user and an inexpensive barrel; however, this was countered by, amongst other things, a difficulty in cocking the weapon, the bruising the user received when firing it, and problems with its penetrative power. The PIAT entered service in 1943, and was first used during the Allied invasion of Sicily that year; it would remain in use with British and Commonwealth forces until the early 1950s, when it was replaced by the American bazooka. A large number of PIATs were supplied to the Soviet Union through Lend Lease, and it was also used by the French resistance and the Polish Underground. After the end of the Second World War, the Israeli Haganah used PIATs during the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. Six members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces received Victoria Crosses whilst using the PIAT in combat.
