History Recoilless rifle

davis recoilless gun mounted in nose of f5l flying boat, coaxial lewis machine gun. photo circa 1918.

the first recoilless gun developed commander cleland davis of navy, prior world war i. design, named davis gun, connected 2 guns back-to-back, backwards-facing gun loaded lead balls , grease of same weight shell in other gun. idea used experimentally british anti-zeppelin , anti-submarine weapon mounted on handley page o/100 bomber , intended installed on other aircraft.

in soviet union, development of recoilless weapons ( dinamo-reaktivnaya pushka (drp), dynamic reaction cannon ) began in 1923. in 1930s, many different types of weapons built , tested configurations ranging 37 mm 305 mm. of smaller examples tested in aircraft (grigorovich i-z , tupolev i-12) , saw limited production , service, development abandoned around 1938. best-known of these recoilless rifles model 1935 76 mm drp designed leonid kurchevsky. small number of these mounted on trucks saw combat in winter war. 2 captured finns , tested; 1 example given germans in 1940.

the first recoilless gun enter service in germany 7.5 cm leichtgeschütz 40 ( light gun 40), simple 75 mm smoothbore recoilless gun developed give german airborne troops artillery , anti-tank support parachuted battle. 75 found useful during invasion of crete larger 105 mm version developed on same basic pattern. interestingly, both of these weapons loosely copied army, reversing flow of technology had occurred when germans copied bazooka, own 88 mm calibre panzerschreck infantry anti-tank rocket system. did have development program, , not clear extent design copied, there were, in fact, differences. japanese had developed portable recoilless anti-tank rifle, had reserved defending against anticipated invasion of mainland. was, however, these weapons remained rare during war; although, versions of 75 started becoming increasingly common in 1945.

during world war ii, swedish military developed small 20 mm device, pansarvärnsgevär m/42 (20 mm m/42); british expressed interest in it, point anti-tank rifles out of date. sweden experimented number of different calibres, 150 mm. in 1945 swedish army officially adopted first recoilless artillery, 105 mm gun.

a polish spg-9m.

in 1947, 75 mm acquired war surplus french military , mounted on vespa scooter. used french paratroops mobile anti-tank , anti-fortification platform , saw service in algeria , indochina.

by time of korean war, recoilless rifles found throughout forces. original recoilless rifles 57 mm m18 , 75 mm m20, followed 105 mm (the unsuccessful m27). 75 mm recoilless rifle required @ least 2 men move , throw shell several thousand yards precision.

newer models replacing these 90 mm m67 , 106 mm m40 (which 105 mm caliber, designated otherwise prevent confusion of ammunition earlier model).

the soviets, likewise, adopted recoilless technology in 1950s, commonly in 73 mm, 82 mm, , 107 mm calibres.

the british, efforts led denis burney, inventor of wallbuster hesh round, developed recoilless designs. burney demonstrated technique recoilless 4-gauge shotgun. burney gun developed fire wallbuster shell against atlantic wall defences, not required in d-day landings of 1944. went on produce many designs including man-portable 3.45 (88 mm) recoilless rifle, ordnance, rcl, 3.45 in, pushed experimental service in late 1945.

two burney guns designed anti-tank weapons. 1 3.45 inches in calibre , fired off man s shoulder or light tripod. other 3.7 inches in calibre, , carried on light two-wheeled mounting. ordnance rcl. 3.45in mk 1 weighed 75 lb (34 kg), 68.5in (1.74m) long, , fired 11 lb (5 kg) wallbuster shell 1,000 yards. no penetration figures ever made public, knock 10 lb slab off of 6 inches (150 mm) of armour plate @ range hit. 3.7 larger weapon weighing 222 lb (100 kg); 112 inches (2.84 m) long , fired 22.2 lb (10 kg) wallbuster 2,000 yards; estimated have dealt armour 10 inches (254 mm) thick. post-war work developed , deployed bat series of recoilless rifles, culminating in 120 mm l6 wombat ( weapon of magnesium, battalion anti-tank ). large transported infantry , towed jeep. weapon aimed via spotting rifle, fired .50 bmg rounds trajectory matched of main weapon. tracer rounds fired first until hits observed before firing off main gun.

lightweight spg-9 73 mm , b10 82 mm heavy recoilless rifles still in service in russian army in airborne units , found quite commonly around world in inventories of former soviet client states, used anti-tank guns.

m113 damaged nlf 57 mm recoilless rifle.

during 1960s , 1970s, wire-guided missiles began supplant recoilless rifles in anti-tank role. recoilless rifle started disappear military except in areas such arctic, battery-powered dragons , wire-guided tows fail due extremely low temperatures. former 6th light infantry division in alaska used m67 in special weapons platoons, did ranger battalions , army s berlin brigade. last major use m50 ontos, mounted 6 of 106 mm on light (9 ton) tracked chassis first developed use army airborne troops in 1950. however, army considered them useless, , marines adopted vehicle in limited role. used them great effect anti-personnel fire support vehicle during vietnam war. crews continued report ontos effective fighting vehicle in role, military brass continued argue heavier designs, , in 1970 ontos removed service , broken up. however, recoilless rifle found other roles, notably in india-pakistan confrontation in kashmir, used against bunkers , artillery in otherwise inhospitable terrain.

the viet minh developed own recoilless rifle under direction of tran dai nghia. vietnamese version named skz or sung khong giat (a vietnamese translation of recoilless rifle ) , used intensively in assaulting french bunkers , fortified positions. larger version of skz dkz or phao khong giat ( recoilless artillery ).

a army sgt. carrying carl gustav recoilless rifle.

today, 1 of several remaining front-line recoilless rifles in armies of industrialized nations famous carl gustav recoilless rifle, 84 mm man-portable anti-tank weapon. first introduced in 1946, still in widespread use throughout world today, , has been re-introduced marine corps anti-bunker weapon. 84 mm (carl gustav recoilless rifle) can used, along 66 mm (also known m72 law) , law 80 mouse-holing whilst fighting in built-up areas (fibua). impromptu doors added building gain entry, avoiding prepared defences of occupiers. many nations use weapon related carl gustav, one-shot at-4 recoilless weapon.

another recoilless rifle still in use italian-made 80 mm breda folgore, introduced in 1986 , built 2001. available in shoulder-launched , tripod-mounted versions. use of boost-after-launch, rocked-propelled projectiles gives weapon long effective range, when compared similar weapons.

the us-made, m40 106 mm recoilless rifle, mounted on jeep or similar small vehicle, common in armies of many countries, serves tank destroyer.

deployed united states in 1960s, davy crockett used recoilless smooth bore gun launch tactical nuclear warhead.