PTRD-41
| PTRD-41 | |
|---|---|
PTRD rifle at Great Patriotic War museum in Smolensk | |
| Type | Anti-tank rifle |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1941– mid-1950s (Soviet Union) |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | World War II Korean War Chinese Civil War Vietnam War[1] Syrian Civil War Russo-Ukrainian War[2][3][4][5] |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Vasily Degtyaryov |
| Designed | 1941 |
| Manufacturer | Degtyaryov plant |
| Produced | 1941–1944 |
| No. built | 293,164[6] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 16 kg (35 lb)[7] |
| Length | 2,020 mm (80 in) |
| Barrel length | 1,350 mm (53 in) |
| Crew | 2 |
| Cartridge | 14.5×114mm (B-32, BS-41[7]) |
| Action | Bolt-action, short recoil |
| Rate of fire | up to 8-10 rounds per minute[7] |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,012 m/s (3,320 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 300 m (980 ft) (on personnel targets, dispersion of bullets at 300 m (980 ft) is 0.36 m (1 ft 2 in)[7]) |
| Maximum firing range | 1,000 m (3,300 ft)[7] (mainly with scope) |
| Feed system | Single-shot |
| Sights | Front post, rear notch |
The PTRD-41 (Russian: Противотанковое однозарядное ружьё образца 1941 года системы Дегтярёва, romanized: Protivotankovoye odnozaryadnoye ruzhyo obraztsa 1941 goda sistemy Degtyaryova, lit. 'Anti-tank single-shot gun pattern 1941, Degtyaryov system') is an anti-tank rifle that was produced and used from 1941 by the Soviet Red Army during World War II. It is a single-shot weapon which fires the 14.5×114 mm round, which was able to penetrate German tanks such as the Panzer III and early models of the Panzer IV. Although unable to penetrate the frontal armor of late-war German tanks, it could penetrate their thinner side and top armor at close ranges as well as thinly armored self-propelled guns and half-tracks.
History
Developed soon after the outbreak of the war with Germany in July-August 1941[8] and put into production on the 22nd of September on the Kovrov Arms Factory[9], PTRD utilized the cartridge that was initially developed for the Rukavishnikov anti-tank rifle. The 14.5 mm armor-piercing bullet had a muzzle velocity of 1,012 m/s (3,320 ft/s). The 64 g (2.3 oz) bullet had a 39 g (1.4 oz) steel core and could penetrate around 30 mm (1.2 in) of armor at 500 m (1,600 ft), and 40 mm (1.6 in) of armor at 100 m (330 ft).[10] During the initial invasion, and indeed throughout the war, most German tanks had side armor thinner than 40 mm (1.6 in) (Panzer I and Panzer II: 13–20 mm (0.51–0.79 in), Panzer III and Panzer IV series: 30 mm (1.2 in), Panzer V Panther (combat debut mid-1943): 40–50 mm (1.6–2.0 in)). The same ammunition came to be used by the later semi-automatic PTRS-41.
Guns captured by the Germans were given the designation 14.5 mm PzB 783(r).[11] After World War II the PTRD was also used extensively by North Korean and Chinese armed forces in the Korean War. During this war, William Brophy, a US Army Ordnance officer, mounted a .50 BMG (12.7 mm) barrel to a captured PTRD to examine the effectiveness of long-range shooting. Furthermore, the US also captured a number of PTRDs in the Vietnam War. The weapon proved effective out to 1,800 m (5,900 ft).[12]
Design
PTRD is a single-shot bolt-action rifle, but with automatic opening of the bolt and extraction caused by the short recoil of the barrel[13] akin to the German PzB 38, which was likely examined by Degtyaryov very early in the design process (as described in his postwar memoirs[14]). Its bolt and cock-on-close firing mechanism show similarities to the Japanese Type 30 rifle[15][16], which was exported to the Russian Empire during WW1.[17]
Users
Current
- Russia: Limited use in the Syrian civil war[18]
- Donetsk People's Republic: Used by militiamen in 2014.[19]
- Ukraine: Limited use in the war in Donbas[18]
Former
- Albania: Used as late as 1960[20]
- Bulgaria: Equipped with 300 items (both PTRD & PTRS) by Soviet Union between 1944 and 1945, seen in combat operations.
- China: Used by Communist rebels in the Chinese Civil War, later by the People's Volunteer Army during the Korean War.
- Czechoslovakia: Used by 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in the USSR.
- Hungary: Used as late as 1960[21]
- Germany: Captured and used by Wehrmacht under the title Panzerbüchse 783(r).[11]
- North Korea: Equipped by the USSR, saw extensive combat in Korean War against M24 light tanks.[22]
- Poland: Used by 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division in 1943 then by other Polish divisions.
- Romania: Used as late as 1960[23]
- North Vietnam: In stockpile, used by Viet Cong in Vietnam War.[1]
- Soviet Union: Largely used in Eastern Front by the Red Army.[22]
See also
References
- ^ a b "WWII German weapons during the Vietnam War". wordpress.com. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2017./
- ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ "PTRD in Ukraine". 5 October 2014.
- ^ "PTRS-41 and PTRD-41 rifles in action at the conflict in Ukraine". 13 October 2014.
- ^ Sneider, Noah (24 July 2014). "Huddling with Ukrainian Rebels in a Bunker on the Front Lines". The New Republic.
- ^ Давыдов, Б. В. (2005). "Советские ПТР. Неизвестное об известном". «Мир оружия». 2005 (8).
- ^ a b c d e Manual on Small Arms (NSD-42) Military Publishing House Moscow 1942
- ^ Устинов, Дмитрий Фёдорович (1988). Во имя Победы : Записки наркома вооружения [In the name of Victory: Notes of the People's Commissar of Armaments] (in Russian). М.: Воениздат. pp. 170–173. ISBN 5203005680.
- ^ Монетчиков, Сергей (2008). "Арсенал: управа на броню". «Братишка». 2008 (10). Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ "Page 6: Tank Rifles", Panzerfaust: WW II German Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons, 1998, archived from the original on 27 October 2009
- ^ a b Chamberlain, Peter; Gander, Terry (1974). Anti-tank weapons. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 57. ISBN 0668036079. OCLC 1299755.
- ^ "Hard Target Interdiction" (PDF). www.remingtonmilitary.com/. Remington Arms. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2006. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ Наставление по стрелковому делу (НСД-42). Противотанковое самозарядное ружьё обр. 1941 г. системы Симонова — ПТРС. Противотанковое однозарядное ружьё обр. 1941 г. системы Дегтярёва — ПТРД [Manual on Small Arms (NSD-42): Simonov self-loading anti-tank rifle mod. 1941. Degtyarev single-shot anti-tank rifle mod. 1941.] (in Russian). Куйбышев: Военное Издательство Народного Комиссариата Обороны (published 1943). 1942. p. 47.
- ^ Дегтярев, В. А. (1949). Моя жизнь [My LIfe] (in Russian). М.: Издательство ВЦСПС Профиздат (published 1950). pp. 142–143.
- ^ McCollum, Ian (25 May 2018). "PTRD 41: The Simple Soviet Antitank Rifle of WWII". ForgottenWeapons.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ McCollum, Ian (23 June 2015). "Japanese Type 30 "Hook Safety" Arisaka at RIA". ForgottenWeapons.com. Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ Allan, Francis C.; White, Doss H.; Zielinski, Dr. Stanley (2006). The Early Arisakas. USA: AK Enterprises. p. 90. ISBN 0961481455.
- ^ a b "The Sniper Weapon Systems of Russian Forces in Syria". The Hoplite. Armament Research Services (ARES). 6 August 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ Jenzen-Jones, N.R.; Ferguson, Jonathan (2014). Raising Red Flags: An Examination of Arms & Munitions in the Ongoing Conflict in Ukraine (PDF). Armament Research Services Pty. Ltd. p. 43. ISBN 9780992462437. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ Department of the Army 1960, p. 29.
- ^ Department of the Army 1960, p. 117.
- ^ a b "Warfare History Network » WWII Weapons: The PTRS and PTRD Russian Anti-Tank Rifles". warfarehistorynetwork.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2017.
- ^ Department of the Army 1960, p. 161.
Bibliography
- Department of the Army, United States (1960). Handbook on the Satellite Armies. Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army.
- Koll, Christian (2009). Soviet Cannon - A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7 mm to 57 mm. Austria: Koll. p. 91. ISBN 978-3-200-01445-9.
External links