PIAT - Projector Infantry Anti-Tank

PIAT, an acronym standing for Projector Infantry Anti-Tank, is a  British design that uses an entirely different approach than the Bazooka/Panzerschreck or the Panzerfaust. Indeed, it is rather a projector than a rocket launcher. PIAT was a short-range infantry anti-tank weapon. It had numerous shortcomings one of which was the inability to reload quickly. PIAT gunners had a saying: "Hit it with the first shot because you won't get a second"...  PIAT was made of low-quality metal and was machined very poorly. The parts were stamped, riveted and welded. The very rugged construction fired it's shaped-charge warhead essentially like an oversized spring-loaded crossbow.
The weapon with a weight (empty) of 14.5kg and a total length of 99.1 cm consists of a sheet metal tube with a diameter of 7.6 cm and a length of 61 cm. On the forward end it accepts the warhead, on the rear end a T - piece padded with canvas is used as a shoulder piece. The sights are located on the upper tube, they can be adjusted to 70 yds or 100 yds distance. A single strut is screwed into the barrel as support. The weapon fired a fin-stabilized shaped-charge projectile with a length of 38cm, a caliber of 8.9cm and weight of 1.13kg. HE-shrapnel and smoke warheads were also available. Not only loading was very difficult but also the trigger could only be pulled using all four fingers! The projectile leaves the weapon at 135 m/s but accelerates in flight.
Tanks could be attacked at ranges up to 100 yd., larger targets like houses at larger distances of 300 m and more. Another major problem was the ammunition itself. The fuse of the warheads had a bad habit of prematurely detonating. In fact, the handling of the ammunition was considered so dangerous that immediately after the war any and all practice firing of the weapon was strictly prohibited, although the weapons themselves officially remained in service until 1951.