Anti-tank gun hunters

The German army quickly devised a range of weapons to use against the new British tanks.  An early frontline improvisation was the "baled charge" which was made by wrapping around a German “potato masher” hand grenade the heads of six other grenades, to be thrown at a tank. 

There was also a tungsten-carbide cored bullet, the K round, for use with normal small arms.   But by March 1917 the British were developing thicker armour, so the giant 13.2mm anti-tank rifle was devised. It only had an effective range of around 120m and the recoil could injure the gunner. 

The best solution was mobile artillery, particularly the 77mm FK16, which had a range of almost 10,000 yards and weighed 2,900 pounds. It used armour-piecing steel-pointed shells, and was relatively lightweight. But these would have to be moved up to exposed forward positions for direct firing.

Members and non-members of The Western Front Association are equally welcome. Any new visitors are guaranteed a friendly atmosphere and a warm welcome from a group of like-minded enthusiasts.