Boys AT Rifle Manual

7/30/2019 Boys AT Rifle Manual

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... .. NO T TO BE PUBLISHED.Th e Information 1lven In this document Is no t to becommunicated, either directly or Indirectly to th e Pren,. or to any penon no t holdln1 an official poiltlon In t!lttService of His Majesty's Govemment In tfie UnTon .QfSduth Africa.

NION OF SOUTH AFRICASmall Arms TrainingVolume I, Pamphlet No. 5Anti-Tank Rifle

1942(This pamphlet supersedes th e 1937 edition an dthat reprinted with Amendments (No. 1), 1941) .

COPYRIGHT RESERVED.

General Staff,Defence Headquarten; Pretoria,September, 1942.

Reprinted in the Union of South Africa by the Government Printer,Pretoria, with the kind permission of the War Office an dH.ll. Stationery Office......


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CONTENTS. FA.OJ:.General.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. 1J.,eeson 1. Cleaning, loRding and unloading .. . 2LessOn 2. Sight setting, aiming and firinl............... ... 5Section for inatrnotors (handling).. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9Lesson 3. Handling.. . . . . . . .. . . . 10TestA of elementary training.. ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

R 7'7.GENERAL1. Object

Th e sole object of weapon training is to teach all ranksth e most efficient way of handling their weapons m order to1 kill the enerriy. Instructors will always bear this fact inmind, and will continually impress it upon those whom theyinstruct.2. General descriptionWeight, 36 lb. ; calibre, 55 in. ; weight of magazinecontaining 5 rounas, 2 lb. 7 oz. ; total length, 5 ft. 4 in.3. Penetration of the anti-tank rifleAlthough th e bullet will penetrate the armour of lightA. F .Vs. up to 500 yards, and inflict casualties on th e crew,fire should be withheld until the range is well within 300 yards.Th e angle of impact of the anti-tank rifle bullet on thearmour has a greater influence than the range at whi


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2vulnerable parts of tanks and armoured. vehicles, for whichreason it is important that training in the vulnerable partsof enemy A.F .Vs. is included as a subject in the training ofthe soldier.

5. Trained soldier instructionThe trained soldier should be practised in handling thisweapon lrom all types of cover and firing th e weapon at movingtargets. Valuable practice may be given by means of reducedscale shooting in a miniature range using the 22-in. rifleattachment.6. DressBattle order will be worn for all les:sons.7. ImprovisationA halfpenny will act as a magazine platform depressor.8. Safety precautionsBefore every lesson the instructor will inspect the anti-tankrifle, magazines, and drill cartridges and utility pouches.As the anti-tank rifle has a range almost double that ofthe rifle, it is unsafe to fire full charge ammunition on classification ranges, apart from a few rounds at short distancesinto the stop butt to accustom men to the e!lect of such fire.

LESSON 1. CLEANING, LOADING ,ANDUNLOADINGStores:-

Anti-tank rifle ; magazines in t'til ity pouches; drill cart-ridges ; cleaning materials in breech cover ; combination tool.Safety precautions-see General, para. 8.The bYeech cover will be on the rifle.Each paYt of the rifle should be ~ l a m as handled (seeFigs. I, 2, 3).

1. Explain :-i. The anti-tank rifle is a platoon weapon which affords ameans of protection against light A}!.Vs. Althoughth e bullet will penetrate such armour up to 500yards and inflict casualties on th e crew, fire shouldbe wi bheld until th e range is well within 300 yards. Awell-trained ma n should be able to fire about 9rounds a minute.

3fi. The chief charactel'isocs are :-

(a) Very accurate, with good power of penetration.(b) Comparatively light and mobile.(c) Has a pronounced flash and muzzle blast whenfired.

iii. The recoil reducer, together with a strong bufferspring and padded shoulder-piece, reduces the shockof discharge on the firer's shoulder.

iv . The mechanism is similar to that of the service rifle.2. Cleaning

i. Instructor points ou t how the breech cover is fitted tothe rifle and removes Jt.

~ c c o j f red"ucer

Fig.The anti-tank rifle (near-side view)

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1. S i ~ h t s e t t i n ~Explain that the body of the backsight is marked on theleft " 300 " and on the right " 500 "To set the backsight :-

For 300 yards turn the lever to the left.For 500 yards turn the lever to the right

. (On future models there will be only one fixed backsigbt foruse up to 300 yards.)

Fig. 4. Correct aim approachioll tank.

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Fig. 5. Correct ai m crossin2 tank 300 yards.Point of o..\m '

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Fig. 6. Correct ai m diagonally crossinC tank .

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82. Aimlng at moving targetsExplain, using diagrams. that th e method, of aiming is thesame as that employed with th e L.M.G. (see Fig. 4) bu t thatwith th e anti-tank rifle the targets will normally be moving.Th e following rules will be apphed when firing at A.F.Vs. :-

i. When stationary, approaching, or retiring, aim at thecentre (see Fig. 4).ii. When moving directly across the front, aim one widthfrom the centre of the target (see Fig . 5),

iii. When moving diagonally across th e front, aim at thefront edge (see Fig. 6).Emphasize that the swing of th e rifle must no t be checkedat the moment of pressing th e trigger.3. Holding and firingExplain and demonstrate :-

.i. Normally the anti-tank rifle will be f i r ~ from behindcover with err without th e use of th e front support.The front support should be used whenever possible.Th e magazine will be placed on behind cover.ii. Mounting th e rifle, using the front support, emphasizingth e muzzle must be clear of the cover.iii. Load the rifle, leaving th e safety catch forward, andadjust sight.

(a) To hold th e rifle, bring th e shoulder-piece intc. theshoulder (when lying-by drawing th e body upto the rifle), lo,'l'er the cheek to the cheek rest andtake the first pressure. Hold firmly with bothhands and aim a-s taught, keeping both elbowsclear of cover if possible.(b ) To fire is exactly the same as with th e servicerifle. Having fired, declare th e point ol aim,instantly reload in the shoulder and prepate tofire again if necessary(c) When the magazine becomes empty the bolt willnot go forward. Therefore it must be fully

w i t h d ~ a w n before placing a new magazine onth e rifle.iv . Occasions will arise when th e front support willhave to be folded in order to mount th e rifle.To do this, press in t.b.e re tainer catch and tu m frontsupport to th e rear. When mounting on cover, rest

9th e rifle as near as possible io where it is nomtallysupported, again keeping muzzle just clear oi cover.Firing is exactly the same as when using the frontsupport.

NoTEs.-1 . To elevate or depress the barrel, rotate the &leeveon the front support.2. On future models th e front support bemodified in th e form of a bipod

4. Practise squad in mounting, holding, aiming and firing,'"ith and without the front support .

HANDLING(For the use of Instructors only)

1. When siting the anti-tank rifle th e following factors mustbe considered :-i. A field of fire which covers the task given, which mayoften be to cover an anti-tank or partial anti-tankobstacle, such as road blocks, wooded or marshvground, rivers and anti-tank minefields, etc. '

ii. The desirability of shooting at enemy A.F.Vs. from theflanks or rear in order to avoid taking head-on shotswhere the armour is thickest.iii. The necessity to gain s ~ r p r i s e , and the consequentimportance of a carefully concealed position.

2. AmmunitionThe ammunition will normally be carried as follows :-

In the truck er corresponding vehicle-200 rounds foreach anb-tank rifle. Of these, 160 10unds are in 16bandoliers, each holding two clips of five rounds, and40 rounds in eight magazines. These eight magazines gointo action with the rifle.

3. Use of coveri. The firer should at all times make full use of cover forprotection .nd concealment. Special attention mustbe given to the concealment of the muzzle on accountof the flash. Mu,;zle blast must be considered .


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10ii. The position should always be examined from th epoint of view of the enemy. Normally, when ananti-tank rifleman ha i been given th e arc orapproaches for which he is responsible and th eapproximate position from which he will fire, heshould leave th e rifle in th e best cover and reconnoitrealternative positions for it. He should decide how itis to be mounted at each place, bearing in mind thatfree use of the weapon is a factor of primary importance. Unless concealment is complete, both fromair and ground, th e rifle should be kept under covernear at hand, and mounted only when th e necessityarises.

iii. The anti-tank rifle is no t easy to swing aeross a widearc when being fired in the lying position. A positionshould, therefore, be chosen, when possible, fromwhich it can be fired either sitting, kneeling, or standing, but no support behind th e shoulder should begiven owing to the shock of discharge. In the earlystages this will mean placing it behind natural cover,which allows th e firer to sit. At the earliest opportunity a slit trench should be dug. In an emergencythe anti-tank rifle ma y have to be fired from th elying position.NoTE.-On all ranges where anti-tank rifle practice is carriedout slit trenches should be constructed so that th e riflema y ~ fired from a standing position.

Stores:-LESSON 3.-HANDLING

I nstructor' s NotesAnti-tan k rifle; magazines in utility pouches; 1'ifles.Safety precatltions-see General, para. 8.Additionally inspect rifles, drill cartridges, pouches.Loosen slings.This lesson .should be carried out on ground affordingvarious types of cover . The object of the lesson is to exercisemen, working together in pairs, as they will do on seroice, inhandling and siting the rtfle.

1. Instructor explains ;-i. Neces1;>ity for concealment of muzzle flash and limitationof blast.

11ii. Whenever possible a position will be selected whichenables th e kneeling, sitting or standing position tobe used, as th e swing of the rifle is important. If th elying position is used th e swing is great ly restricted.il l . In action, the team will consist of two men, one th efirer, th e other th e observer, whose duty it is toobserve targets in th e arc given. A team of two isth e ideal, bu t it must be remembered that frequentlyonly .one man-the firer-will be available.iv. I f sufficient concealment cannot be obtained fromground and ai r in th e firing position, th e rifle shouldbe kept concealed behind cover until fire is required.v. An alternative position must always be selected.

2. Practise squad in pairs as follows ;-Instructor points out the arc of fire and approximate positionwhere th e rifle is to be mounted ; allows two or three minutesfor th e squad to consider their action, and then practises any

pair.3. Instructor criticizes, emphasizing th e necessity forselecting an alternative position, some distance away from theoriginal one selected.APPENDIX .

TABLE IEffective attack figures at normal, 20 degrees and 40 degrees,at ranges up to 500 yards.Effective attackRange Normal I 20 d egrees 40 degreesyards in. m /m in. m jm in. I m/ mlOO 91 232 67 17 0 43 110.300 82 209 63 160 38 96500 74 188 60 153 35 88

TABLE )IPel;formance a ~ a i n s t brick walls and shingleBrick walls Shingle in sandbags

Greatest pene tration .. . 14 ins. 10 ins.

3.


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TESTS OF ELEMENTARY TRAINING

(1) I {2) (3) I (4)Name of test and Conditions Time Remarksstores required before test

_I iNo. 1-Magazine filling. Drill cartridges 20 secs. from th e The ma n will be required to carry ....""agazines and drill clips. word " Go " until ou t this test twice correctlycartridges. Position - an y ser- magazine is filled. ou t of three attempts.vice position.

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No. 2- Aiming and As for Practice 2, Nil. Four shots ou t of th e six must befiring. Part I, A.Tk. RiB.eCourse (see S.A.T.,

in th e scoring area of th e target.Vol. I, PamphletNo. 18) .

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