"Karabin wz. 35: Secret Weapon of Rzeczpospolita " Topic

"One of the most popular themes in anti-tank defenses during the interbellum period was the development of anti-tank rifles. Designers had several approaches to this issue. One was the use of "cannon" calibers of 20 mm, or even 24 mm, with a relatively heavy bullet and a lower muzzle velocity. The other approach was to increase the muzzle velocity of a regular 6-8 mm rifle bullet. The wz. 35 anti-tank rifle was a product of the second approach.

Hermann Gerlich is one of the most famous engineers among those who was designing low caliber anti-tank rifles. His 6.5 mm rifle, designed in late 1920s, had a muzzle velocity of 1400 m/s (compared to 900 m/s on a regular Mauser rifle). This boost gave phenomenal results. A lead core bullet made a 15 mm wide hole in a 12 mm armour plate. A regular rifle bullet made only a 2 mm dent when hitting the same target. Interestingly enough, Gerlich's bullet did not penetrate the armour. It shattered on impact, but punched a "cork" out of the armour, which would then ricochet and cause damage inside a tank or an armoured vehicle. This phenomenon was dubbed the "Gerlich effect".

Gerlich's work was not secret, and was widely discussed in specialized literature. In Poland, Colonel Tadeusz Felsztyn of the Central Rifle School in Torun, and a prototype of the Gerlich rifle was tested there in 1929. In later years, Felsztyn deemed it necessary to develop a small caliber anti-tank rifle, and managed to gain the interest of both the army and entrepreneurs. The gunpowder factory in Pionki invested 10,000 zloty of its own funds into the development of appropriate nitrocellulose propellant (its grains had three channels in them to increase the surface area). The munitions factory in Skar¿ysko developed a casing that could hold 50% more pressure than a regular rifle round. The main role in the development of the new weapon was played by the designers of the Armaments Research Institute and Warsaw rifle factory…."
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Amicalement
Armand

Polish ammunition was reloaded with P318 tungsten-cored bullets, the same type as used in the PzB 38 and PzB 39. The muzzle velocity increased from 1270 to 1295 m/s, but the barrel wear also increased. With a sufficient number of the PzB 39 rifle, the Germans did not use the Karabin wz. 35 further, passing 630 of them onto Italy. These rifles were used in North Africa, on the Eastern Front, and even in Italy itself under the name Fucile controcarro 35(P).

My reading indicates that the Italians mostly used this rifle on the Eastern Front, while the 20mm Solothurn AT rifles were sent mostly to North Africa.

But I have not seen a lot on the topic. It's kind of counter-intuitive to think that Italian infantry got better AT weapons for use against the Brits than the Russians, given that the commitment to Russia was so large, and the challenge of Russian armor so much greater.

Anyone have further details on Italian use of AT rifles? Deployments or organization? Reports on effectiveness or experiences?

Inquiring minds want to know…

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

May have been easier to supply the 8mm ammo alongside the German 8mm AT rifles in Russia.

Good point!.

Amicalement
Armand