| PTRD-41 | |
|---|---|
 PTRD-41 in service with the Ukrainian National Guard in 2014 | |
| Type | Anti-tank rifle |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1941–1960s (Soviet Union) |
| Used by | SeeUsers |
| 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 | 1941–1945 |
| No. built | ~450,000[6] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 17.3 kg (38.1 lbs) |
| Length | 2,020 mm (79.5 in) |
| Barrel length | 1,350 mm (53 in) |
| Crew | 2 |
| Cartridge | 14.5×114mm (B-32, BS-41[7]) |
| Action | Bolt-action |
| Rate of fire | Manual |
| 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 |
ThePTRD-41(Russian:Противотанковое однозарядноеружьё образца 1941 года системыДегтярёва,romanized: Protivotankovoye odnozaryadnoyeruzhyo obraztsa 1941 goda sistemyDegtyaryova,lit. 'Anti-tank single-shot gun pattern 1941, Degtyaryov system') is ananti-tank rifle that was produced and used from 1941 by the SovietRed Army duringWorld War II. It is a single-shot weapon which fires the14.5×114 mm round, which was able to penetrate German tanks such as thePanzer III and early models of thePanzer 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 armoredself-propelled guns andhalf-tracks.
In 1939, during theSoviet invasion of Poland, the USSR captured several hundred Polishkb ppanc wz. 35 anti-tank rifles, which had proved effective against German tanks during theSeptember Campaign. A Russian engineerVasily Degtyaryov copied its lock[8][9] and several features[clarification needed] of the GermanPanzerbüchse 38 when hasty construction of an anti-tank rifle was ordered in July 1941.[citation needed]
The PTRD and the similar butsemi-automaticPTRS-41 were the only individualanti-tank weapons available to the Red Army in numbers uponthe outbreak of the war with Germany. 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 andPanzer II: 13–20 mm (0.51–0.79 in),Panzer III andPanzer IV series: 30 mm (1.2 in),Panzer V Panther (combat debut mid-1943): 40–50 mm (1.6–2.0 in)).
Guns captured by the Germans were given the designation14.5 mm PzB 783(r).[11]After World War II the PTRD was also used extensively byNorth Korean andChinese armed forces in theKorean War. During this war, William Brophy, aUS 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]
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Russia: Limited use in theSyrian civil war[13]
Donetsk People's Republic: Used by militiamen in 2014.[14]
Ukraine: Limited use in thewar in Donbas[13]
Albania: Used as late as 1960[15]
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[16]
Germany: Captured and used by Wehrmacht under the titlePanzerbüchse 783(r).[11]
North Korea: Equipped by the USSR, saw extensive combat in Korean War against M24 light tanks.[17]
Poland: Used by1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division in 1943 then by other Polish divisions.
Romania: Used as late as 1960[18]
North Vietnam: In stockpile, used by Viet Cong in Vietnam War.[1]
Soviet Union: Largely used in Eastern Front by the Red Army.[17]
| Rifles | |
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| Cartridges | |
