PTRD

PTRD-41
Polish Army soldiers with PTRDs in Siedlce, 1944
Type	Anti-tank rifle
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1941–1960s (Retired USSR)
Used by	Soviet Union, North Korea, China
Wars	World War II Korean War Chinese Civil War War in Donbass
Production history
Designer	Vasily Degtyaryov
Designed	1941
Manufacturer	Degtyaryov plant
Produced	1941–45
Specifications
Weight	17.3 kg (38.1 lbs)
Length	2,020 mm (79.5 in.)
Barrel length	1,350 mm (53.1 in.)
Crew	2
Cartridge	14.5×114mm (B-32, BS-41)
Action	bolt-action
Rate of fire	Single shot,user dependent
Muzzle velocity	1,114 m/s (3,655 ft/s)
Effective firing range	300 m (on personnel targets, dispersion of bullets on 300 meters 0,36 m)
Maximum firing range	1,000 m
Feed system	Single shot, no magazine
Sights	Front post, rear notch

The PTRD-41 (Shortened from Russian, ProtivoTankovoye Ruzhyo Degtyaryova;Противотанковое однозарядное ружьё системы Дегтярёва образца 1941 года;"Degtyaryov Anti-Tank Rifle") was an anti-tank rifle produced and used from early 1941 by the Soviet Red Army during World War II. It was a single-shot weapon which fired a 14.5×114mm round. Although unable to penetrate the frontal armor of German tanks, it could penetrate the thinner sides of early-war German tanks as well as thinly armored self-propelled guns.

In 1939 the USSR captured several hundred Polish Model 35 anti-tank rifles, which proved effective in the September Campaign when Poland was invaded by Germany. Vasily Degtyaryov copied its lock and several features of the German Panzerbüchse 38 when hasty construction of an anti-tank rifle was ordered in July 1941.

The PTRD and the similar PTRS-41 were the only individual anti-tank weapon available to the Red Army in numbers upon the 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). It could penetrate an armor plate up to 35 to 40mm (40mm with tungsten ammunition) thick at a distance of 100 meters at 0 degrees. During the initial invasion, and indeed throughout the war, most German tanks had side armor thinner than 40mm (Panzer I and Panzer II: 13-20mm, Panzer III and Panzer IV series: 30mm, Panzer V Panther (combat debut mid-1943): 40-50mm). However, due to the high velocity and small size of the round, it had a very high chance of shattering or utterly failing against armor it should have penetrated, especially if the target was struck at an oblique angle.

Due to the obsolescence and inadequate ability against tanks, PTRD users were instructed to attempt to shoot view ports rather than actually try to penetrate the vehicles' armour. Despite the good range of fire, this tactic was quickly found ineffective due to the absence of telescopic sights: the simple mechanical iron sights did not allow for proper aiming at the required distances. The muzzle brake, however effective, kicked up a very visible cloud of dust or snow and debris and served to give away the position of the PTRD team. After poor results against the enemy tanks the PTRD and PTRS were finally relegated to anti-materiel duty in 1943 as they were still effective against lesser armored vehicles such as armored half-tracks, armored cars and unarmored vehicles.