June 28th, 2022
6minute read
Think back to the last time you had to do something really important.
Maybe it was a big presentation at work or some massive test in school.
Perhaps it involved public speaking or a lot of stuff beyond your control.
The British PIAT gun was technically a spigot mortar turned into an anti-tank gun. At 32 lbs., it was a cumbersome beast indeed.
If you botch this you really could die.
Oh, by the way, the fate of the entire world literally hangs in the balance.
I give you British SGT Charles Wagger Thornton.
Not lightweight or easy to use, the PIAT was still a way that British infantry was able to strike against German armor.
SGT Thornton was a member of D Company of the 2d Airborne Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.
D Company was commanded by a legendary British warrior named Major John Howard.
Their little piece of D-Day was called Operation Deadstick.
The PIAT was a relatively simple design that required the user to be uncomfortably close to a tank if he wanted a chance to knock it out.
Deadstick, a Bridge and a PIAT
This was a shockingly big deal.
At 0016 on June 6, 1944, Major Howards men went to work.
D-Day was far from a sure thing.
The PIAT used an oversized trigger to launch its payload. Only three in four munitions would actually detonate in combat.
We have the benefit of hindsight and know that it all turned out fine.
What that success turned on was tanks.
In this particular zone that responsibility fell to the 21stPanzer Division.
PIAT rounds, called “PIAT bombs” by its users, were propelled by a spring-loaded rod (above) and a modest charge.
Major Howards job was to keep that from happening.
SGT Thornton reportedly had about three minutes notice.
He dropped down into a handy pile of garbage and tried to control his breathing.
An aperture sight system was employed on the PIAT for aiming duties. While the effective range was said to be greater than 100 yards for direct fire, users suggested it was much less.
The tanks were getting closer.
In their haste to reach the beaches the panzers had outrun their infantry support.
The lead tank, a Pz.Kpfw.
The PIAT was awkward in action but undeniably effective when it worked.
IV, cautiously approached the road junction.
The Company Commander of a supporting engineer company was inside among with the crew.
I can only assume he was there to ensure that the bridge would support the follow-on armor.
Canvas covers helped protect the PIAT gunner from the raw steel bits to a degree. It can be tough to find these components in decent shape on vintage guns today.
The disabled German tank brewed up in short order.
Everyone but the engineer officer died inside the tank.
This young German did claw his way out of the flaming vehicle but lost both legs in the process.
Cocking an unloaded PIAT was quite the ordeal. Imagine trying to do it with a tank moving toward you.
He died some hours later at a British aid station.
With that one shot, SGT Thornton, in my opinion, saved the Allies on D-Day.
His response was, It was rubbish, really.
PIAT stands for Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank and it was a monstrous beast indeed.
Recoil was said to be simply epic.
It was a workout of the highest order to cock the PIAT manually.
To do so in confined spaces while under fire would require courage on a scale I struggle to imagine.
The PIAT weighed 32 lbs.
and produced a muzzle velocity of only 250 feet per second.
The gun was fitted with an adjustable aperture sight and was 39 long.
Effective range was published as 115 yards against point targets and 350 yards against area targets.
Actual PIAT operators typically claimed substantially less than that.
The British ultimately produced 115,000 copies.
Denouement
Soldiers in combat make do with what they have.
A soldier who isnt griping is either defective or dead.
In the case of the PIAT, however, that thing really was a remarkably cumbrous beast.
His action is a tribute to both his tactical competence as well as his raw unfiltered courage.
We literally owe our way of life to men such as these.
