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Boys Anti-tank Rifle
Boys anti-tank rifle Mk I
TypeAnti-tank rifle
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service1937 - 1943
Used bySee Users
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Designed1937
ManufacturerRoyal Small Arms Factory
Produced1937 -
No. built~62,000
VariantsMk I, Mk II
Specifications
Mass36 pounds (16 kg)[1]
Length5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m)[1]
Barrel length3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m)[1]
CartridgeKynoch & RG .55 Boys (13.9x99mmB)
Calibre0.55 inches (14 mm)
ActionBolt
Rate of fire~10 round/min
Muzzle velocity990 metres (1,080 yd) per second
Effective firing rangeCould penetrate 21 millimetres (0.83 in) of armour at 330 yards (300 m).[1]
Feed systemFive-round detachable box magazine

The Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55in, Boys commonly known as the "Boys (or, often and incorrectly,"Boyes") Anti-tank Rifle" was a British anti-tank rifle.

Development

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The first anti-tank rifle was developed by Germany in 1918, as a response to the appearance of British tanks on the Western Front during the First World War. The Mauser 1918 TuF Gewehr was 67 inches (1.7 m) long and weighed 26 pounds (12 kg), and resembled the standard German rifle of the period, the Gewehr 98, except for a longer barrel and a pistol grip. Fitted with a bipod to compensate for its length, the Mauser fired a single armour-piercing round which was capable of penetrating the armour of a British Mark IV tank at a range of 120 yards (110 m). It had a significant recoil and was reported to be unpopular with the troops who were issued with it, but it was an effective weapon against the British tanks, and hundreds were issued to the German Army.[2]

Atni-tank weapons continued to evolve in the aftermath of the First World War, and in the 1920s a number of countries began to develop their own anti-tank rifles. The first country to do so was Poland, and their Marosczek was based on the Mauser, although with a number of improvements. It weighed 19.5 pounds (8.8 kg), making it according to John Weeks the "lightest anti-tank rifle ever produced", and although it fired a smaller bullet it had a lighter recoil and a higher velocity than the Mauser. At a distance of 300 yards (270 m) the bullet it fired, which possessed a tungsten-carbide core, could penetrate 0.75 inches (0.019 m) of armour.[3]

The Marosczek was issued to the Polish Army in 1935, and was considered to be the best anti-tank rifle available at that time; as such, it generated a great deal of interest in a number of countries, including Great Britain.[4] By 1936, a design team had been formed to develop a British version of the Marosczek.[4] The prototype of this rifle was known as the Stanchion, but when it went into production it was renamed the Boys after the head of the design team, Captain Boys, who died a few days before the rifle completed its final tests and was approved.[5]

Design

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The Boys was a bolt-action rifle, fed by a five-round box magazine located on the top of the weapon.[1] It fired a 0.55 inches (14 mm) bullet, originally steel-cored, although this was later substituted for tungsten-carbide.[6] The bullet weighed 47.6 grams (0.105 lb), and when fired travelled at a distance of 990 metres (1,080 yd) per second,[7] allowing it to penetrate 21 millimetres (0.83 in) of armour at a distance of 330 yards (300 m).[1] The rifle had a total length of 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m), with the barrel of the rifle taking up 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m), and it weighed a total of 36 pounds (16 kg).[1] It had a maximum useful range of approximately 500 yards (460 m).[8] When the trigger was pulled, the barrel and receiver moved along a slide, recoiling against the resistance offered by a large spring. This created a significant amount of recoil, as well as a large amount of noise; so much, in fact, that the Boys was the first weapon in the history of the British Army in which it was compulsory for the user to wear ear plugs.[6]

There were two versions of the Boys: the Boys Mk 1 and the Boys Mk 1*.[9] The Mk 1 was the original production version of the rifle, and featured a circular muzzle brake, a monopod placed at the front of the weapon and a handgrip positioned under the butt plate. After the Battle of France and the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from the port of Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June 1940, the Mk 1* was introduced to speed up the weapons production. The new model, which was produced in Canada, replaced the monopod with the bipod used by the Bren gun, the light machine gun used by the British Army at the time, and the circular muzzlebrake was removed in favour of a rectangular muzzlebrake with vent holes drilled along its side, which was easier to produce. A carrying handle was also added, which had been absent on the original model.[9][10] There were plans to produce a third version of the Boys, the Mk 2, for use by British airborne forces. It would have been shortened and made lighter, but planning for this did not proceed very far, possibly because the shortened barrel would have greatly increased the recoil.[9]

Operational history

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  • Operational
How many per battalion, 1941 war table, used in vehicles, etc
  • Faults
Training problems, stuff from French, replaced by PIAT in 1943
  • Other countries

When the Boys was introduced in 1937,[11] it was intended to be the primary infantry anti-tank weapon used by the British Army,[1] and was capable of penetrating the armour of all light tanks that were in use at that time.[8]

Pre-war training for the Boys was, according to John Weeks, "charmingly optimistic", with the user instructed to hit a tank 500 yards (460 m) away as it crossed his front at a speed of 15-25 miles per hour. Weeks notes that the chances of hitting such a target at that distance, and moving at that speed, would be slim "even with a high-velocity rifle."[6]

The "principle deficiency" of the Boys, according to Ian Hogg, was the same as all anti-tank rifles. Although the bullet could penetrate armour, it would do little damage to the tank's interior unless it managed to hit the engine, the ammunition or the crew; this was unlikely to occur, as tanks had a large amount of empty space where the bullet could do little or no damage.[12]

The War Equipment Table of September, 1941, allocated 25 Boys rifles to each infantry battalion: three were issued to each of the four rifle companies, with the rest used by the headquarters company, the Universal Carrier platoon and other units. It was recommended that the rifle be carried in a platoon truck, and it was usual for a two-man team to deploy with each rifle.[13]

According Stephen Bull, the limitations of the Boys had been recognized by 1939, with the Anti-Tank Rifle manual of that year stating that although the rifle could inflict casualties on the crew of a tank, it was unlikely to seriously damage the tank. As such, it was best to use the rifle as a "weapon of surprise."[14]

Australian Infantry Force units operating in the North African campaign found that although the Boys could deal little damage to German tanks, it was useful for knocking out enemy machine guns and penetrating the walls of Italian forts.[15]

They were also attached to vehicles and tanks used by the British Army. Each Bren Carrier section carried a Boys rifle[16] and they were also fitted to armoured cars used in North Africa.[17]

[Other countries, ie USA and Finland especially]

Production of the Boys rifle continued until August, 1943.[8]

In July, 1943, the Home Guard was issued with 100,000 Boys to boost their anti-tank capabilities.[18]

The American 1st Raider Battalion was issued with twelve Boys rifle for use against Japanese troops in the Pacific Theatre, but they were found to be inadequate in an anti-tank role and were rarely used.[19]

Several hundred were used by the Finnish Army, and a large number were also supplied to Nationalist China by the United States.[10]

Users

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Some of the users of the Boys Rifle included:

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Bishop, p. 212
  2. ^ Weeks, pp. 23-24
  3. ^ Hogg, p. 37
  4. ^ a b Weeks, p. 29
  5. ^ Weeks, p. 32
  6. ^ a b c Weeks, p. 32
  7. ^ Hogg, p. 37
  8. ^ a b c Brayley, p. 5
  9. ^ a b c Bishop, p. 213
  10. ^ a b Rottman, World War II Infantry Anti-Tank Tactics, p. 42
  11. ^ Harrison, p. 41
  12. ^ Hogg, pp. 38-39
  13. ^ Bill, pp. 28-29
  14. ^ Bull, p. 29
  15. ^ Laffin, p. 35
  16. ^ Fletcher, p. 10
  17. ^ Latimer, p. 20
  18. ^ Mackenzie, p. 135
  19. ^ Alexander, p. 64

Bibliography

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  • Alexander, Joseph H. (2000). Edson's Raiders: The 1st Marine Raider Battalion in World War II. US Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1557500207.
  • Bishop, Chris (2002). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,500 Weapons Systems, Including Tanks, Small Arms, Warplanes, Artillery, Ships and Submarines. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 1586637622.
  • Bull, Stephen (2004). World War II Infantry Tactics. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841766631. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Brayley, Martin (2001). The British Army, 1939-1945 (1). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841760528. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • French, David (2001) [2000]. Raising Churchill's Army: The British Army and the War against Germany 1919-1945. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-019924-630-4.
  • Fletcher, David (2005). Universal Carrier 1936-48: The 'Bren Gun Carrier' Story. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841768136. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Hogg, Ian (1977). The Encyclopedia of Infantry Weapons of World War II. Guild Publishing.
  • Hogg, Ian (1995). Tank Killers: Anti-Tank Warfare by Men and Machines. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 0330353160.
  • Mackenzie, S.P. (1995). The Home Guard: A Military and Political History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198205775.
  • Laffin, John (1982). The Australian Army at War, 1899-1975. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0850454182. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Latimer, Jon (2000). Operation Compass 1940. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1855329670.
  • Place, Timothy (2000). Military Training in the British Army, 1940-1944: From Dunkirk to D-day. Routledge. ISBN 0714680915.
  • Rottman, Gordon L. (2005). World War II Infantry Anti-Tank Tactics. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841768421. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Weeks, John (1975). Men Against Tanks: A History of Anti-Tank Warfare. David & Charles. ISBN 0715369091.
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  •  
    Swedish volunteers in the Winter War carrying Boys
  •  
    Training
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    American World War II poster featuring an English soldier carrying a Boys Rifle


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