Help needed by ww2 boffins!!!urgent..

[John at Warlord Games]

Hi fellas,

I was reading a fab book on British Destroyer actions in WW2. It covered the capture of U-110 (the one carrying the enigma machine) which is all very boy's own stuff BUT...

The Lt who boards it makes an inventory of the U-boat's weapons and lists them as a Bofors (37mm prob) an Oerikon (20mm), two Tommy guns (mp40s I guess), AND "some kind of anti tank rifle"...

What on earth may a U-boat be doing with an anti tank rifle then?

I have but one theory of my own and thats a crazy guess. Would they use it to sink drifting mines a very common sight near minefields? A strong a/p round would penetrate and sink or explode a mine... rifle fire was sometimes used but took many shots (and they had no rifles on board). MP40s too innacurate and short ranged to do it safely, so maybe the 20mm would have been used. I dunno - help me, fellow shipmates and give me your best ideas on why a U-boat took "some kind of an anti tank rifle" on a normal patrol with them??

Dive! Dive! Dive!

John Stallard

[grant]

No real idea, just guesses.

Like the mine idea.

How about for coastal boats? ATR would be plenty strong to punch a hole in one?

Or maybe it was a just a war prize?

[Cubster]

If it was a Boys then it must've been looted from somewhere. They did have surface guns for bits and pieces and every war memoir I've ever read says that enemy guns were always looted if possible. I'm in the middle of Vic Gregg's memoirs atm and he talks about his carrier section and their enormous arsenal of looted MG's that they proudly carried around.

[paulsmodellingworkshop]

I think your theory isn't too bad John - seems quite logical in some ways.

Otherwise, it's there so Indiana Jones can nick it and halt the truck convoy....

[Fury]

The AT rifle may have been a PzB 35(p). These were captured Polish AT rifles used in German service. I can imagine it used as an anti-materiel rifle to blow up mines like you mentioned, but not much else.

[Invisible officer]

The Lt who boards it makes an inventory of the U-boat's weapons and lists them as a Bofors (37mm prob) an Oerikon (20mm), two Tommy guns (mp40s I guess), AND "some kind of anti tank rifle"...

John Stallard

The IX B bots had 1 x 10,5 cm L/45, 1 x 3,7 cm SKC/30 in a special U-Boot mounting LC 39, 1 x 2 cm Flak 38
The 105 mm gun missing in the Lt's list is shown on photos from the sinking of U 110 so the list is not complete. The Panzerbüchse 38 or 39 was never an official part of the Kriegsmarine arms inventory.

The idea to use that obsolete arm against mines sounds probable on first glimpse, but a non automatic arm is not easy to get a hit on a small target like a mine. Boat, mine, everything moving. Normal Kriegsmarine practice was a burst from the 2 cm.
There was a Granatbüchse 39, a converted Panzerbüchse to fire grenades and star shell. I would opt for this arm.

[John at Warlord Games]

Thanks for the posts fellas.. most encouraging and helpful... john s

[shadegate]

What was the book called that you were reading. Sounds like an interesting read.

[John at Warlord Games]

THE BOOK WAS CALLED "DESTROYER", AN ANTHOLOGY OF BRITISH DESTROYER ACTIONS OF WW2 AND I DONT KNOW WHY i AM WRITING IN CAPITALS....

Cheers ! js

[grant]

THE BOOK WAS CALLED "DESTROYER", AN ANTHOLOGY OF BRITISH DESTROYER ACTIONS OF WW2 AND I DONT KNOW WHY i AM WRITING IN CAPITALS....

Cheers ! js

You are the best John.