MOBAT, WOMBAT, CONBAT | Anti-Tank Chats

Welcome to this episode of Anti-Tank Chats. Today, Chris will be discussing the variations of a lesser-known weapon, the British Army's B.A.T. (Battalion Anti-Tank Gun).
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00:00 | Intro
00:28 | History of Recoilless Rifles
07:08 | Development of the B.A.T.
08:31 | Weapon Features
#tankmuseum #antitankchats #ChrisCopson

Пікірлер: 342

  • @thetankmuseum
    @thetankmuseum Жыл бұрын

    Hi Tank Nuts - let us know what you think of the B.A.T. in the comments below!

  • @M65V19

    @M65V19

    Жыл бұрын

    Very interesting weapon.

  • @lezparsons5763

    @lezparsons5763

    Жыл бұрын

    Can be easily handled by it's crew of 3 over rough terrain... who the .... wrote that manual...lol. A.T. the Light Infanty.

  • @aferguson850

    @aferguson850

    Жыл бұрын

    Silly question, but with HESH how do you make sure the round sticks to the tank? Or does it happen so fast you don't have to worry about it sliding off or not being fully in contact with the armour?

  • @johanmetreus1268

    @johanmetreus1268

    Жыл бұрын

    Pansarvärnspjäs 1110 (pvpj 1110) "Armour-defence [artillery]piece 1110" seems a very similar contemporary concept, although based around a HEAT-round rather than HESH. I suppose the larger HESH-projectile also made the BAT suitable for demolition work against concrete-reinforced positions, just like tank HESH rounds, was that at any time part of the doctrine or a consideration?

  • @jwenting

    @jwenting

    Жыл бұрын

    @@aferguson850 it happens in a fraction of a second. It's not a sticky bomb, the force of impact compresses the charge, then the impact detonator at the rear fires near instantly. The main reason it became ineffective is the use of layered and spaced armour, which was even more effective against HESH and HEP than it is against HEAT rounds.

  • @bob_the_bomb4508
    @bob_the_bomb4508 Жыл бұрын

    The WOMBAT was retained in West Berlin after it was withdrawn elsewhere, due to the difficulties of using MILAN in a built up area, especially the minimum engagement range which was hard to achieve.

  • @zoiders

    @zoiders

    Жыл бұрын

    No point in a missile you can steer when the targets rolling down a strabe hemmed in on both sides by building's.

  • @bob_the_bomb4508

    @bob_the_bomb4508

    Жыл бұрын

    @@zoiders that’s partly it. Also MILAN has a ‘gathering range’ after it’s fired before it’s under control. Any targets going across the line of fire would have disappeared before the operator could hit them.

  • @zoiders

    @zoiders

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bob_the_bomb4508 In urban fighting there is a very real possibility that the command wire on a MILAN can be cut before it reaches the target. It's been seen on the ranges in Wales that missiles have been lost during battalion live firing because the support company had the AT platoon engage a target while the SF platoon and mortar platoon were also firing upon it. There's so much ball and HE in the air the wire gets shot through and the missile vanishes over the horizon into the next valley or simply gets shot down in flight.

  • @bob_the_bomb4508

    @bob_the_bomb4508

    Жыл бұрын

    @@zoiders that’s true. One of our combat engineer tasks in the 1 (BR) Corps area was the demolition of electricity pylons to remove them as an obstacle to MILAN. Not the biggest issue in Berlin though.

  • @alangordon3283

    @alangordon3283

    Жыл бұрын

    @@zoidersutter rot . What do you think happens in a conflict 🙄

  • @Joe3pops
    @Joe3pops Жыл бұрын

    Once our army reservist mortar platoon at CFB Wainwright did a 81mm mortar illumination night shoot for our sister regiment in the British army, the Royal Irish Rangers armoured defence platoon. Witnessing these 120s firing at night and using thier M8 spotter rifles was an event I will remember forever. Summer of 1981 in Alberta.

  • @ganndeber1621

    @ganndeber1621

    Жыл бұрын

    I saw them being fired at dusk as part of a battalion in defence firepower demonstration at Warcop in 1978. Very impressive but god would they have been vulnerable as soon as they fired.

  • @bibekjung7404

    @bibekjung7404

    Жыл бұрын

    Almighty God KABIR is the CREATOR OF all SOULS -- SAINT RAMPALJI MAHARAJ

  • @VosperCDN
    @VosperCDN Жыл бұрын

    That explanation of squash head rounds was terrifying. I already knew basically how they worked, but the full details about shock waves, and all that, made them sound even worse. As for the naming conventions, one would think that half the development time for these projects is spent making sure the acronyms work out to something cool sounding.

  • @magdovus

    @magdovus

    Жыл бұрын

    Think of a cool acronym, shoehorn the full name in any way you can later on!

  • @davidty2006

    @davidty2006

    Жыл бұрын

    Gotta love BESH smothering it's self all over the enemy's face before exploding.

  • @russeldavis1787

    @russeldavis1787

    Жыл бұрын

    In computing a Wombat, is a Waste of Money, Brains and Time. Be careful what you wish for

  • @raymartcarreon6069

    @raymartcarreon6069

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@davidty2006man getting hit by a 183 HESH really is a significant emotional event

  • @jwenting

    @jwenting

    Жыл бұрын

    I worked on a (non military, but government) project where the name of the product (and project) changed 4 times in the space of 4 months because people objected to the name as it stood, usually on some petty technicality like "you call it a database, but all databases are the responsibility of department XXX and you're department YYY so you have to change the name" (and yes, that really was one of the reasons we had to change the name of the project).

  • @ray.shoesmith
    @ray.shoesmith Жыл бұрын

    I'm disappointed that one wasn't called a Cricket BAT

  • @silverjohn6037

    @silverjohn6037

    Жыл бұрын

    Or one fitted with a night sight called a Vampire Bat?

  • @secondhalfcomeback

    @secondhalfcomeback

    Жыл бұрын

    Wasn't there a film - Mortal Wombat?

  • @loddude5706

    @loddude5706

    Жыл бұрын

    ANZAC respect for the MCC I guess . . . (coughs, somewhat unconvincingly : )

  • @oml81mm

    @oml81mm

    Жыл бұрын

    The Crew Served Weapon Sight (a bigger version of the Individual Weapon Sight, a copy of the US starlight scope) was used

  • @davesherry5384

    @davesherry5384

    Жыл бұрын

    But I do see plenty of Old Bats as I move around the neighbourhood.

  • @ericgrace9995
    @ericgrace9995 Жыл бұрын

    When i was a child I had a toy version of this. It fired matchsticks and i spent many hours trying to get it to fire one that would ignite on contact.

  • @jasonmartin1668
    @jasonmartin16689 ай бұрын

    This channel has the most clear, concise and knowledgeable educators on KZread.

  • @ollep9142
    @ollep9142 Жыл бұрын

    I did my (Swedish) military service with an AT platoon mainly armed with a pair of towed pvpj 1110, a 90mm recoilless rifle. Fun fact: In 1989 the effective ranges were given as 800m/700m for stationary/moving targets. In 2000 those ranges had been dropped to 400m/300m. The Ontos is one of my favorite AFV designs. It's just about perfect for an ambush hit-and-run, the type of combat my unit was supposed to conduct. I've read many complaints about "not able to reload under armor" but that's a total non issue when you have a six-shooter for use in battles that never lasts more than about five seconds. With a single gun you'll be happy if there's time to fire a second shot before having to disengage. Then reloading takes place while not in combat.

  • @timbirch4999

    @timbirch4999

    10 ай бұрын

    So they are fired individually then, in a single shoot-and-scoot? It's not like you drop several in rapid succession, to make CERTAIN that thing you're aiming at is dead?

  • @ollep9142

    @ollep9142

    10 ай бұрын

    @@timbirch4999 The platoon had two guns. Both were (supposed to be) fired simultaneously for the first shot, aiming at different targets if more than one was available. Then adjust the aim for subsequent shots, IF (by some miracle) there were time to fire more than one shot. (The platoon also had two Carl Gustaf m/48 recoilless rifles and two LMGs that were supposed to chome in.) The main objective wasn't to "kill" the targets, but to *delay* the enemy advance by forcing them to deal with the threat caused by you.

  • @starfish370
    @starfish370 Жыл бұрын

    A welcome to Chris Copson..a good new member of the video narrators team 👍

  • @davidwhite9159
    @davidwhite9159 Жыл бұрын

    In 1977-80 I was in A Coy 5 Queens (TA) and our anti-tank teams had MOBATs and were told “when they break if workshops can not fix them, they go off to a museum”. They also had the 7.62 Bren as a spotting rifle and most crews “borrowed” the 30 round mags for their SLRs.

  • @freebeerfordworkers

    @freebeerfordworkers

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes I spent a year in a TA anti-tank platoon and remember the Bren spotting rifle. With everything else going on they thought you could work out the difference in trajectory between the main armament and the Bren. If I remember correctly, they only coincided at 600 meters and if the target was anything less you had to get the spotters into the tracks and if it was 800 the tracers needed to be going just over the top of the turret. I think I got it the right way around but it's 40 years and you can't remember everything. When I did the full course at Netheravon(?) they said they only took them out of store twice a year for the TA to train on. supposedly the drill was only fired two rounds and then took your gun off to a prepared secondary position before the next engagement. It was in a pit and it took about 20 minutes to strip out never mind pulling cross country with a Landrover, putting in another pit and caming up which was at least another 20 minutes. Assuming you got a hit with both rounds they told us Russian tanks came in threes and sometimes in fours. The assumption had to be a lot of seriously ******** off Ruskies would do nothing while all this was going on!

  • @petergosden1
    @petergosden1 Жыл бұрын

    In the 60's I was in 4th Btn., Queens Royal Surrrey Regt., TAVR. On the BAT crew. Many happy memories of the beast. Very, very heavy with the 4 piece armoured shield!! I clearly recall our exercises where we would tip it into a ditch and had to get it out using just our manual efforts. And don't leave anything behind it when you fired- you will never see it again. We did try the boasted lack of recoil by following the prescribed example of a glass filled to 1/4" of the top and placed on the top shield. Fired without a drop spilled. And the added bonus? We never walked anywhere with our own wheels and plenty of space for our Bengazi Burner and all mod-cons. First rule, look after yourself. The happiest days.

  • @willtijerina5149
    @willtijerina5149 Жыл бұрын

    So one could say that an operator of this weapon might be called Batman. Another excellent video. Fascinating explanation. Thank you!

  • @PatGilliland
    @PatGilliland Жыл бұрын

    My first Britains toy cannon was a Wombat. :)

  • @derekp2674

    @derekp2674

    Жыл бұрын

    Me too :)

  • @daniel_f4050
    @daniel_f4050 Жыл бұрын

    That was fascinating. I knew that there had been a British weapon system called WOMBAT but knew effectively nothing about it. Now I know quite a bit about a very interesting Cold War era weapon. Thank you.

  • @wacojones8062
    @wacojones8062 Жыл бұрын

    Good presentation. As a US army reserve member I trained recruits in killing Tanks and lighter targets. Dragon, TOW, M72A1 LAW and AT-4/M136. I had a bit of training on the then New Javelin just before my 27 years of service ended. 2 active the rest on the reserve side. The Bat series were serious beasts. The Malkara had a bigger warhead but was a serious training challenge with poor field results.

  • @davidpope3943
    @davidpope3943 Жыл бұрын

    An interesting way of considering the potential of the Burney 3.45” weapon is to imagine one trooper effectively carrying the destructive capability of the legendary 25 pounder gun/howitzer and consideration was given for deploying it in the jungles of Burma where normal artillery could be difficult to field. They were tested at the Shoeburyness Ranges a few miles from where I live. A handful were sent out to Burma but because of the sudden collapse of the conflict there, they were not used operationally. It’s also worth mentioning that Burney built a recoilless weapon designed for the assault on the Atlantic Wall. This was a stonking 7.2” calibre weapon firing a wall-buster shell weighing 139lb. It was trialled in September 1943 against a 5’ thick reinforced concrete wall and the effect was suitably gratifying ~ the re-bars were totally severed and chunks of concrete were blown up to 60 yards from the rear of where the wall had been struck. I believe that ultimately a combination of the problem of the immense back-blast and vulnerability of the firing team saw the 7.2” Burney set aside in favour of the Churchill AVRE with the petard mortar and its 40lb warhead ‘Flying Dustbin’ spigot bomb.

  • @jasonz7788
    @jasonz7788 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the great work Sir

  • @tonycavanagh1929
    @tonycavanagh1929 Жыл бұрын

    Anyone did the Royal Marine course, all the all arms Lympstone. I did the all arms. If you were a tad under weight in a webbing run, you had to carry heavy kit for the say, one bit was wally the wombat shell. I miss them days. I was young, healthy, fit. I am now stuck in with a lung condition I picked up in Iraq , slightest chill sets me of. I still exercise, but more jogs at a very slow pace.

  • @gusgone4527

    @gusgone4527

    Жыл бұрын

    I empathise. Life as a war pensioner sucks. Unemployability and mobility allowances are no compensation for being active and fighting fit.

  • @tonycavanagh1929

    @tonycavanagh1929

    Жыл бұрын

    @@gusgone4527 I went for a run last time, did stretching, woke up this morning very eary because all my body aches. We need stretching classes for us oldies.

  • @gusgone4527

    @gusgone4527

    Жыл бұрын

    @@tonycavanagh1929 It's difficult to run in a wheelchair.

  • @tonycavanagh1929

    @tonycavanagh1929

    Жыл бұрын

    @@gusgone4527 Yes, after the bands, after the medals. You still have a life to live. And many of us , have to live it damaged. I have damaged lungs from the toxins that was in the air. But I can still exercise them. And hopefully they wont kill me off to quickly. Losing limbs, brings its own pressure, stress, misery. Others have minds damaged.

  • @davidgoodnow269

    @davidgoodnow269

    4 ай бұрын

    I recommend breathing exercises, if you can't do anything else. Just suck the air down, deep as you can, then spread your ribs to keep pulling air in until you are straining, then hold it. Try to count heartbeats, and hold it for one more than it took you to fill up, then control the exhale to the same count as the inhale. Then hold empty, before inhaling again. The inhales will bust anything loose just like a run, as well as really working those rib muscles. The strain of going so long without air is its own pressure. Fifteen minutes of that would leave my back soaked in sweat, before my legs healed up, and it worked for a friend's dad who was largely immobilized for a back injury but he had one of those tilting boards to stretch him. What you said about needing to stretch is sorely true, I have taken up yoga but become slack.

  • @davesherry5384
    @davesherry5384 Жыл бұрын

    This is an awesome presentation. I think Chris shows his past military service,. Concise, thorough and crystal clear!!

  • @gunner678
    @gunner678 Жыл бұрын

    Most enjoyable. I remember the infantry buzzing around the Einbeck Bowl in Landrovers carrying the Wombat, in the early 80s. I was a troop commander AD at the time.

  • @RedArgyll
    @RedArgyll7 ай бұрын

    As a young lad back in the day, as the lowest rung in a Conbat AT gun crew, i was a loader. Always remember how heavy the 120mm shells were, and yes, the back blast. Downside was you also had the job of removing the bloody things if there was a misfire, as the rest of the crew would hastily exit left to a safe distance. Got to fire the thing a few times on the range though, so wasnt all bad. Setting up the .50 spotting rifle and main gun to the sight using a bore scope was also a frequent task.

  • @hoplophobia7014
    @hoplophobia7014 Жыл бұрын

    I am really enjoying the anti tank chats, thanks

  • @stevemercer952
    @stevemercer952 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for another excellent video. During the time the Wombat was in service, a punishment for a squadie could carrying a dummy full weight practice round for a day.. Somthing to be seriously avoided! Thank you again.

  • @ianbell5611
    @ianbell5611 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you . Another Great video. Cheers

  • @MacChew008
    @MacChew008 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for doing this Video. History of the various BATs, need to be documented.

  • @andrewpatton6194
    @andrewpatton6194 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent video, I've never seen such a comprehensive history of recoilless rifles, and I've always wanted to know more about them!

  • @extragoogleaccount6061

    @extragoogleaccount6061

    Жыл бұрын

    It was an excellent video, but it was not completely comprehensive. I think a comprehensive history of recoiless guns would need to talk more about the Carl Gustav series mentioned at the end.

  • @w.reidripley1968

    @w.reidripley1968

    Жыл бұрын

    See author Ian Hogg for more.

  • @aussiedrifter
    @aussiedrifter Жыл бұрын

    As a British Army Teaching establishment you might like to ask someone as a "Training Exercise" too put some compressed air in the tyres, I bet even Richard would jump at the chance.

  • @Adiscretefirm

    @Adiscretefirm

    Жыл бұрын

    If you leave them flat the idiot can't push them into anything

  • @jimrobb55
    @jimrobb5511 ай бұрын

    I'm an ex-British tank commander (Chieftain\Challenger 1) and frequently heard people mention how loud the 120mm was when firing. Although loud, it was nothing compared to the Wombat. My dad had been Anti-Tank platoon for years with 1RHF. He took me and my brothers along to a range day with the TA at Otterburn and i even got to fire the .50 ranging gun. My overriding memory of the Wombat firing to this day though, was the noise, the way the ground shook even up to 100m away and the venturi blast. It was biblical!

  • @kukatahansa
    @kukatahansa Жыл бұрын

    Exellent video! In future, if possible, could you please show us the breech open? It is so rare to see it in museum pieces but maybe in these kind of videos it could be done.

  • @erikgood732
    @erikgood732 Жыл бұрын

    Stop the video at 7:29 and please be upstanding and a round of applause to anyone who’s ever been “beasted” in the guard room with a WOMBAT shell.I feel your pain.

  • @scottwhiting926

    @scottwhiting926

    11 ай бұрын

    Was still a thing in the 90s

  • @JamesLaserpimpWalsh

    @JamesLaserpimpWalsh

    9 ай бұрын

    Beasting. Now theres a term I havent heard for a while. hah

  • @tonycavanagh1929

    @tonycavanagh1929

    9 ай бұрын

    I did the all arms commando course, if you were a tad under weight in say your webbing, you had to carry wally the wombat shell. I remember marching around with it.

  • @robinjohnson6816

    @robinjohnson6816

    6 ай бұрын

    ​, and for good measure, the shell case was filled with concrete.

  • @philipinchina
    @philipinchina Жыл бұрын

    We had Wombat. They had no radio as that could have caused an accidental discharge. I was a signaler, so on exercise sometimes I was sent with them with my A41. Wombat and portee were cool.

  • @davidhall8059
    @davidhall805910 ай бұрын

    I spent 12 years in A/Tk started on Wombats back in 69 had a brief spell with Conbat before going to BAOR and back to Wombat, we also had Swingfire at that time, had a couple of years with a TA unit as PSI with MOBATS and finally on to Berlin in 1980 with the Platoon swapping the MILAN and going back to WOMBAT. Loved firing the WOMBAT.

  • @grahamprice3230

    @grahamprice3230

    9 ай бұрын

    David Hall were you with 11 York’s ?

  • @davidhall8059

    @davidhall8059

    9 ай бұрын

    Yes I was 2 Yorks 1977 to 79@@grahamprice3230

  • @scotsbillhicks
    @scotsbillhicks Жыл бұрын

    Very happy to see this. Using Javelins and other ATGW to attack MBTs, fair exchange. Using them against Sangars, mud brick compounds, bunkers? Not so much. Far more economical to use a recoilless rifle and very portable.

  • @silverjohn6037

    @silverjohn6037

    Жыл бұрын

    One of the reasons the Carl Gustave 84 mm stays popular.

  • @SlavicCelery

    @SlavicCelery

    Жыл бұрын

    @@silverjohn6037 Indeed, not every solution merits a GLSDB.

  • @Ukraineaissance2014

    @Ukraineaissance2014

    Жыл бұрын

    Quite a few atgm type weapons are being developed for the main job of hitting things like bunkers or breaching heavy doors. The Matator is a recent one I believe and AT4s do the job very well.

  • @jwenting

    @jwenting

    Жыл бұрын

    problem with HESH rounds is that they're not very effective against anything except steel armour plate. And no HE round was AFAIK created for these weapons.

  • @zoiders

    @zoiders

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jwenting HESH rounds are extremely effective in urban combat. You do realise that the HE bit on HESH stands for High Explosive and the Monroe effect is one of the best ways of poking holes in walls and bringing down structures?

  • @waynemayo1661
    @waynemayo1661 Жыл бұрын

    Well done, sir! I knew about the "projectile out front, gas out the back" principle, but not about the the squash head effect.

  • @coolcoolercoolest212
    @coolcoolercoolest212 Жыл бұрын

    I love weird early versions of things. Like the basics are there, it’s just got an extra shotgun strapped on for no reason.

  • @peterpan9988
    @peterpan9988 Жыл бұрын

    Very interesting video. Well presented. I especially like how Mr. Copson pronouces German names in a way that they are actually recognizable.

  • @tedstrikertwa800
    @tedstrikertwa800 Жыл бұрын

    Very interesting weapon & history. These videos are well presented as always. Thanks TTM 👍

  • @reyvan3806
    @reyvan3806 Жыл бұрын

    Great video. Thanks and please keep them coming.

  • @philbosworth3789
    @philbosworth3789 Жыл бұрын

    That was so informative from Chris again.

  • @simonwood1402
    @simonwood1402 Жыл бұрын

    Right now you could have hours of fun in Ukraine playing with a Wombat ⏰ 🎉 🇺🇦 it's the finest length of precision engineered drain pipe ever to serve in her late Majesty's armed forces 😊👍 the only thing it couldn't stop is a NAAFI delivery van 💥 but truth be told nothing can stop a NAAFI delivery van the Yorkie Bars will always get through 🍫😉

  • @keithskelhorne3993

    @keithskelhorne3993

    Жыл бұрын

    Wolfgang and his bratty wagon would like a word! 😜🤣

  • @ptonpc

    @ptonpc

    Жыл бұрын

    The bratwurst must get through no matter what.

  • @SlavicCelery

    @SlavicCelery

    Жыл бұрын

    There's quite a bit of fantastic footage of recoilless rifles being used coming out of there. Lots of use around Bakhmut.

  • @keithskelhorne3993

    @keithskelhorne3993

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ptonpc vat is das koler von der vagen?

  • @meanmanturbo

    @meanmanturbo

    Жыл бұрын

    I know Swedish 90mm pvpjäs recoilless rifles showed up in Ukraine.

  • @ptonpc
    @ptonpc Жыл бұрын

    I've always had a thing for the BATs. I have a feeling WOMBATs on FV432s might be surprisingly useful for Ukraine right now.

  • @martinwebb3017

    @martinwebb3017

    Жыл бұрын

    The Swedish PV-1110 Recoilless Gun has seen use in Ukraine: kzread.info/dash/bejne/omWM2q6bnJDPgc4.html&ab_channel=TheArmourer%27sBench

  • @russbetts1467

    @russbetts1467

    Жыл бұрын

    Not with the back-blast flash signature; especially at night. Once seen, never forgotten. I'm ex-Royal Fusilier - 1969-1972 - and was on training exercise, some way from where the Anti-Tank crews were firing. The low cloud base reflected the flash and we could read by the light. Impressive.

  • @jwenting

    @jwenting

    Жыл бұрын

    @@russbetts1467 and not against T62s and later, as they are far less vulnerable to HESH rounds than are the older T55s they were designed to take out.

  • @eliasblum753
    @eliasblum753 Жыл бұрын

    That was absolutely fascinating. Thank you.

  • @alangordon3283
    @alangordon3283 Жыл бұрын

    Another fine video as always. Thank you very much.

  • @billpugh58
    @billpugh587 ай бұрын

    Thanks, excellent presentation. I also had the matchstick firing BAT in the 70s!

  • @colvinator1611
    @colvinator1611 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent ! Very interesting. Thanks a lot for the video.

  • @Slayer_Jesse
    @Slayer_Jesse Жыл бұрын

    It's a good thing development ended when it did, or they would have tried to name a version combat wombat.

  • @charleslatora5750

    @charleslatora5750

    Жыл бұрын

    Hodaka motorcycles named one of their off road bikes that, I believe. Company long gone too.

  • @w.reidripley1968

    @w.reidripley1968

    Жыл бұрын

    It's said to be Australian Forces nickname for short Diggers of a certain roundness and plumpness. Alternatively, for a Reservist on annual training: "Eats, roots, shoots, and leaves."

  • @polyus_studios
    @polyus_studios8 ай бұрын

    4:44 😅 that guy totally took a cactus to the face

  • @michaelcorall3282
    @michaelcorall3282 Жыл бұрын

    Luv the clear explanation.

  • @terryroots5023
    @terryroots5023 Жыл бұрын

    Brilliant presentation.

  • @makale3889
    @makale38899 ай бұрын

    i was in an anti tank plt in BAOR....loved that gun the wombat !!

  • Жыл бұрын

    Very interesting Video. Learned something today. Not least about wonderfull Acronyms :)

  • @66kbm
    @66kbm Жыл бұрын

    Nice description, thanks.

  • @berzerkinglemur6534
    @berzerkinglemur6534 Жыл бұрын

    Fascinating!

  • @farmaccount1653
    @farmaccount1653 Жыл бұрын

    Great video :) Keep 'em coming :) Meanwhile - I have no rockets in pockets, or wombats in my combats :)

  • @drewlawrence696

    @drewlawrence696

    Жыл бұрын

    Nor 'shamoolis in me goolies'.....wow...takes me back

  • @michaelguerin56
    @michaelguerin56 Жыл бұрын

    Good video. Thank you.

  • @tonyyarbray
    @tonyyarbray Жыл бұрын

    I enjoyed your video and learned something I didn't know about recoilless weapons...dang it i thought I knew everything 😁👍

  • @JamesLaserpimpWalsh
    @JamesLaserpimpWalsh9 ай бұрын

    Same principal as the Cark Gustav. Thanks for the vid.

  • @Convoycrazy
    @Convoycrazy Жыл бұрын

    Handsome looking weapon. Great presentation, thank you

  • @sealove79able
    @sealove79able Жыл бұрын

    A great very interesting Tank Chat.

  • @geoffhunter7704
    @geoffhunter7704 Жыл бұрын

    The first effective Recoiless AT Weapon was the US Bazooka at 60mm,GB was content till OP Market Garden then and a Work Group called Broadway began trials with a 3.7" (94mm) BAT using an Barrel from the M1937 Medium AA Gun but had problems with a suitable Venturi then the War ended and the Prototype was Scrapped.The rest is history but the Bren was converted to 7.62 .30 cal which had a similar trajectory to the Mobat and later we used a .50cal as a spotter on the WOMBAT.

  • @skepticalbadger

    @skepticalbadger

    Жыл бұрын

    The bazooka is Recoilless but is not a recoilless gun. It's a rocket launcher.

  • @geoffhunter7704

    @geoffhunter7704

    Жыл бұрын

    @@skepticalbadger Technically the Bazooka is a Firearm under the Sub division Rocket Launcher and still a Gun but why argue over that issue when its main fault was the small Calibre of 60mm,the Germans captured some examples in 1943 in either Tunisia or Sicily and by Oct had a 88mm version working later up calibred to 100mm and these two could knock out all Allied Tanks the 100mm could burn through the Tiger 2s Frontal Armour and Brew Up the interior incinerating the crew.

  • @daviddrake3504
    @daviddrake3504 Жыл бұрын

    In the late 1970s, our Wombats were named after the swords of heroes in the the Lord of the Rings. Painted on spotting rifle empty case protective shield. Joke was Wombat "...easily portable by its crew of four..." I believe ours went down on the Atlantic Conveyor after being handed over to Task Force. Unofficial doctrine was three rounds and clear off...signature from ventura was spectacular. Other role for AT platoon was fire support from 0.5 spotting rifle. The famous Browning heavy m.g. Very popular with rifle platoons who were very unhappy about us drawing unwanted attention to themselves and then crashing out to decondary position. They did like our travelling and extensive brew kits, though. Glad we never had to use them for real, though.

  • @davidcolter
    @davidcolter Жыл бұрын

    I love recoilless rifles as a concept so this was great.

  • @blackbird-25
    @blackbird-25 Жыл бұрын

    I remember a training session with a wombat as a cadet. It was fitted with a starlight scope. the drill round was enormous. probably heavier than me!

  • @darrena4048
    @darrena4048 Жыл бұрын

    Very interesting!

  • @daguard411
    @daguard411 Жыл бұрын

    I know a fellow Marine who manned an Ontos, and he let me know that if all 6 tubes were fired at once, the two center tubes projectiles would hit each other not very far downrange.

  • @hokehinson5987

    @hokehinson5987

    Жыл бұрын

    As a kid during the mid 60s i had a plastic model thinking Revell put together kit of Ontos...always was a unique model.

  • @shawnmiller4781
    @shawnmiller4781 Жыл бұрын

    It should be noted that recoilless rifles were used for decades after military service for avalanche control

  • @glynwelshkarelian3489
    @glynwelshkarelian3489 Жыл бұрын

    Sorry if this has already been written: As a child, around 1970, I bought a Britains Models BAT. That has long gone. It was far less effective, as a toy, than the crude Britains 25 Pounder. There were online resources claiming that all of this family were known as the 'VC gun' in British service. You could only got the medal posthumously; because if you killed a tank every single enemy would have started shooting at you before your round landed (and you don't get a medal for missing!). I suggest doing a video on how/why the 17 Pounder ATG was kept in British Army service in Berlin after it has been retired from the BAOR

  • @johnzengerle7576
    @johnzengerle7576 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @scottbroadfoot3530
    @scottbroadfoot3530 Жыл бұрын

    I repaired and decommissioned the Wombat at the Airborne Museum in Aldershot about 20 years ago. I had never seen one before. REME Metalsmith 88-10.

  • @davewright8206
    @davewright8206 Жыл бұрын

    very good ,the complete package

  • @darthcalanil5333
    @darthcalanil5333 Жыл бұрын

    This is very help full info for a mod we're working on for hoi4

  • @adamfrazer5150
    @adamfrazer51509 ай бұрын

    2:55 I have a surviving Stereoscope of the Krupp exhibit at the 1893 World's Fair, an astounding display.

  • @freebeerfordworkers
    @freebeerfordworkers Жыл бұрын

    I spent a year in a TA (Reserve for non-British) anti-tank platoon and we had the Bren LMG as a spotting rifle. With everything else going on you had to work out the difference in trajectory between the main armament and the Bren. If I remember correctly, they only coincided at 600 meters and if the target was anything less you had to get the spotters into the tracks and if it was 800 the tracers needed to be going just over the top of the turret. I think I got it the right way around but it's 40 years and you can't remember everything. When I did the full course at Netheravon(?) they said they only took them out of store twice a year for the TA to train on. Because the back blast could be seen for miles supposedly the drill was only fired two rounds and then took your gun off to a prepared secondary position before the next engagement. It was in a pit weighed 750kg and it took about 20 minutes to strip out never mind pulling cross country with a Landrover, putting in another pit and caming up which was at least another 20 minutes. Assuming you got a hit with both rounds they told us Russian tanks came in threes and sometimes in fours. The assumption had to be a lot of seriously ****** off Ruskies would do nothing while all this was going on!

  • @alanlawson4180
    @alanlawson4180 Жыл бұрын

    Ha! I have some Pics of our Bn AT concentration back in the '70s, with a lot of wombats firing their tracer and main over a long camera exposure - must upload it somewhere one day. Back to wombats - good when mounted on the back of a 432, but talk about a signature...... Meanwhile wombat drill rounds were still being used in many Guardrooms throughout the Army for many decades after the weapon itself was withdrawn - they could be polished, and they were heavy - ideal for use by the 'detainees' who would, for loooong periods, either polish or carry them!

  • @ivanstepanovic1327
    @ivanstepanovic1327 Жыл бұрын

    Interesting weapon, today mostly forgotten by major armies, but some insurgency groups still use them... A cousin of mine back in the day had fired one while he was in the army. It was Yugoslav made M60 in 82mm caliber. Almost identical to American recoilless gun. He claims it is very accurate, almost sniper like, but low shell velocity and, biggest drawback - huge "demasking effect" (which is the way our army says "once you pull the trigger, they can see your position from the Moon"). Huge bang, smoke and dust go all around the weapon, so return fire is expected pretty much in seconds...

  • @meanmanturbo

    @meanmanturbo

    Жыл бұрын

    The Carl Gustav works the same way and is still around plenty. Man prortable though.

  • @louiswilkins9624
    @louiswilkins9624 Жыл бұрын

    Good video

  • @marvwatkins7029
    @marvwatkins7029 Жыл бұрын

    The right tyre on that L7 could use some air.

  • @adamfrazer5150
    @adamfrazer51509 ай бұрын

    ...any topic that launches with a nod to the Ontos, is bound to intrigue 👍🍻

  • @aaronleverton4221
    @aaronleverton4221 Жыл бұрын

    Not only did the Americans think you couldn't have enough machine guns on an M3 Lee, they also thought you couldn't give a Bren Gun Carrier too much anti-tank capability. The opinions of Capts Carden and Loyd and Lt Gen Martel are not recorded.

  • @ahmedvawda1282

    @ahmedvawda1282

    Жыл бұрын

    Loved the Lee. I’m sure I could’ve upgraded it to take on a Panzer 3.

  • @mh53j
    @mh53j Жыл бұрын

    I've read that Wombats fitted to Land Rovers were supposed to be removed from the vehicle for firing; if firing from the vehicle was necessary, it was to be done at a 90° angle. I have a 1/35 scale Wombat conversion set for the Italeri Land Rover i need to build one of these days....

  • @tasman006
    @tasman006 Жыл бұрын

    Great vid fun fact about the M50 Ontos yes it did see combat in Vietnam but from wiki quote: The Ontos did see use as an anti-tank weapon during the American involvement in the Dominican Civil War: on 29 April 1965 an M50 Ontos and an M48 Patton of the 6th MEU engaged and destroyed two rebel L/60L light tanks, each destroying one. In another instance, an Ontos destroyed an AMX-13. Apparently the 120mm BAT where shipped to see action in the Falklands war but never got taken of the transport ships they where being transported on.

  • @Hybris51129
    @Hybris51129 Жыл бұрын

    HESH is one of those concepts that I have always wondered why it wasn't more widely adopted. I have heard things like it requires rifled barrels which are naturally more expensive than smoothbore barrels and that it's easier to hit a target with a fast moving sabot than the slower HESH but never heard anything along the lines of lack of effectiveness against armor. Not to mention a HESH shell likely can replace normal HE shell in most cases for softer targets.

  • @jazzb97

    @jazzb97

    Жыл бұрын

    The use of spaced and composite armour made HESH largely ineffective against heavily armoured target. Sloped armour also deteriorates it's effectiveness so by the 1960s it was becoming more and more "obsolete" as an antitank weapon and against infantry it's not effective as HE as the casing is thinner and doesn't produce much fragmentation.

  • @zoiders

    @zoiders

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jazzb97 99% of the time you aren't engaging other tanks though its AFVs and if you do have to call up a tank to root out infantry then they are going to be behind concrete in an urban setting. That's why HESH remained a favourite. That doesn't mean sabots were not used it just means they were used appropriately. Using HE against infantry in the open was never very effective. Composite armour won't keep HESH out as the HESH doesn't have to penetrate to injure the crew. It's been shown in Ukraine that there are very few Russian tanks with any of the modern features found on Western tanks that would defeat HESH.

  • @jazzb97

    @jazzb97

    Жыл бұрын

    @@zoiders Except composite armour will keep HESH out shockwaves travel nowhere near the same through composite or air as in steel

  • @jazzb97

    @jazzb97

    Жыл бұрын

    @@zoiders Even ERA defeats HESH and most Russian tanks have ERA

  • @zoiders

    @zoiders

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jazzb97 You are confusing spaced armour with composite. Composite is ceramic tile on a rubber backing. A big enough HESH round is still going to give you a bad day. You also can't have spaced armour section beneath the composite everywhere as it's bulky. Most Russian tanks have no spaced armour at all. Which is why they are currently being destroyed in Ukraine by quite ordinary AT weapons from the cold war.

  • @LordStarbeard
    @LordStarbeard Жыл бұрын

    Forgotten Weapons did a video on the M8 spotting rifle

  • @johnnunn8688
    @johnnunn8688 Жыл бұрын

    Could you, please, inflate those tyres, it’s doing my head in 😂🤣.

  • @vincenthewlett4329
    @vincenthewlett4329 Жыл бұрын

    I can remember night firing the conbat at imber ranges ( i was in Anti-tanks Plt 1LI )

  • @nickgood8166
    @nickgood81662 күн бұрын

    Re WOMBAT "carried on a long wheel based Land Rover". Picture shown depicted short wheel based Land Rover.

  • @cliverockability3829
    @cliverockability3829 Жыл бұрын

    When I was a kid there was one of these at Biggin Hill air show which you could play with, including a wood an brass dummy round you could load and eject. Unfortunately when I wasn't paying attention someone ejected the round and it landed on my foot! Ouch. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to spoil the day for the rest of the family, and me of course. It was only when we got home that i spilled the beans... the damage was largely bruising but my poor old big toenail never grew straight again and got worse and worse as I grew older and eventually led to my toenail being killed off so I don't have one anymore....kids eh

  • @Pavlos_Charalambous
    @Pavlos_Charalambous Жыл бұрын

    Wombat, mombat, conbat.. Someone in the British army was very into daddy's jokes 😏

  • @skepticalbadger

    @skepticalbadger

    Жыл бұрын

    Mobat, not Mombat. Mobility BAT. These are all just nicknames. Official name for all of them is "BAT".

  • @tech9auto223
    @tech9auto223 Жыл бұрын

    The bren on the side might not been very good for sighting but would have been good for spraying the enemy after a shell or two I look forward to the next video here in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  • @BenBig650
    @BenBig650 Жыл бұрын

    Served with these weapons for about 5 years. Great weapons, very destructive. We reckoned that WOMBAT meant What! One More BAT!, But the, Squaddies do have a bizarre sense of humour.

  • @maverick4177
    @maverick4177 Жыл бұрын

    I have used the Carl Gustaf, only set fire to something once 😂

  • @grahamjohnbarr
    @grahamjohnbarr Жыл бұрын

    I used one during Inf Corps Training. I still have the scab from the Matilda I hit. It's about 75mm & was still attached by about a mm of steel. The inside of the Tank was shredded & nothing left of the scabs or anything else that was protruding anywhere. Terrifying.

  • @nomdeplume798
    @nomdeplume798 Жыл бұрын

    The car Burney is pictured with at the beginning of this piece is (I think) called the Burney Streamline and is of his own design.

  • @joshuabessire9169
    @joshuabessire9169 Жыл бұрын

    I read MORTAL WOMBAT in my caffeine -deprived state.

  • @MrAndrewfreeman
    @MrAndrewfreeman Жыл бұрын

    Grandfather was in charge of an anti-tank company in germany with these things. In the DERR.

  • @finncarlbomholtsrensen1188
    @finncarlbomholtsrensen118810 ай бұрын

    During many visits and walking Long Distance in Belgium, I sadly first later became aware of the "lost" Tiger 2. in La Gleize and never got to visit it! It has few dents in the front from the Americans, later trying to shot at it with anti tank guns!!

  • @aaronwilkinson8963
    @aaronwilkinson8963 Жыл бұрын

    I come across a wombat at an army fair and it had a Bren gun for ranging

  • @javir1669
    @javir1669 Жыл бұрын

    I love recoilless rifles ❤

  • @nickmail7604
    @nickmail7604 Жыл бұрын

    Pump the tyres up, there's a good chap.

  • @theromanorder
    @theromanorder Жыл бұрын

    Please do a video on American and another on French tank doctrine like your British one