Boys anti-tank rifle – firing (French)

Description

The British developed the Boys anti-tank rifle during the late 1930s as a man portable armour piercing weapon. It fired a large-calibre bullet that could penetrate the thin armour of most enemy vehicles at that time. However, as the war progressed, the Boys became obsolete due to the increasing protection of German tanks and the development of more effective anti-tank weapons.

The French army acquired some Boys anti-tank rifles from the British after the outbreak of the war in 1939. They used them mainly in the Battle of France in 1940, where they faced a massive German invasion. The Boys proved to be useful against some of the lighter German tanks, such as the Panzer I and Panzer II. However, it had little effect on the more heavily armoured Panzer III and Panzer IV. Moreover, the Boys had several drawbacks, such as its heavy weight, loud noise, strong recoil and limited ammunition.

The French also experimented with modifying the Boys to fire a shaped charge grenade, similar to the British No. 68 anti-tank rifle grenade. This aimed to increase the penetration power of the weapon by using a high-explosive warhead that focused its blast on a small area of the target. However, the French Army didn’t widely adopt the modification, and its effectiveness is unclear.

After the fall of France in 1940, Germans used captured Boys anti-tank rifles for training purposes and even light coastal defence. Germany also transferred some to their allies, such as Italy and Finland. Until their replacement by more modern and advanced weapons, the Free French forces also continued to use some Boyes rifles in their campaigns in Africa and Europe.

• Model: Boys AT rifle team
• Country/Army: French
• Dimension (mm) (WxLxH): 28mm
• Material: UV Cured resin
• Original Designer: Colonel Muller
• Painted by: MarDav Miniatures
• Model supplied unassembled and unpainted. Additional finishing may be required during assembly. 
• Finished colour of the product may vary from images shown.
• Photos and dimensions are at 28mm unless noted otherwise.
• All dimensions are complete with weapons unless otherwise stated.
• Other scales and dimensions may be available upon request.