This short, restricted film from WWII showcases the operation of the 57mm Recoilless Rifle, a 4000-yard weapon comparable to an anti-tank gun. The film shows how the weapon has no recoil (1:48) thanks to its breach escape port. At (2:52) a 4″ concrete wall is leveled by a hit, and at (3:11) a 3″ penetration of armor plating on a tank. At (4:47) the handling of the weapon in the field is shown. At (5:15) a larger version is shown, the 75mm with a panoramic site.

The M18 recoilless rifle is a 57 mm shoulder-fired, anti-tank recoilless rifle that was used by the U.S. Army in World War II and the Korean War. Recoilless rifles are capable of firing artillery-type shells at reduced velocities comparable to those of standard cannon, but with greater accuracy than anti-tank weapons that used unguided rockets, and almost entirely without recoil. The M18 was a breech-loaded, single-shot, man-portable, crew-served weapon. It could be used in both anti-tank and anti-personnel roles. The weapon could be both shoulder fired or fired from a prone position. The T3 front grip doubled as an adjustable monopod and the two-piece padded T3 shoulder cradle could swing down and to the rear as a bipod for the gunner. The most stable firing position was from the tripod developed for the water-cooled Browning M1917 machine gun.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com