Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms By Flag By Year By Tag

Ordnance, RCL, 3.45-inch

1945 COLD WAR WORLD WAR 2

History

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Recoilless weapons/rifles are classified as weapon release due to their inherent ability to counter some of the violent recoil effects associated with the shooting action The propellant gas produced by the projectile, usually through a ventilation system at the rear of the weapon. The first recoilless guns were used as zeppelins and anti-submarine weapons during the First World War (1914-1918), while more targeted developments occurred during the interwar period aimed at using these systems for For specialized tank killing devices and "bunker" "-buster" solutions.

Ultimately, however, more confidence was placed on the anti-material rifle line, which for the British Army was the fabled Boys.55 anti-tank rifle.

As the wars in Africa, Europe and the Pacific progressed, anti-tank rifles began to lose most of their power as subsequent designs continued to provide greater protection to enemy tanks. Engineers like Sir Dennis Burnie (1888-1968) saw this need and began to develop appropriate countermeasures to deal with new threats. He began work on a recoilless rifle design that was eventually adopted by the British Army as the "Ordnance, RCL, 3. 45in Mk 1".

A promising proposal, the weapon entered service too late to be used in combat during World War II (1939-1945). The new weapon is expected to at least aid the Allied initiative in the Far East.

The manufacture of the RCL fell into the hands of the Broadway Trust. It was a 75-pound shoulder-mounted instrument with a 5-foot-8 barrel. With a caliber of 88 mm (8.8 cm), projectiles are fired at 180 meters per second and have an effective range of up to 1,000 yards.

The 16.25-pounder (Patrone RCL, 3.45" WB "Wallbuster") relies on the High Explosive Squad Head (HESH) warhead to provide the required range penetration, which in turn compensates for the rather low muzzle velocity. The propellant charge is 11.13 pounds of cordierite, and the warhead is loaded with plastic explosives. As a shoulder-fired weapon, it is relatively ergonomically portable, giving the operator almost complete freedom for cover or "stop-and-go" operations.

Recoil is assisted by perforations behind the breech, where propellant gases escape. In this way, most of the recoil caused by the ejected projectile is cancelled out to create a more stable launch platform.

The RCL's breech section was under-worn, unfortunately delaying its service. Within the breadth of its existence, the RCL had a major influence on subsequent British anti-tank designs, such as the L6 "WOMBAT" in the 1950s, a more true recoilless rifle design that gained considerable traction during the Cold War Serve.