The Australian PIAT Team was a specialised anti-tank unit equipped with the PIAT (Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank), a British-designed weapon introduced in 1943. Typically operated by a two-man crew consisting of a gunner and loader/ammunition carrier, the PIAT fired a powerful shaped-charge bomb capable of penetrating the armour of most German and Japanese vehicles. Unlike rocket launchers, the PIAT used a spring-powered spigot launcher, producing no backblast and allowing it to be fired from enclosed positions, trenches, or dense jungle cover.
Australian PIAT teams served in both the Southwest Pacific and, to a lesser extent, other theatres where Australian forces were deployed. In New Guinea and Borneo, enemy tanks were relatively uncommon, so the PIAT was often used against bunkers, machine-gun nests, fortified buildings, and cave positions, where its powerful warhead proved highly effective. Although the weapon was heavy and had a strong recoil, skilled crews valued its versatility and ability to provide infantry units with a portable means of dealing with armoured threats and hardened defences. The PIAT became an important part of Australian infantry firepower during the latter half of World War II.
Multi Part Resin Model
On Licence form Battle Cat Miniatures.
