Most armoured cars were similarly protected, but troops rarely faced armoured cars, as they could not navigate the landscape of trench warfare very well. The first tanks, beginning with the British Mark I launched against the German trenches in World War I, were nearly impregnable to ordinary rifle fire. The anti-tank rifle followed the same route: a large bullet with a high velocity and the ability to penetrate armour. These had appeared in the 19th century for big-game hunting. The introduction of armoured cars and tanks resulted in the development of the first anti-tank weapons, among the first of which were high-powered rifles. It wasn't until soldiers met armoured vehicles that the conflict of infantry firearms and armour began. The tug of war between armour and projectiles had been developing for a long while among naval vessels, since the advent of the ironclad. While medium and heavy tank armor became too thick to be penetrated by rigid projectiles from rifles that could be carried by a single soldier, anti-tank rifles continued to be used against other 'soft' targets, though recoilless rifles and rocket-propelled grenades such as the bazooka were also introduced for infantry close-layer defense against tanks. The usefulness of rifles for this purpose ran from the introduction of tanks in World War I until the Korean War.

The term is usually used for weapons that can be carried and used by one person, but is sometimes used for larger weapons.

Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr 13.2 x 92 mm anti-tank rifle at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris.Īn anti-tank rifle is an anti-materiel rifle designed to penetrate the armor of armored fighting vehicles, most commonly tanks, armored personnel carriers, and infantry fighting vehicles.

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