The Solothurn S18-1000 20 mm was a Swiss

anti-tank rifle An 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. The term is usually used for weapons that can be carri ...

used during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. It was a variant of the earlier S-18/100 with modifications for a higher muzzle velocity, as well as a larger

cartridge Cartridge may refer to: Objects * Cartridge (firearms), a type of modern ammunition * ROM cartridge, a removable component in an electronic device * Cartridge (respirator), a type of filter used in respirators Other uses * Cartridge (surname), a ...

size. The more powerful ammunition resulted in significant recoil, which was problematic for the gunner, and its size made portability difficult.

History

The Solothurn firearms company was owned by the German firm Rheinmetall, who used the Swiss company to manufacture arms which were prohibited for manufacture by any German firm under arms limitations imposed at the end of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1940–1941 the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

considered adopting the Solothurn S18-1000. The weapon was standardized for limited procurement as ''20mm automatic gun T3''. In spring 1941 the Solothurn was tested against the Colt .90-cal. (23mm) T4 automatic gun, an aircraft gun. Although not as powerful, the Solothurn was less bulky and complicated and was found more suitable for army use. The plans were to acquire 50 pieces, and later to produce the weapon in the US. However, long contract negotiations resulted in abandonment of the purchase. It was adopted by the Royal Italian Army in 1940, when a first batch was bought from Switzerland; initially known as Carabina "S" (''S carbine''), from 1942 it was designated as Fucile anticarro "S" (''S anti-tank rifle''); employed primarily on vehicles and L3-

tankette A tankette is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle that resembles a small tank, roughly the size of a car. It is mainly intended for light infantry support and scouting.

s given its size and weight, it was largely employed in North Africa; after the 8 September 1943 it was also used by the National Republican Army of the Italian Social Republic.

Specifications

*Overall length: S18-1000 and −1100 . This could vary due to a number of optional muzzle brakes used for different projectile weights. *Barrel length: . *Muzzle brake's length: 1-hole brake, ; 4-hole, ; 5-hole, . The brake adds to the overall length of the barrel when installed. The brakes are changed depending on the recoil force of the rounds being fired. Lighter projectiles require less recoil reduction from the brake to allow the action to cycle. Therefore, the one-hole brake is used for firing high-explosive projectiles, which are much lighter than the

armour-piercing Armour-piercing ammunition (AP) is a type of projectile designed to penetrate either body armour or vehicle armour. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armour-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armour carried on many wars ...

variety. The AP projectiles require the 5-hole brake. *Weight: S18-1000 and −1100 empty with magazine () *Cartridge: S18-100 20mmX105B, S18-1000 and −1100

20×138mmB The 20×138mmB or Long Solothurn cartridge is a type of ammunition used mainly for anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons during World War II. The designation means the caliber is 20 mm, the length of the cartridge case is 138 mm and ''B' ...

. The B indicates a "belted" round which headspaces on the belt rather than the shoulder, rim or mouth of the case *Caliber: 20.5mm or .818" (bore diameter is larger than the land diameter of 20mm or .78") *Action: Recoil-operated semi-automatic for the S18-100 and S18-1000. The S18-1100 was select-fire recoil-operated. *Magazine capacity: S18-100 5- or 10-round, S18-1000 and −1100 10-round standard, but the weapon could use the 20-round magazines from the Flak 30 anti-aircraft gun.

Users

* : 1 S-18/1100 in 1942 * : as ''Fucile anticarro tipo S.'' * : as ''2cm Panzerabwehrbüchse 785 (i)'', ''(h)'' or ''(s)'' (depending if ex-Italian, ex-Dutch or bought from Switzerland) * : 125 delivered to Royal Netherlands Army and 72 to

Royal Netherlands East Indies Army The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army ( nl, Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger; KNIL, ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. Th ...

* : 93 acquired in 1939, as ''Tankbüchse Solo 40'' * : trials by

*: from 1942 as anti-material rifles and light anti-armor support weapons

Notes

References and external links

* Ramon Bill, ''Waffenfabrik Solothurn, Schweizerische Präzision im Dienste der deutschen Rüstungsindustrie'', 2002 by Altes Zeughaus Museum Solothurn. * Zaloga, Steven J., Brian Delf – ''US Anti-tank Artillery 1941–45'' (2005) Osprey Publishing, . * {{DEFAULTSORT:Solothurn S-18 1000 20mm sniper rifles 20 mm artillery Anti-tank rifles World War II infantry weapons Weapons of Switzerland Rheinmetall Firearms of Switzerland Military equipment introduced in the 1930s

History

Specifications

Users

See also

Notes

References and external links