Leichtgeschütz 42: the Dawn of Recoilless Weapons

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The Leichtgeschütz (Light Gun) 42 was designed by German firm Rheinmetall during the Second World War to provide airborne troops with lightweight artillery support that could be easily air-dropped. Among the first recoilless weapons to be fielded, it used a shell with a breakaway plastic plug that allowed propellant gas to vent out a venturi in the rear, cancelling out recoil. A highly influential design, it would inspire a whole family of recoilless weapon - many of which are still used today.
Special thanks to the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum for allowing me to film this piece. Visit their website at: en.rcamuseum.com
SOURCES:
web.archive.org/web/201112051...
www.lonesentry.com/articles/tt...
books.google.ca/books?id=2ykD...
www.militaryfactory.com/small...
www.warhistoryonline.com/guns...
Weeks, John, Men Against Tanks, Mason/Charter Publishers, Inc, new York, 1975
Hogg, Ian & Batchelor, John, Allied Secret Weapons, Phoebus Publishing Co, 1975

[@OnTheRiver66]

During my training in the Army a 106 mm recoilless rifle was fired with a huge stack of wood pallets behind it. That entire stack of pallets was reduced to splinters, and I couldn’t see any piece of wood any larger. This was to show how dangerous it was if you did not to keep troops far back from the weapon. Great video!

[@nehrigen]

On a funny note the 106mm recoiless rifle was 105mm. It was mis-named to make sure people didn't use the wrong shells.

[@Parents_of_Twins]

That's terrifying. Thank you for your service.

[@OnTheRiver66]

@@Parents_of_Twins thank you, my service was nothing exciting but it was satisfying. BTW, I’m an identical twin.

[@Parents_of_Twins]

@@OnTheRiver66 That's awesome. We have fraternal twins.

[@georgegordonbrown9522]

There is footage of firing an recoilless gun next to a truck on yt

[@williamzk9083]

Rheinmetal actually made a 30mm rotary barrel recoilless gun with a 1200m/se muzzle velocity and 300 RPM rate of fire in 2008. The Rheinmetall RMK30. It was extremely accurate since no vibration from recoil. Designed for AT use from Tiger Helicopters it was also tested on submarine masts.

[@Resomius]

ok, that sounds interesting.

[@tedbyron1499]

The invasion of Crete was Operation Merkur and it happened in May of 41. The war in Italy saw high concentrations of Fallschrimjäger units and they continued to use recoilless rifles throughout the war. Italy being a peninsula transversed by rivers and mountains provided the perfect environment for use of German recoilless weapon designs.

[@samdan87]

Singaporean here. During my mandatory national service, I got to fire the Matador (mentioned at 14:01 of your video). The firing position at the range was a shipping container with a window cut into it, to impress upon us the indoor firing capability. When it was my turn and I stepped into the container, the inside wall behind the window looked like a rocket launchpad- the paint was worn off to bare metal in a radial pattern. Firing one of these indoors is quite a violent experience... I emerged caked in a fine white powder (the countermass hit the wall of the container and turned into a fine powder that got everywhere). Super fun experience... I hit the simulated target easily at 150m. We were told each round cost about USD5,000 (in 2005 dollars) so only I think 10 live ones were indented for a course of 30 of or so of us. The rest had to make do with sub-calibre training rounds. Lastly I also got the opportunity to shoot the 84mm Carl Gustav during my time in service... that was an even more intensely violent experience, especially as the gunner's assistant. When the thing fired a giant pressure wave hits you from all around (I suppose one from in front and one from behind) so it felt like being hit in the chest and back with a thick phonebook. Got the wind knocked out of me for sure.

[@johncashwell1024]

Either this guy has one heck of an outstanding memory, a teleprompter, or he is a fantastic editor! No matter the answer, I am impressed; he just went through a 15-minute video, seemingly without any sort of a break or any flubs, mistakes, etc.. Plus, he mentioned Ian: yeah, I will subscribe!

[@bowieterry7]

Being full of HOT AIR is a prerequisite for most military historians

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

He and Ian need to do a collab sometime! Or just sit around and talk about something…I’m sure whatever the topic it would be an excellent video!

[@ak-1271]

Reminds me of Lindybeige in how he goes on and on

[@oleran4569]

@@ak-1271 Imagine the two of them presenting together :).

[@barahng]

8:45 What a brilliant solution to the torque problem. I knew the German engineers were pretty clever but to actually see it in application is something else.

[@jeffreyhansen2806]

The U.S. M67 90mm recoilless rifle was used in Vietnam. It had a flechette round that made it an effective anti-personnel weapon for perimeter defense.

[@robertharris6092]

Damn. Now thats a *very* bad day for whoevers on the other end of that.

[@markdwyer314]

Far out, never knew recoiless guns saw use in WW2. I also say those guns should be indoors, protected from corrosion etc. Great video!

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

Tons

[@off6848]

The game Company of Heroes 3 lets you use the LG40 one of the few game I know of that has a playable LG40/42

[@jerryudonneedtoknow3903]

Wow, I've been looking for a video like this on this specific weapon, thank you for this

[@PFCranssen]

Outstanding video; highly informative, pleasant to watch. Well done! Just subscribed and will forward it. looking forward to the next one.

[@jayfelsberg1931]

The displays seems well preserved, and you nailed the history of the RCL, at least as I learned it from Ian Hogg. I like the fashion statement.

[@PaulP999]

Greetings from another "Ivan" Hogg fan.

[@acebacker1]

Fantastic! Very interesting. Thought I was in for an easy watch, but so much information! I need a little rest now 😊. I look forward to seeing your next video 👍

[@transistor754]

Awesome! Thank you! I never understood recoiless weapons until now. Well done, keep going!

[@zacharylovelady9265]

I'm so glad I found your channel! It's amazing!!!!! Thank you for existing!!! Your videos are great!!!

[@bladder1010]

I give all your videos a thumbs-up the second they start because I know they're going to be that good. I have never been disappointed.

[@fraiday7292]

I just discovered this channel and all I can say is... you've got my subscription. Very informative videos and outstanding content.

[@TheRealNeill]

I've recently discovered your channel and really like it. Excellent technical content. I hope it rapidly grows.

[@TheRealNeill]

One minor thing. The invasion of Crete was in 1941

[@bruceevans2137]

very good video. Very precise and well explained. Thank you

[@314299]

Excellent video, and an excellent channel overall!

[@phosistkar6425]

14:08 The IRA produced a domestic anti-armor weapon on a really similar principle called the PRIG but instead of using plastic bits to counter the recoil they found that digestive biscuits (cookies) worked just as well and were way cheaper.

[@causewaykayak]

🤗😍😍😍

[@AKUJIVALDO]

So if IRA won engagement, they had some biscuit dust to feast on? LOL

[@crusaderanimation6967]

And let's be honest it's probably easier to explain to a brit questioning you why you need so many biscuits than why you need so many plastic fragments.

[@Legitpenguins99]

I've hit gold with this channel. Subscribed.

[@jimstratford4577]

My new favorite channel

[@michaelbevan3285]

the blast-out disc is bakelite, not really plastic.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great video, Gilles...👍

[@jasonz7788]

Great video thank you

[@PapaMorty69]

Great video, way more info than you can find on Wikipedia

[@sarkybugger5009]

Those guns should be under cover, not rusting in a field.

[@causewaykayak]

They letting these historic devices rust up. Shocking.

[@ArchaeopteryxStudios]

Sadly you See that quite often in America. Meanwhile in Germany the German Tank Museum wants to install Advanced Climate Controll and UV Protection to protect the Tanks and other objects in the Museum. Sadly they dont have the money for that, caused by german bureaucracy shenanigans. (the Museum is owned by the local City, but the land and the Tanks are owned by the Bundeswehr. This makes building there a nightmare with the german bureaucracy)

[@causewaykayak]

@@ArchaeopteryxStudios That is such a welcome response at at commendable length. Perhaps the military can provide cash funding protem (instead of fascist Ukraine) and simultaneously try for a fund raiser online. I believe England achieves this on their excellent history site Tank museum Bovington. Also worth a visit while calling at Stonehenge

[@benholroyd5221]

It belongs in a museum!

[@causewaykayak]

​@@doublewhopper67 Idiot remark. You seem to have it wrong. They are painted AND going rusty.

[@joethegeographer]

Good brief, thanks!

[@MrSabram07]

Great video

[@theknifedude1881]

Thank you for the info. I subscribed after I watched your first video. I hope you get more subscribers/likes

[@ATINKERER]

I'm impressed!

[@mattheide2775]

Great channel with interesting content. You answered a 30+ year question of mine, why would you drill holes in artillery brass casings? My childhood barber had a big one that he used as a door stop on hot days. Always wondered😊

[@warbuzzard7167]

Your barber had a training shell, not a recoilless rifle shell.

[@Mungobohne1]

shut up@@warbuzzard7167

[@DivXDemonRik]

Good day sir! You my friend have earned a sub.

[@fire304]

AT4CS uses salt water as it's counter charge allowing it's use inside cover.

[@crystalsheep1434]

Nice one

[@mrmjunhy]

Why so few subscribers? Amazing content 👌

[@kingtulabi1005]

The Royal Canadian Artillery Museum in Shilo is an amazing place!!!!

[@RCAvhstape]

Wasn't the Davey Crockett nuke fired from a recoilless gun also?

[@FlorinSutu]

The Red Army adopted a recoilless weapon in the 1930's. There were 2 variants for the same gear, one to be installed on small boats, another to be portable for people, like the later Bazooka or Panzerfaust. The Finns captured two pieces during their war with the Soviets, 1939-1940, and offered one to Germany.

[@Doppeldropper]

Yes, the one remaining one at least used to be at Finnish War Museum in city of Helsinki on display. I think that probably in part anyway, had an impact to these German designs too 🤔 In typical Russian fashion at the time the inventor of the Russian recoilles gun was prisoned and killed in Stalin's purges.

[@FlorinSutu]

@@Doppeldropper - - Wow, I did not know the last part: "the inventor of the Russian recoilles gun was prisoned and killed in Stalin's purges." The two engineers who invented a famous 30mm Soviet auto-cannon, where arrested for being too late with the design. The ones who took over, proudly showed the project ready, only a month later. They were greeted and decorated. They actually found the design ready, and the only thing changed, was their name inserted into the stamps of the technical drawings !

[@Doppeldropper]

@@FlorinSutu yes, from net: "...In 1937, Kurchevsky was arrested, charged with designing poor weapons systems at the Tukhachevsky Case, and sentenced to death on November 25, 1937. The exact date of his execution is still uncertain: various sources claim it to be either November 26, 1937 or January 12, 1939. ".

[@FantadiRienzo]

Soviet mythology

[@FlorinSutu]

@@FantadiRienzo - - Educate yourself, before making yourself a laughing stock.

[@coryantonishyn6691]

As soon as i found this I knew worth the time to watch. I was hoping you would have mentioned that nifty looking Portuguese recoilless light rifle? Bazooka? Used during their colonial wars.

[@MacChew008]

Need to verify further. the MATADOR Recoilless Anti-Tank. The Gas pistons are not trapped within the barrel as like with the ARMBUST launcher.

[@williamzk9083]

The Dynamitnobel Armbrust (German for cross bow) used trapped pistons but had a plastic flake counter shot.. Another Dynamit Nobel weapon Panzerfaust 3 uses plastic feather/flake countershot but has no trapped piston. I don't know about MATADOR but the RGE-60,90 and 12 dont seem to trap. Plastic flake is alternative to salt water counter shot used by SAAB BAE.

[@MacChew008]

@@williamzk9083 If memory serve me right. it was deliberately eliminate the gas piston "trap", to gain more impulse thrust.

[@44R0Ndin]

The Sweedish AT4-CS (a version of the AT4 84mm single shot disposable recoilless anti-tank weapon) also uses the "shredded plastic countershot" system. This is why it has the -CS designation, which stands for Confined Space. By using the shredded plastic counter-shot system, it avoids the significant backblast issue that plagues "counter-force" type anti-tank recoilless weapons such as the Bazooka, RPG-7, and M3 Carl Gustav (now in use by the US Marines as the M5 Marine Anti-Armor Weapon System or MAAWS). This enables it to be fired from a Confined Space without the user suffering the effects of the shockwave of the backblast reflecting off the surfaces of the inside of something like a bunker or other type of room, allowing for much better use in and against guerilla tactics-based warfare.

[@stevecastro1325]

14:12 the worlds largest confetti gun! Perfect for New Year’s celebration.

[@roberthonan3492]

The last life of WWII recoilless rifles in the US and Canada were in our mountain passes for avalanche control. They've been replaced by drones dropping concussion grenades.

[@elburropeligroso4689]

One of the longest serving recoilless weapons in military service is the M2/M3 Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle. I'm surprised this wasn't mentioned.

[@snappers_antique_firearms]

The Percussion of firing a carl gustav. Is no joke. Its quite painful

[@pickinthatbanjo]

I had no idea they had a museum out at Shilo, is it open to the public?

[@Willy_Tepes]

With the advent of drones, miniature recoilless weapons have become feasible. You can easily adapt rockets like the gyrojet to be launched with a recoilless system. You can even use the lead shot idea as there is likely nothing behind the drone. A system with a venturi nozzle could easily be made out of thin titanium tubing, just crimped near the rear. The gyrojet was no toy, it could kill you.

[@downandout992]

I thought of the same thing recently.

[@Willy_Tepes]

Ideas mature in time and many people come up with the same thing. Wanna see who can get it done first?@@downandout992

[@williamzk9083]

Rheinmetal actually made a 30mm rotary barrel recoilless gun with a 1200m/se muzzle velocity and 300 RPM rate of fire. The Rheinmetall RMK30. It was developed for the Tiger attack helicopter because the Germans weren't happy with the accuracy of the standard gun whose recoil degraded accuracy after the first shot. It worked but fell foul of German budget cuts. It was tested on a telescoping periscope mast on a German Navy submarine for defense against helicopter, aircraft and anti sub missiles. -So rotary barrel recoilless guns are actually extremely accurate. It's amazing to see it fire as its so rock steady. You could put it on an elevating arm and hide it within a pine Forrest and elevate 15m when needed..

[@cheekibreeki4638]

Theres no practical need when rockets or just gravity delivers muntion just fine, especially when the overwhelming majority of anti armor munitions are shaped charges or EFPs.

[@williamzk9083]

@@cheekibreeki4638 A 30mm round costs US$50 compared to US$100,000 for an ATGM. The guns on an Apache are used defensively. As an anti aircraft weapon a 30mm gun can destroy cheap drones with programable airburst ammunition. Guns have their uses.

[@ditzydoo4378]

Very good video, although you did miss two American designs. The processor to the 105mm M40 (labeled 106mm to prevent use with the M27 ammo) the 105mm M27 and the 90mm shoulder fired M67 recoilless rifle. The latter of which (M67) is still in use by the US Army Rangers and Special Forces as trainers.

[@justtim9767]

Interesting.

[@jonny-b4954]

8:38 That's super clever.

[@napalmholocaust9093]

How much does the drilled shell deform? Was extraction an early issue?

[@Ice_Karma]

Loving your videos -- I found your channel a couple days before (IIRC) Simon Whistler recently plugged it. J'ai un peu de confusion cependant; votre nom est écrit comme « Gilles », mais quand je vous entends le prononcer, j'entends « Gène »?

[@hoilst265]

Not only could the Davis gun take out a submarine, but it was also able to bag a whole brace of geese flying behind the plane for the fliers' dinner at the same time.

[@fire304]

Somewhat disappointed you didn't talk about the ridiculously large (9 inch+) recoilless rifles tested by the Soviet Navy. Was found to be effective but could only be fired to the side.

[@nekomakhea9440]

Me: I should probably go to bed now Also me: DOOM TUBE

[@jeroylenkins1745]

Wait, that's right outside the front door of the RCA museum

[@ljubomirculibrk4097]

Carl Gustav is that you?

[@KoWoTun]

Nice to know that these existed. But that about modern rocket launchers, are they ballanced the "same" way?

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

Could have also mentioned the Soviet PG-9

[@josephstabile9154]

Thx for the great presentation! FYI: german word "leicht" should be pronounced as long "I", as in pronouncing english words "light" or "eye".

[@Guido_XL]

That's what I noticed too. But, for people that are not fluent in German, it is not so obvious to emulate proper pronunciation, unless they could pick it up from native speakers, or others that are as good as native (like I am).

[@0Turbox]

@@Guido_XL Today, you can translate everything on the web.

[@almerindaromeira8352]

I've noticed from other videos he also has somewhat trouble with -ch. If you notice he says "liktgeschütz". That and the heavy french pronunciation of some words (Mercure). But I don't judge. I know people who live in Germany and still are capable of butchering every single word they say...

[@lairdcummings9092]

What, no Chuckie G..?!

[@petertimowreef9085]

What I don't understand about recoilless rifles is that some of the energy is allowed to escape backwards right? But then that energy can't be used to propel the projectile forward either, so how then can you still fire a heavier projectile from a smaller package than a conventional gun?

[@henrikjorgensen1614]

And then Carl Gustaf recoilless gun came and many have to thanks this weapon for so much tanks it took out on the battlefield

[@peceed]

I think there was a room for a light, very low profile tank destroyer using recoilless gun as its main weapon. The gun should be placed on 1-1.5 meter mast and be aimed by periscope.

[@0Turbox]

If you have the resources, it's a lot of firepower for its weight.

[@ClimateScepticSceptic-ub2rg]

I think of the Bat type as a rocket launcher in which the rocket motor stays with the launcher, rather than shooting off with the warhead.

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

The whole definition of a ‘rocket’ is an ammunition type that takes its propellant with it in the form of the rocket motor.

[@savage22bolt32]

You pulled off your German pretty well. I was hoping to find out why the barrel moves back on a ship's gun.

[@TheHunter512]

Recoil absorbtion.

[@savage22bolt32]

@@TheHunter512 yeah, but none of the ones in this vid did that. This is a great vid tho.

[@TheHunter512]

@@savage22bolt32 as I understand it naval guns fire a larger charge with no back blast and require a hydraulic or similar recoil system to prevent the force from being tranmsitted to the comparatively fragile turret ring. Damage to this would affect the ability to aim horizontally to precise angles, a watertight seal and the ability to fire within a precise envelope. Recoilless rifles are brilliant at what they do but the backblast in an enclosed space would be terminally unpleasant for the crew due to a combination of temperature and overpressure. If you light off a recoiless round in a confined space it has a thermobaric effect on everything within that space. Even some modern AT weapons struggle with this.

[@savage22bolt32]

@@TheHunter512 i won't be doing that anytime soon!

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

Very interesting. Didn't they have solid rocket propellants that they could use instead? Would seem a lot simpler.

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

The issue with solid fuel rockets is you can’t turn them off once their lit. But they’re harder to make than liquid propellant as solid fuels need to be very carefully made to ensure a constant combustion rate.

[@williamzk9083]

The issue with rockets is that the propellant must not only a accelerate the warhead but also the heavy casing of the rocket motor. A rifled weapon is also more consistently accurate and does not weather cock. Nevertheless both systems work.

[@off6848]

I think the SturmTiger used something similar to a recoiless/rocket hybrid gun

[@paulconrod4504]

At 8.56,,,,,the vanes are not "spiral" they are "helical" ,,,,actually "conical helix"

[@deucedeuce1572]

A 10.5cm Likestoshoots. Nice!

[@TonysGemDesignswithGCS]

What about the Carl Gustav 84mm?

[@user-it7lf7kk8m]

Nice way to spread a bunch of microplastics all over the place. Very interesting as always

[@matthewwagner47]

Was this the carl gustov make by germans or American navy. Very interesting. WWI aircraft recoiless gun. Scary how the old one worked.

[@brucermarino]

Sweden, I believe.

[@bjorn301]

Yes, Carl Gustaf M/48 is Swedish

[@matthewwagner47]

@5:37 looks like a smaller infantry version. Not whats shown. Any info on that assualt type recoiless rifle?

[@0Turbox]

That's the 75 mm version.

[@off6848]

LG40

[@matthewwagner47]

@@off6848 thanks for the responce

[@JTA1961]

Learned a lot... cuz frankly, about this, I didn't know doodly squat.

[@Mephistopholies]

Before frisbies golfed when i was a kid i thought pneumatic 1/3 scale field artillery replicas that shot golf balls could reinvigorate "golf"...

[@bjorn301]

Carl Gustaf M/48, you missed something kinda big

[@wazza33racer]

I can see why recoil less weapons like the Bazooka and Panzershreck were so much better,cheaper and simpler that these contraptions. Rockets being much better for a light weight anti armor system.

[@0Turbox]

Two different pair of shoes. One are handheld anti-tank weapons with rocket propelled rounds, and the other is an artillery piece with 10x the range.

[@herocommand]

I hope your realise that one the most cost effective(and also combat effective) hand held anti tank weapons during ww2 was the panzerfaust wich is a disposable recoilless rifle. Any way neither is better it depends on how you apply the technology the Bazzoka and Panzerschreck were meant to be handheld hence they are lighter ,while these were supposed to be lightened artillery/antitank cannons. Post war you'll see the recoiless principle applied to handheld weapons and resulting in one that is still around and quite effective the carl gustav M48

[@off6848]

@@herocommand They were far less accurate. He said 7km range for the LG40 thats outstanding range a P Faust shot like 100 meters out on a good day

[@jayfelsberg1931]

13:31 - Trust my Hun relatives to complicate matters

[@JanoschNr1]

This video got recommended to me after I watched severel "Vacuum kanon" videos ... hmmm

[@jessemorris744]

So that Irish cookie bomb launcher thing wasn't a totally unique idea, apart from the cookies

[@arjovenzia]

10:30, shoulder firing a punt gun in a goddam suit. With a scope. "aah, Yes James, bring me a Tungsten Core, there's a good chap. About 300 yards, I dare say. Cover yourself, good fellow! **WHUFPUMP** HA, that'll show the sods!

[@stanislavczebinski994]

Instead of shredded plastic, salt water is used for the same purpose. It surely disperses even faster. When fired in a building, it leaves a salty taste in your mouth😉😅

[@johnfrench1239]

For goodness sake get the gun properly conserved - you have just said how rare it is! Otherwise a great video - thank you

[@dwwolf4636]

PAH 1000.

[@jayglithero524]

The German invasion of Crete occurred in May of 1941, not 1942.

[@Inflorescensse]

Love to see a you do a video on Nazi taper bore guns like the sPzB 41!

[@cody481]

VW wheels ?

[@warbuzzard7167]

Any port in a storm, I suppose.

[@craigd1275]

Volkswagen suspension

[@4ffff2ee]

hey, i really like this video, but as a non native english speaker i've found it a bit hard to follow sometimes, if it's possible please go a little bit slower, and i know it's a ton of work but subtitles would help a TON. the auto generated ones are not that good.

[@causewaykayak]

13:36 So the post war design for the M40 106 went with the American design invented by Bernie. A foreigner. A nice backhanded compliment BUT Isn't that called cultural appropriation. Something the US would have us believe only the Chinese military do. 😅

[@laurentmarie5580]

What is the carl Gustav ? A recoiless man portable weapon ... So... For the end of recoiless weapon ... It's not for today ! 😂

[@baloog8]

You dont want to be standing within 50 ft of any of these firing. See brain trauma studies after 2015.

[@josephmontanaro2350]

It legit looks like a bigger crew serviced Carl Gustov

[@kiereluurs1243]

Carl Gustaf.

[@jp-um2fr]

U.K. I don't often subscribe to an American channel due to adverts and so often being shouted at. I enjoyed your video immensely. Did you miss the Bazooka ? Incidently, I have seen what a squash head round can do. It was against the hull side of a target tank, around 50mm thick. There seemed to be a very shallow dent, but the paint (deep bronze green) was almost intact. However, when I looked inside the tank, the carnage was horrific. No neat round hole, but a scab around 300mm in diameter had exploded all around the crew compartment. No doubt the tank could have been repaired, but none of the crew could possibly have lived.

[@i-a-g-r-e-e-----f-----jo--b]

Thanks for an excellent military history video, I really enjoyed it! BTW, it's funny, Hitler "cared" about soldiers dying in battle? More like Hitler was cheap and didn't like all the air assets getting destroyed, IMO.

[@Zbigniew_Nowak]

Cool, but all these ideas have one common flaw: they use unusual ammunition. Creating a recoilless weapon that uses a standard cartridge would require a slightly different approach.

[@anter176]

The use of conventional shells would have the consequence of launching metal shrapnel backwards if it were to work at all for a recoilless rifle

[@Zbigniew_Nowak]

@@anter176 I think not necessarily. I was thinking about something similar to a Davis recoilless gun, but two "normal" cartridges are placed "back to back" to create a balance of forces. Of course, the bullet in this "rear" cartridge must be "safe" in some way (harmless mass), but the construction of the cartridge itself is "normal", a regular shell, just a different bullet. Optional, as a last resort... The rear bullet is also normal, but it is somehow "caught" when hitting an obstacle "doomed to sacrifice", so that the bullet does not fly a kilometer away. I can see another possibility where one (strong) ordinary cartridge will be used, and yet the weapon only throws a safe mass backwards. This is hard to explain without pasting a drawing here. The key is that I think it would be valuable to use normal ammo. But maybe it doesn't matter as much as I think. You know, I look at it from the point of view of maximum ease of production using "typical" parts.

[@triibustevonkass9100]

A video where a dude talks about recoilless guns for 15 min and manages not to mention two of the most famous recoilless guns. 1. Panzerfaust, a legendary anti-tank weapon from WWII. 2. Karl Gustav 8.4 cm recoilless rifle. The most common recoilless gun in the world today. In use even in the US Army. And more: 100mm recoilless cannons for aircraft and heavy 320mm recoilless cannons for ships were built in the Soviet Union in 1924-36. For the sake of truth, it must be mentioned that they were complete flops.

[@off6848]

Technically those are recoiless launchers that are muzzle loaded not recoiless breach loaded "guns".

[@triibustevonkass9100]

@@off6848 soviet 320mm recoilless cannons where really muzzle loaded, but all others were breach loaded. Those early soviet recoilless weapons where total BS and author was sent to Gulag.

[@off6848]

@@triibustevonkass9100 Oh okay I never heard of the Soviet ones. Damn 320mm muzzle loader is insane but sounds about right

[@rayslockish5047]

Talk too much, boring..