Just a little over a century ago, World War I flamed into existence ... and with it came the first real tanks used in battle. (Leonardo da Vinci's envisioning of a tank was already over 400 years old at that point. It was a stroke of genius from one of the most famous geniuses of all time, but it was never built.) This new way of fighting wars promised soldiers a virtually unassailable mobile position. In the way of arms races, naturally, the British went to work creating a handheld firearm capable of taking out a tank.
They succeeded. It was called the Boys Rifle, and it fired an absolutely massive projectile that could penetrate the armor of WWI-era tanks. In the way of arms races, by World War II, the tanks had been fortified against the Boys rifle.
But that didn't mean that the Boys didn't continue saving "our boys," because it did continue to see use ... resulting in one of the most iconic photographs of World War II.
For today's Throwback Thursday, we invite you to check out this great video from our friends at American Rifleman TV, you'll learn how the Boys rifle managed the seemingly impossible--penetrating tank armor--and what that meant for American and Allied forces in the world wars of the Twentieth Century.
