DEFEATING THE PANZER-STUKA MENACE: British Spigot Weapons of the Second World War

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Weapons of myth and scandal, that is the best way to describe the spigot weapons deployed by the British in the Second World War. Includes 60 black and white illustrations.

Unlike conventional mortars, a spigot mortar does not have a barrel through with the round is fired. Instead, the general concept involves a steel rod - the 'spigot' - onto which the bomb is placed before it is fired. This design was, as David Lister reveals, the basis of a number of successful weapons used during WWII.

The myth of the PIAT man-portable anti-tank weapon is, for example, tied closely to British paratroopers struggling in the ruins of Arnhem with an inadequate design, one inferior to the German equivalent. Similarly, the myth of the Blacker Bombard is of a useless weapon, of dubious quality, that was dumped on the unsuspecting Home Guard. In reality, the weapons were devastating creations of war, often superior to any other nation's counterpart.

At sea, the Hedgehog anti-submarine weapon was another powerful spigot weapon. It was undoubtedly capable of sweeping the U-boats from the sea and even winning the Battle