Bizarre use of weaponry

In Edwin Hoyt's otherwise impressive book " The G.I.'s War" he reports that in the Allied landings in North Africa during 1942, a 2nd. Lt. Charles Dushane (later killed in the battle) and Corporal Frank L. Czar were able to use a disabled ( the firing pin had been removed by the French) French anti-tank gun (type unknown) to destroy a French tank. They did so by firing rounds from a Thompson SMG into the rear of the gun in order to discharge the round in the breech. He also states that in the same battle G.I's were able to destroy three French Renault tanks with rifle grenades. I accept that grenades, when used as a satchel or bagged charge, can disable a stationary or slow moving tank, but it seems most unlikely that they can do so when fired from a rifle as a rifle grenade. Any comments, please, on the feasibility of these weapons being used in the manner described ?
BG

 

I assume it would not be impossible to damage a track or a gun of a tank and scare the daylights out of the crew.

 

Depends on which Renault tank, AFAIK the armour on the Renault FT17's was extremely light and it's not inconcievable that they could be destroyed in such a manner and some were still in service in WWII.

 

Plus you don't need to destroy the vehicle to get it to stop working you could always go for the engine or incapacitate the crew.

 

Tanks was,and still r extremly wounarable when infantry come to close to them.Many home-made devices can easily disable tank (molotov coctail is bes exsample i think).

 

rifle grenades

the US rifle grenades were not the common hand grenade. they looked like and were about the same size as a 60mm mortar round. they came in 2 varities and one was a shaped charge that could kill a tank given a bit of luck and good shooting. a good shot with one could hit a tank at suprising ranges. most units had at least a few guys that could use the things well and they added a nice little punch to things. they were still in use in vietnam but now have been replaced by the 40mm M203

 

Wacky weaponry

Lynn 1212's reply certainly deals adequately with the feasibility of tanks being knocked out by rifle grenades then used by US forces, but what about the use of an anti-tank gun being fired by aiming .45 bullets at shells in an open breech ? Jeez ! that takes a certain level of desperation to do, since richochets from the Thompson, or premature detonations of the cannon shell must be highly likely !
BG

 

possible but

many breeches had removable firing pin assemblies. they screwed in and out like a bolt. with the pin assembly removed there is a hole about an 1 1/2 or so left that is over the primer of the shell. it would be possible at least in theory to shoot through it to hit the primer and set off the round. risky at best, unreliable, and sure to cause a lot of leaked gases but possible. its just goofy enought that it could have happened. lots of strange things happen in combat and when you've got nothing to lose why not.

 

i would think the gas blow back through a one inch hole would make the the tommy gun and its operater a one use kind of thing.....wheres tony?

 

Gun might survive (that being the case one could use a stick to work the trigger)

Dunno, just tossing out ideas.