Bolt Action: Korean War - North Korean KPA Weapons Teams

While the anti-tank rifle soon fell out of favour in other armies, the KPA used them and received their training from the Soviet advisors attached to their units. The PTRD 14.5 mm was a single shot weapon effective to nearly 500 yards, penetrating approximately 1.5 inches of armour. The PTRS 14.5 mm was slightly better, featuring a five-round magazine. In the later part of the war antitank rifles were more often used against lighter targets such as armoured cars, half-tracks, trucks, and entrenched positions. In the North Korean Army an ATR Squad was led by an NCO and consisted of three anti-tank rifles with a gunner and loader for each. 

The KPA made great use of flamethrowers including FOG-1 static types dug in to cover bunkers and trenches. Due to shortcomings in developing other credible antitank weapons, doctrine placed strong emphasis on using flamethrowers as anti-tank as well as anti-infantry weapons. By far the most common KPA flamethrowers were the man-packed ROKS types. The ROKS-2 was designed with a fuel tank looking like an ordinary backpack and a nozzle resembling a rifle, so as not to attract unwelcome attention on the battlefield. 

The standard light mortar used by KPA is the same the Soviet infantry operated during World War II; the 50mm Infantry Mortar Model 1940 (50-PM 40), a cheaper version of the earlier Model 1938. The 50mm was deemed a ‘company’ mortar as opposed to the heavier 82mm battalion and 120mm regimental mortars. The allocation of 50mm mortars was initially to individual teams at platoon level, but later they were more often concentrated together at company level for use en masse. The weapon was easily man-portable and could lay down high explosive or smoke bombs at a range of over 800 yards. 

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