French Purchases of Boys AT Rifles

[MarkSheppard]

Courtesy of Bob Mack on the Anti Tank Reference Group on Facebook:

Have found some new data on French use of the Boys A/T rifle:

48 were purchased in 1939

400 were received by June 1940 each with 100 rounds, it appears 250 were fast delivered to one coastal town at the end of May.

10,000 were ordered! With the plan for each infantry platoon to have one.

The Paratroop company had 7 in 1939

618th Pioneer Regiment (which had some captured MG15) was due to get some on 7th June 1940

34th GRDI - mounted squadron had 1 Boys

other unknown GRDI and GRCA, and 2x GIA had a few Boys each.

2nd DLC (Light Cavalry Division) - the 148/20th Road Detachment (whatever that is) had 4 platoons @ 4x Boys June 1940

28th DIA (Infantry Division Type A) had 10 Boys in 99th RI; 4 in 97th RI; 6 in 25th DBCA, after June 1st (RI = infantry regiment, DBCA = ? I haven't looked up yet)

151st RI (infantry regiment): 25 Boys in 10th June 1940

6th Army 30th May 1940:
42nd Division: 2 Boys per battalion, 18 total in the division
44th Division: 4 Boys per battalion, 18 total in the division
7th Division: 4 Boys per battalion, 18 total in the division
45th Division: 4 Boys per battalion, 18 total in the division
8th Division: 2 Boys per battalion, 10 total in the division
Each had 200 rounds.

The notes for 6th Army don't make sense if each battalion had the allocated number, so can only assume some battalions had them. At 2 or 4 per battalion, that suggests they were in the Bttn AT platoon, alongside or instead of the 25mm ATG.

Sourced from this forum via googletranslate:
https://atf40.1fr1.net/

[DRG]

A Unit to match 115 now starts 5/40 and runs to 8/40 with adjusted secondary weapons as well as a slight formation adjustment

[blazejos]

If we are in subject of French AT weapons is possible to add to Vichy France and then Free France this gun build behind nose of German armistice commission by private contractors 36 build 10 installed on trucks. Vichy French Armée d'Afrique never used them in action were keep in secret storage. When discovered given to Free French units in Tunesia and used by them.

37 mm de Marine Anti-Char



here is subject where this gun was mentioned on SPWW2 forum
https://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=52488

And here links with story and photo of this gun
https://live.warthunder.com/post/420891/en/

https://ptdockyard.com/15mm-armor/

Probably is represented by unit 481 in French and Vichy French OOB 37mm SA37 ATG with photo of polish cavalry soldiers in Adrian Helmets with Bofors gun.