1.

Lahti L-39 Anti-Tank Rifle

The mammoth Lahti L-39 anti-tank rifle, designed by Aimo Lahti - Finlands greatest gun designer, served Finland well during the 1940s. The 20mm semi-automatic anti-tank rifles barrel alone
was 51.2 inches (130cm) long and the weapon overall weighed in at 109 (50kg).
Throughout the 1930s the Finnish military had debated the optimum calibre for use against armour. 12.7mm, 13.2mm and 20mm were all suggested, with plans to use the same calibre for both
anti-armour and anti-aircraft roles. In 1935, the Finnish state weapons manufacturer VKT (Valtion Kivritehdas) prepared a prototype, the L-35/6, chambering the 13.2mm round.
Lahti himself preferred the 20mm round believing it had superior armour penetrating capabilities. By 1939 two 20mm prototypes, chambered in 20x113mm, were built and used alongside some
13.2mm machine guns, during the Winter War against Soviet Russia. The L-39 was gas operated and fed from a 10-round vertically feeding box magazine.
One report on the effectiveness of the 13.2mm guns reported that 13-mm machine guns are as useless as antitank-weapons. They are usually malfunctioning and get easily frozen. Combat use
confirmed that the 20mm ammunition of the L-39 was more effective and the Finns began full production of Lahtis anti-tank rifle. The Finnish military changed the L-39s calibre to 20x138mm
which was already in use with the L-34 automatic-cannon. Weapons began entering service in late 1940 after the end of the Winter War. The L-39 saw its most extensive use during the
Continuation War (1941-44).

Two Finish troops carrying an L-39 (source)

The colossal weight and size of the L-39 made it difficult to transport, even when fitted with its bipod skis - which were replaced with spiked legs once in a firing position. Its almost 90 inch
(220cm) overall length and cumbersome weight made the weapon best suited to prepared positions. It was primarily used against Soviet defensive positions, vehicles, while it struggled to
penetrate later tanks armour, and in an anti-sniper role. Some 1,850 rifles were made between the end of the Winter War and the beginning of the Continuation War. Even with the introduction of
new Soviet tanks with thicker armour the L-39 still continued to be effective in the hands of a skilled gunner,
With their effectiveness as anti-tank weapons waning by 1944 the Finns modified some 240 rifles, including the final batch of guns manufactured, into an anti-aircraft role in early 1944. To do this
they were converted into open-bolt, fully automatic guns with a fix firing pin. The Finns also developed a 15-round magazine for use in the anti-aircraft role. The second photograph shows an
L-39 pressed into this unconventional role. Set up in a makeshift anti-aircraft position propped up on blocks of wood, taken near Ontajoki in June of 1944. The L-39/44 proved to be fragile with
their receivers proving too weak for prolonged automatic fire. This was a problem that was never rectified and in 1956 the Finnish military converted the guns back into semi-automatic weapons
although they continued to be deployed in the anti-aircraft role.
Sources:
Image Sources: 1 2 3 4
The Lahti L-39, www.antitank.co.uk, (source)
AT-Rifles Pt.1: Finnish Domestic Designs, www.jaegerplatoon.net, (source)