Finnish Forces

The "Elephant Gun"

Finnish soldiers with the L-39 Anti-Tank Rifle, during the Continuation War. The L-39 "Elephant Gun" had excellent accuracy, penetration and range (6,5km/4 miles in theory). It used a box magazine of ten 20 mm x 138 mm rounds, and the ammunition types included armour piercing rounds, armour piercing explosive rounds, fragmentation rounds and phosphorus rounds. The weapon's drawbacks were it's size and weight which made transportation difficult. The L-39 was not able to penetrate the armour of newer Soviet tanks(T-34, KV-1 etc.) but it was still used effectively against bunker embrasures, long range targets, and even aircraft. A small number was converted as anti-aircraft weapon and telescopic sight was made, after which the L-39 was widely used for long range sniping. It was often used to counter Soviet snipers in the "Kylmä-Kalle"(Cold Charlie) technique, where the Finns dressed a doll to pose as an officer sloppily covering himself, making Soviet snipers shoot at it, and the Finns would then eliminate the sniper with the L-39.