hroughout the history of human warfare the backbone of any army has been the common soldier, who has had to endure terrifying inventions—from the, or “core”) bullet, a 7.92x57 mm round able to pierce tank armor when fired from a standard Mauser 98 rifle. In 1918, as the Allies rolled out tanks with thicker armor, Mauser introduced the specialized T- rifle, firing a 13.2x92 mm TuF (, or “tank and plane”) round. Thereafter, the arms race was on, as opponents rushed to counter newer, deadlier armored vehicles with more sophisticated “equalizers” intended to give the infantryman a chance of holding his ground. Tanks have since acquired their share of enhanced protection. But aided by such pivotal creations as rocket propulsion, the shaped charge and computerized guidance systems, the current species of “ground pounder” carries his own means to pound back.
