The Peculiar Phenomenon of Reversed Bullets in the First World War

This research note examines the short-lived phenomenon of using reversed rifle bullets as improvised armour-piercing projectiles. During the early years of the First World War, German soldiers would regularly reverse their rifle bullets and use them against Allied armour, with some success. However, as the war progressed, this phenomenon eventually ceased. This article examines contemporary armour trials conducted in the United Kingdom as well as first-hand combatant accounts to highlight the use of reversed bullets in 1915 and 1916 and describe their effects against armour plates. An overview of plate perforation mechanisms is provided to highlight how a reversed bullet would be able to penetrate an armoured target. The author concludes that reversed bullets would have been feasible armourpiercing projectiles—with similar or even superior armour penetration capability compared to conventionally oriented bullets—as long as the armour plate exhibited certain metallurgic characteristics to make the improvised projectiles’ penetration mode favourable.