A US infantry weapon developed during World War 2 which fires a small rocket projectile from a simple launching tube. The projectile's warhead is effective against light tank armour.
| Launcher, Rocket, Antitank, M-9 Series | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Type | Recoiless Rocket Antitank Weapon |
| Place of origin | USA |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1942 - |
| Used by | US Army; US Marine Corps |
| Wars | World War II; Korea |
| Production history | |
| Designer | U.S. Army Signal Corps |
The bazooka was a man-portable anti-tank rocket launcher made famous during World War II where it was one of the United States Armed Forces's primary infantry anti-tank weapons.
In addition to an actual bazooka, the word bazooka (incorrectly)is often used to refer to all similar rocket weapons, such as(RPGs).
Development
The development of the Bazooka involved the development of two specific lines of technology: the rocket-powered (recoilless) weapon, and the shaped-charge warhead.
The development of the Rocket Powered Recoilless Weapon was the brainchild of Dr. Robert H. Goddard, during his tenure at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Clark University, and at Mount Wilson Observatory, devised a tube rocket for military use during World War I. He successfully demonstrated his tube-fired rocket to the US Army Signal Corps at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, on November 6, 1918, but the end of the war only five days later killed interest in the weapon.
Mohaupt developed a shaped-charge hand grenade for anti-tank use that was effective at defeating up to 100 mm (4 in) of armor, by far the best such weapon in the world at the time. This consisted of a 54-inch-long (1.37 m) tube with a simple wooden stock and sights (replaced by metal in the production models), into which the 60.07 mm (designated 2.36-inch to avoid confusion with rounds for the 60 mm mortar) rocket grenades were inserted at the rear. This changed the weapon specifications to a tube length of 55 inches (1.4 meter) and a weight of 14 lb (6.35 kg), the replacement of the battery with a magneto operated through the trigger, and a trigger safety that isolated the magneto to prevent the firing dud rounds when the trigger was released and the storage of a charge that would prematurely fire the next round. It was the success of the Panzerschreck that caused the original bazooka to be reworked after the war to the larger 3.5-inch (88.9 mm) model that was identical in size and power to the German weapon.
Service
The original bazooka (2.36-inch) in its various models served in all theatres of the Second World War and later in the Korean War. After it proved inadequate against the Soviet T-34 tank during the latter war (as it had against German Tigers and Panthers in the former), it was replaced with the M20 Super Bazooka (3.5-inch or 89 mm) model. Bazookas were replaced in some roles by 57 mm and 75 mm recoilless rifles in the last battles of WWII (1945).
User Comments Add a comment…