16 June 2023 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

During the Korean War the M20 “Super Bazooka” was used. This was an aluminum tube that launched a 3.5-inch (89-mm), 9-pound (4-kg) rocket carrying 2 pounds (0.9 kg) of combined RDX/TNT explosive. The chief defects of both bazookas were their cumbersome weight and length and their short effective range (about 120 yards [110 metres]). For this reason, beginning in the Vietnam War the U.S. Army abandoned bazookas in favour of light antitank weapons, or LAWs, such as the M72, a one-shot disposable weapon that weighed 5 pounds (2.3 kg) fully loaded yet could launch its rocket with reasonable accuracy out to 350 yards (320 metres).





---------- Post added at 04:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:33 PM ----------






The 3.5-inch "Super Bazooka" rocket launcher , introduced in early 1950, was able to penetrate any armored vehicle from greater distance with improved accuracy than the 2.36-inch WWII bazooka. The M20 was a two-piece, smooth-bore weapon weighing only 12 pounds with an assembled length of 60 inches, easily transportable, and fired a "shaped charge" that concentrated the force of the explosion on a very small area, thus allowing the projectile to penetrate armor plate as thick as 11 inches. The gunsight was unique and allowed for various ranges and speeds to give an accuracy up to 900 yards.