Bazooka Bazooka is the common name for a man - portable recoilless antitank rocket launcher weapon , widely fielded by the United States Army . Also referred to as the " Stovepipe " , the innovative bazooka was amongst the first - generation of rocket propelled anti - tank weapon s used in infantry combat . Featuring a solid rocket motor for propulsion , it allowed for high - explosive anti - tank ( HEAT ) warheads to be delivered against armored vehicles , machine gun nests , and fortified bunker s at ranges beyond that of a standard thrown grenade or mine . The Bazooka also fired a HESH round , effective against buildings and tank armour . The universally - applied nickname arose from the M1 variant ' s vague resemblance to the musical instrument called a " bazooka " invented and popularized by 1930s U . S . comedian Bob Burns . During World War II , German armed forces captured several bazookas in early North African and Eastern Front encounters and soon reverse engineered their own version , increasing the warhead diameter to 8 . 8 cm ( amongst other minor changes ) and widely issuing it as the " Raketenpanzerbüchse " " Panzerschreck " ( " Tank terror " ) . The term " bazooka " continues to be used informally as a genericized term to refer to any shoulder - fired missile weapon ( mainly rocket propelled grenades ) . Design and 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 . It was also designed for easy maneuverability and access . World War I . The Rocket - Powered Recoilless Weapon was the brainchild of Dr . Robert H . Goddard as a side project ( under Army contract ) of his work on rocket propulsion . Goddard , during his tenure at Clark University , and while working at Worcester Polytechnic Institute ' s magnetics lab and Mount Wilson Observatory ( for security reasons ) , designed a tube - fired rocket for military use during World War I . He and his co - worker , Dr . Clarence Hickman , successfully demonstrated his rocket to the US Army Signal Corps at Aberdeen Proving Ground , Maryland , on November 6 , 1918 , but as the Compiègne Armistice was signed only five days later , further development was discontinued . The delay in the development of the bazooka was as a result of Goddard ' s serious bout with tuberculosis . Goddard continued to be a part - time consultant to the US government at Indian Head , Maryland , until 1923 , but soon turned his focus to other projects involving rocket propulsion . The shaped charge . Development of the explosive shaped charge dates back to the work of American physicist Charles Edward Munroe , who carried out explosive shock focusing experiments in 1880 . For over 50 years the phenomenon remained a curiosity . Around or during 1937 however , two apparently ( but potentially not ) independent groups of German and Swiss inventors began promoting shaped - charge devices for application as anti - armor weapons . The picture is clouded by secrecy in the buildup to World War II ; the German group of Cranz , Schardin , and Thomanek went on to develop weapons for the German war effort , while the group led by the Swiss inventor Henry Mohaupt licensed their designs internationally . Mohaupt ' s technology was developed in the US into a shaped charge hand grenade for use in highly fluid situations , effective at defeating up to 60 mm ( 2 . 4 in ) of vehicle armor . The grenade was standardized as the M10 . However , the M10 grenade weighed 3 . 5 lb ( 1 . 6 kg ) , was difficult to throw by hand , and too heavy to be launched as a rifle grenade . The only practical way to use the weapon was for an infantryman to place it directly on the tank , an unlikely means of delivery in most combat situations . A smaller , less powerful version of the M10 , the M9 , was then developed , which could be fired from a rifle . This resulted in the creation of a series of rifle grenade launchers , the M1 ( Springfield M1903 ) , M2 ( Enfield M1917 ) , and the M7 ( M1 Garand ) and M8 ( M1 Carbine ) . However , a truly capable anti - tank weapon had yet to be found , and following the lead of other countries at the time , the U . S . Army prepared to evaluate competing designs for a large and powerful anti - tank rifle . The combination of rocket motor and shaped charge warhead would put paid to Army development of light antitank guns . Rocket - borne shaped charge weapons development . In 1942 , U . S . Army Colonel Leslie Skinner received the M10 shaped - charge grenade which was capable of stopping German tanks . He tasked Lieutenant Edward Uhl with creating a delivery system for the grenade . Uhl created a small rocket , but needed to protect the firer from the rocket exhaust and aim the weapon . According to Uhl , By late 1942 , the improved Rocket Launcher , M1A1 was introduced . The forward hand grip was deleted , and the design simplified . The production M1A1 was 54 inches ( 1 . 37 m ) long and weighed only 12 . 75 pounds ( 5 . 8 kg ) . The ammunition for the original M1 launcher was the M6 , which was notoriously unreliable . The M6 was improved and designated M6A1 , and the new ammunition was issued with the improved M1A1 launcher . After the M6 , several alternative warheads were introduced . The 2 . 36 - inch Smoke Rocket M10 and its improved subvariants ( M10A1 , M10A2 , M10A4 ) used the rocket motor and fin assembly of the M6A1 , but replaced the anti - tank warhead with a white phosphorus ( WP ) smoke head . WP smoke not only acts as a visible screen , but its burning particles can cause burns on human skin . The M10 was therefore used to mark targets , to blind enemy gunners or vehicle drivers , or to drive troops out of bunkers and dugouts . The 2 . 36 - Inch Incendiary Rocket T31 was an M10 variant with an incendiary warhead designed to ignite fires in enemy - held structures and unarmored vehicles , or to destroy combustible supplies , ammunition , and materiel , it was not often utilized . The original M1 and M1A1 rocket launchers were equipped with a simple rear sight and fixed front sight , and used a launch tube without reinforcements . During the war , the M1A1 received a number of running modifications . The battery specification was changed to a larger , standard battery cell size , resulting in complaints of batteries getting stuck in the wood shoulder rest ( the compartment was later reamed out to accommodate the larger cells ) . This was followed by a new aperture rear sight and a front rectangular " frame " sight positioned at the muzzle . The vertical sides of the frame sight were inscribed with graduations of 100 , 200 , and 300 yards . On the M9 , the iron sights were at first replaced by a plastic optical ring sight , which proved unsatisfactory in service , frequently turning opaque after a few days ' exposure to sunlight . Later iron sights were hinged to fold against the tube when not in use , and were protected by a cover . The launcher also had an adjustable range scale that provided graduations from 50 to 700 yards ( 46 to 640 meters ) in 50 - yard ( 46 m ) increments . An additional strap iron shoulder brace was fitted to the launcher , along with various types of blast deflectors . The bazooka required special care when used in tropical or arctic climates or in severe dust or sand conditions . Rockets were not to be fired at temperatures below zero F or above 120 F ( −18 °C to + 49 °C ) . Field experience induced changes . In 1943 , field reports of rockets sticking and prematurely detonating in M1A1 launch tubes were received by Army Ordnance at Ogden Arsenal and other production facilities . At the US Army ' s Aberdeen Testing Grounds , various metal collars and wire wrapping were used on the sheet metal launch tube in an effort to reinforce it . However , reports of premature detonation continued until the development of bore slug test gauges to ensure that the rocket did not catch inside the launch tube . The original M6 and M6A1 rockets used in the M1 and M1A1 launchers had a pointed nose , which was found to cause deflection from the target at low impact angles . In late 1943 , another 2 . 36 - in rocket type was adopted , the M6A3 , for use with the newly standardized M9 rocket launcher . The M6A3 was 19 . 4 inches ( 493 mm ) long , and weighed 3 . 38 lb ( 1 . 53 kg ) . It had a blunted , more round nose to improve target effect at low angles , and a new circular fin assembly to improve flight stability . The M6A3 was capable of penetrating 3 . 5 to 4 inches ( 89 to 102mm ) of armor plate . Battery problems in the early bazookas eventually resulted in replacement of the battery - powered ignition system with a magneto sparker system operated through the trigger . A trigger safety was incorporated into the design that isolated the magneto , preventing misfires that could occur when the trigger was released and the stored charge prematurely fired the rocket . The final major change was the division of the launch tube into two discrete sections , with bayonet - joint attachments . This was done to make the weapon more convenient to carry , particularly for use by airborne forces . The final two - piece launcher was standardized as the M9A1 . However , the long list of incorporated modifications increased the launcher ' s tube length to 61 inches ( 1 . 55 m ) , with an overall empty weight of 14 . 3 lb ( 6 . 5 kg ) . From its original conception as a relatively light , handy , and disposable weapon , the final M9A1 launcher had become a heavy , clumsy , and relatively complex piece of equipment . In October 1944 , after receiving reports of inadequate combat effect of the M1A1 and M9 launchers and their M6A1 rockets , and after examining captured examples of the German 8 . 8 cm RPzB 43 and RPzB 54 " Panzerschreck " , the US Ordnance Corps began development on a new , more powerful anti - tank rocket launcher , the 3 . 5 - inch M20 . However , the weapon ' s design was not completed until after the war and saw no action against an enemy until Korea . In 1945 , the U . S . Army ' s Chemical Warfare Service standardized improved chemical warfare rockets intended for the new M9 and M9A1 launchers , adopting the M26 Gas Rocket , a cyanogen chloride ( CK ) - filled warhead for the 2 . 36 - in rocket launcher . CK , a deadly blood agent , was capable of penetrating the protective filter barriers in some gas masks , and was seen as an effective agent against Japanese forces ( particularly those hiding in caves or bunkers ) , whose gas masks lacked the impregnants that would provide protection against the chemical reaction of CK . While stockpiled in US inventory , the CK rocket was never deployed or issued to combat personnel . Operational use . World War II . Secretly introduced via the Russian front and in November 1942 during Operation Torch , early production versions of the M1 launcher and M6 rocket were hastily supplied to some of the U . S . invasion forces during the landings in North Africa . On the night before the landings , Gen . Dwight D . Eisenhower was shocked to discover from a subordinate that none of his troops had received any instruction in the use of the bazooka . Initially supplied with the highly unreliable M6 rocket and without training , the M1 did not play a significant armed role in combat in the North African fighting , but did provide a German intelligence coup when some were captured by the Germans in early encounters with inexperienced US troops . A US general visiting the Tunisian front in 1943 after the close of combat operations could not find any soldiers who could report that the weapon had actually stopped an enemy tank . Further issue of the bazooka was suspended in May 1943 . During the Allied invasion of Sicily , small numbers of the M1A1 bazooka ( using an improved rocket , the M6A1 ) were used in combat by US forces . The M1A1 accounted for four medium German tanks and a heavy Tiger I , with the latter being knocked out by a lucky hit through the driver ' s vision slot . A major disadvantage to the bazooka was the large backblast and smoke trail ( in colder weather ) , which gave away the position of the shooter , mandating quick relocation of the squad . Moreover , the bazooka fire team often had to expose their bodies in order to obtain a clear field of fire against an armored target . Casualties among bazooka team members were extremely high during the war , and assignment to such duty , widely known as " Medal of Honor work " , in the face of German counterfire was typically regarded by other platoon members as not only highly dangerous , but nearly suicidal . When the existence of the bazooka was revealed to the American public official press releases for the first two years stated that it " packed the wallop of a 155mm cannon " — a great exaggeration , but widely accepted by the American public at the time . In late 1942 , numbers of early - production American M1 bazookas were captured by German troops from Russian forces who had been given quantities of the bazooka under Lend - Lease as well as during the Operation Torch invasions in the North African Campaign . The Germans promptly developed their own version of the weapon , increasing the diameter of the warhead from 60 mm to 88 mm ( 2 . 4 to 3 . 5 in ) . In German service , the bazooka was popularly known as the " Panzerschreck " . The German weapon , with its larger , more powerful warhead , had significantly greater armor penetration ; ironically , calls for a larger - diameter warhead had also been raised by some ordnance officers during U . S . trials of the M1 , but were rejected . After participating in an armor penetration test involving a German Panther tank using both the RPzB 54 Panzerschreck and the U . S . M9 bazooka , Corporal Donald E . Lewis of the U . S . Army informed his superiors that the " Panzerschreck " was " far superior to the American bazooka " : ‘ I was so favorably impressed [ by the Panzerschreck ] I was ready to take after the Krauts with their own weapon . ’ The M1 bazooka fared much better on the rare occasions when it could be used against the much thinner armor typically fitted to the lower sides , underside , and top of enemy tanks . To hit the bottom panel of an enemy tank , the bazooka operator had to wait until the tank was surmounting a steep hill or other obstruction , while hitting the top armor usually necessitated firing the rocket from the upper story of a building or similar elevated position . During the 1944 Allied offensive in France — and most notably used during the Battle of Arracourt — Major Charles " Bazooka Charlie " Carpenter mounted a battery of three M9 bazookas on the wing - to - fuselage struts on each side of his L - 4 Grasshopper aircraft in order to attack enemy armor , and was credited with destroying six enemy tanks , including two Tiger I heavy tanks . Despite the introduction of the M9 bazooka with its more powerful rocket — the M6A3 — in late 1943 , reports of the weapon ' s effectiveness against enemy armor decreased alarmingly in the latter stages of World War II , as new German tanks with thicker and better - designed cast armor plate and armor skirts / spaced armor were introduced . This development forced bazooka operators to target less well - protected areas of the vehicle , such as the tracks , drive sprockets , bogey wheels , or rear engine compartment . In a letter dated May 20 , 1944 , Gen . George S . Patton stated to a colleague that " the purpose of the bazooka is not to hunt tanks offensively , but to be used as a last resort in keeping tanks from overrunning infantry . To insure this , the range should be held to around 30 yards . " The extreme difficulty of closing to grenade - throwing distances unnoticed before hitting small spot targets on an enemy tank helps explain the high mortality rate of men assigned to anti - tank rocket launcher duty . In the Pacific campaign , as in North Africa , the original bazookas sent to combat often had reliability issues . The battery - operated firing circuit was easily damaged during rough handling , and the rocket motors often failed because of high temperatures and exposure to moisture , salt air , or humidity . With the introduction of the M1A1 and its more reliable rocket ammunition , the bazooka was effective against some fixed Japanese infantry emplacements such as small concrete bunkers and pill boxes . Against coconut and sand emplacements , the weapon was not always effective , as these softer structures often reduced the force of the warhead ' s impact enough to prevent detonation of the explosive charge . Later in the Pacific war , most infantry and marine units often used the M2 flamethrower to attack such emplacements . In the few instances in the Pacific where the bazooka was used against tanks and armored vehicles , the rocket ' s warhead easily penetrated the thin armor plate used by the Japanese and destroyed the vehicle . Overall , the M1A1 , M9 , and M9A1 rocket launchers were viewed as useful and effective weapons during World War II , though they had been primarily employed against enemy emplacements and fixed fortifications , not as anti - tank weapons . General Dwight Eisenhower later described it as one of the four " Tools of Victory " which won World War II for the Allies ( together with the atom bomb , Jeep and the C - 47 Skytrain transport aircraft ) . Korean War . The success of the more powerful German " Panzerschreck " caused the bazooka to be completely redesigned at the close of World War II . A larger , 3 . 5 in ( 90 mm ) model was adopted , the M20 " Super Bazooka " . Though bearing a superficial resemblance to the " Panzerschreck " , the M20 had greater effective range , penetrating capability and was nearly 20 % lighter than its German counterpart . The M20 weighed 14 . 3 pounds ( 6 . 5 kg ) and fired a hollow shaped - charge 9 lb ( 4 kg ) M28A2 HEAT rocket when used in an anti - tank role . It was also operated by a two - man team and had a claimed rate of fire of six shots per minute . As with its predecessor , the M20 could also fire rockets with either practice ( M29A2 ) or WP smoke ( T127E3 / M30 ) warheads . Having learned from experience of the sensitivity of the bazooka and its ammunition to moisture and harsh environments , the ammunition for the new weapon was packaged in moisture - resistant packaging , and the M20 ' s field manual contained extensive instructions on launcher lubrication and maintenance , as well as storage of rocket ammunition . When prepared for shipment from the arsenal , the weapon was protected by antifungal coatings over all electrical contacts , in addition to a cosmoline coating in the hand - operated magneto that ignited the rocket . Upon issue , these coatings were removed with solvent to ready the M20 for actual firing . Budget cutbacks initiated by Secretary of Defense Louis A . Johnson in the years following World War II effectively canceled the intended widespread issue of the M20 , and initial US forces deploying to Korea were armed solely with the M9 / M9A1 2 . 36 - in . launcher and old stockpiled World War II inventories of M6A3 rocket ammunition . During the initial stages of the Korean War , complaints resurfaced over the ineffectiveness of the 2 . 36 - in M9 and M9A1 against Soviet - supplied enemy armor . In one notable incident , infantry blocking forces of the US Army ' s Task Force Smith were overrun by 33 North Korean T - 34 / 85 tanks despite repeatedly firing 2 . 36 inch rockets into the rear engine compartments of the vehicles . Additionally , Ordnance authorities received numerous combat reports regarding the failure of the M6A3 warhead to properly detonate upon impact , eventually traced to inventories of rocket ammunition that had deteriorated from numerous years of storage in humid or salt air environments . Supplies of 3 . 5 - in M20 launchers with M28A2 HEAT rocket ammunition were hurriedly airlifted from the United States to South Korea , where they proved very effective against the T - 34 and other Soviet tanks . Large numbers of 2 . 36 - inch Bazooka that were captured during the Chinese Civil War were also employed by the Chinese forces against the American Sherman and Patton tanks , and the Chinese later reverse engineered and produced a copy of the M20 designated the Type 51 . Vietnam War . The M20 " Super Bazooka " was used in the early stages of the war in Vietnam by the US Marines before gradually being phased out of in favor of the M67 recoilless rifle and later , the M72 LAW rocket . While occasions to destroy enemy armored vehicles proved exceedingly rare , it was employed against enemy fortifications and emplacements with success . The M20 remained in service with South Vietnamese and indigenous forces until the late 1960s . The Vietnam People ' s Army also developed their own bazooka under the management of Tran Dai Nghia . It was successfully test - fired in 1947 . Other conflicts . Portuguese defense forces used quantities of M9A1 and M20 rocket launchers in their overseas departments in Africa against Marxist guerrilla forces during the Portuguese Colonial Wars . The French Army also used the M1A1 , M9A1 , and M20 launchers in various campaigns in Indochina and Algeria . West Germany