Bazookas were handheld weapons developed by the US Army in WWII to destroy German tanks. They are M9A1 rocket launchers, with poor accuracy but effective at short range. The term “bazooka” may come from a musical instrument. Armor-piercing rockets made tanks vulnerable, and bazookas were popular with soldiers. Variations were developed, including the super bazooka, which was used in the Vietnam War. Anti-tank small arms replaced bazookas due to their ease of use and accuracy.
A bazooka is a handheld weapon that is fired from the shoulder. Bazookas were developed during World War II by the United States Army, when they were used to devastating effect against German tanks. The technology was picked up from other forces during WWII and the weapons have become quite famous due to their high profile use during this conflict. Bazookas were also used during the Korean War, but during the Vietnam War they were supplanted by weapons that were more accurate, lighter, and easier to handle.
In Army terminology, a bazooka is an M9A1 rocket launcher. The weapon takes the form of a long tube designed to house an armor-piercing rocket. The soldier holds the weapon on his shoulder to fire. Bazookas are only effective at short range and have a rather poor accuracy rate as well. Short-range use usually compensates for this.
The slang term “bazooka” probably comes from a musical instrument of the same name. The tool was developed by Bob Burns, a comedian who was broadcast extensively in the 1930s. Burns’ bazooka was a crude horn made from an assortment of pipes; the name may have been a reference to the instrument known as a kazoo. American soldiers would have been very familiar with the bazooka from radio broadcasts and likely adopted the term affectionately for their weapons.
Before the development of armor-piercing weapons, tanks were essentially impenetrable and did a lot of damage on the battlefield. Soldiers in tanks could fire at will on enemy forces as they bypassed their lines, and an effective attack on a tank involved getting close enough to throw a grenade into the tank or shoot the crew. Armor-piercing rockets could be used at a distance to at least cripple the tank, if not disable it altogether, and as a result bazookas were undoubtedly popular with soldiers.
Several variations of the bazooka were developed, including the super bazooka, a version that carried more firepower. These weapons were successfully used during the beginning of the Vietnam War when the light anti-tank weapon was developed. Anti-tank small arms are self-contained, meaning they are fired once and then discarded. These weapons are easy to use and a number of variants are produced by different ammunition companies around the world to meet the needs of various militaries.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
