Misplaced Pages

#306693

170-499: Unlike standard armor-piercing rounds , a HEAT warhead's penetration performance is unaffected by the projectile's velocity, allowing them to be fired by lower-powered weapons that generate less recoil . The performance of HEAT weapons has nothing to do with thermal effects, with HEAT being simply an acronym . HEAT warheads were developed during World War II , from extensive research and development into shaped charge warheads. Shaped charge warheads were promoted internationally by

340-487: A Martensite phase transformation ), while the remainder of the mold, being formed of sand, allowed the metal to cool slowly and the body of the shot to be made tough (resistant to shattering). These chilled iron shots proved very effective against wrought iron armour but were not serviceable against compound and steel armour, which was first introduced in the 1880s. A new departure, therefore, had to be made, and forged steel rounds with points hardened by water took

510-463: A generic term referring to any shoulder fired ground-to-ground/ ground-to-air missile weapon (mainly rocket-propelled grenade launchers or recoilless rifles ), and as an expression that heavy measures are being taken. The name "bazooka" comes from an extension of the word bazoo , which is slang for "mouth" or "boastful talk", and which ultimately probably stems from the Dutch bazuin ( buisine ,

680-511: A rifled gun. HEAT shells were developed during World War II as a munition made of an explosive shaped charge that uses the Munroe effect to create a very high-velocity particle stream of metal in a state of superplasticity , and used to penetrate solid vehicle armour . HEAT rounds caused a revolution in anti-tank warfare when they were first introduced in the later part of World War II. One infantryman could effectively destroy any extant tank with

850-408: A silicon - manganese -chromium-based alloy when those grades became scarce. The latter alloy, although able to be hardened to the same level, was more brittle and had a tendency to shatter on striking highly sloped armour. The shattered shot lowered penetration, or resulted in total penetration failure; for armour-piercing high-explosive (APHE) projectiles, this could result in premature detonation of

1020-508: A tandem charge ) to be more effective against reactive or multi-layered armor. The first, smaller warhead initiates the reactive armor, while the second (or other), larger warhead penetrates the armor below. This approach requires highly sophisticated fuzing electronics to set off the two warheads the correct time apart, and also special barriers between the warheads to stop unwanted interactions; this makes them cost more to produce. The latest HEAT warheads, such as 3BK-31, feature triple charges:

1190-471: A HEAT round achieves its effectiveness through three primary mechanisms. Most obviously, when it perforates the armor, the jet's residual can cause great damage to any interior components it strikes. And as the jet interacts with the armor, even if it does not perforate into the interior, it typically causes a cloud of irregular fragments of armor material to spall from the inside surface. This cloud of behind-armor debris too will typically damage anything that

1360-503: A barrel or barrel extension which taperes towards the muzzle – a system known as the Gerlich principle . This projectile design is very similar to the APCR-design - featuring a high-density core within a shell of soft iron or another alloy - but with the addition of soft metal flanges or studs along the outer projectile wall to increase the projectile diameter to a higher caliber. This caliber

1530-569: A blunt, rounded nose to lessen the chances of it ricocheting off angled armor. The M6A3 was meant to be fired from the M9, and later M9A1, launchers. Late in World War II, the M6A4 and M6A5 rockets with improved fuses were developed. These rockets arrived too late to see service during the war, but were used post-war. The 2.36 inch (60 mm) smoke rocket M10 and its improved subvariants (M10A1, M10A2, M10A4) used

1700-428: A certain mass-ratio between length and diameter (calibre) for accurate flight, traditionally a length-to-diameter ratio less than 10 (more for higher density projectiles). If a spin-stabilized projectile is made too long it will become unstable and tumble during flight. This limits how long APDS sub-projectiles of can be in relation to its sub-calibre, which in turn limits how thin the sub-projectile can be without making

1870-568: 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." 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

SECTION 10

#1732837358307

2040-511: A competitive trial of various types of spigot mortar (at that time seen as the most promising way to deliver a shaped charge), which was held at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in May 1942. The new rocket launcher scored several hits on a moving tank while the five different mortars achieved none; this was a considerable achievement since the launcher's sights had been fabricated that morning from

2210-448: A competitive trial of various types of spigot mortars at Aberdeen Proving Ground. On the morning of the trial Skinner and Uhl realised that the launcher had no sights, so they improvised some from a wire coathanger; despite this, it was the only weapon in the trial to be able to hit a moving tank. This led to the launcher being demonstrated to General George C. Marshall , the Chief of Staff of

2380-459: A core of depleted uranium . Depleted-uranium penetrators have the advantage of being pyrophoric and self-sharpening on impact, resulting in intense heat and energy focused on a minimal area of the target's armour. Some rounds also use explosive or incendiary tips to aid in the penetration of thicker armour. High explosive incendiary/armour piercing ammunition combines a tungsten carbide penetrator with an incendiary and explosive tip. Energy

2550-618: A gun, the 7.5 cm fired by the Kw.K.37 L/24 of the Panzer IV tank and the Stug III self-propelled gun (7.5 cm Gr.38 Hl/A, later editions B and C). In mid-1941, Germany started producing HEAT rifle grenades, first issued to paratroopers and by 1942 to regular army units. In 1943, the Püppchen , Panzerschreck and Panzerfaust were introduced. The Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck or 'tank terror' gave

2720-418: A handheld weapon, thereby dramatically altering the nature of mobile operations. During World War II, weapons using HEAT warheads were known as having a hollow charge or shaped charge warhead. Claims for priority of invention are difficult to resolve due to subsequent historic interpretations, secrecy, espionage, and international commercial interest. Shaped-charge warheads were promoted internationally by

2890-503: A handheld weapon, thereby dramatically altering the nature of mobile operations. During World War II, weapons using HEAT warheads were termed hollow charge or shape charge warheads. The general public remained in the dark about shape charge warheads, even believing that it was a new secret explosive, until early 1945 when the US Army cooperated with the US monthly publication Popular Science on

3060-472: A hardened steel plate at high velocity imparted significant force to the projectile and standard armour-piercing shells had a tendency to shatter instead of penetrating, especially at oblique angles, so shell designers added a mild steel cap to the nose of the shells. The more flexible mild steel would deform on impact and reduce the shock transmitted to the projectile body. Shell design varied, with some fitted with hollow caps and others with solid ones. Since

3230-507: A heavy Tiger I , with the latter being knocked out by an improbable hit through the driver's vision slot. 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 155 mm cannon"—a great exaggeration. In late 1942, numbers of early-production American M1 Bazookas were captured by German troops from Red Army forces who had been given quantities of

3400-447: A large and detailed article on the subject titled "It makes steel flow like mud". It was this article that revealed to the American public how the fabled bazooka actually worked against tanks and that the velocity of the rocket was irrelevant. After the war, HEAT rounds became almost universal as the primary anti-tank weapon. Models of varying effectiveness were produced for almost all weapons from infantry weapons like rifle grenades and

3570-527: A large metal arrow. APFSDS sub-projectiles can thus achieve much higher length-to-diameter ratios than APDS-projectiles, which in turn allows for much higher sub-calibre ratios (smaller sub-calibre to the full-calibre), meaning that APFSDS-projectiles can have an extremely small frontal cross-section to decrease air-resistance , thus increasing velocity , while still having a long body to retain great mass by length, meaning more kinetic energy . Velocity and kinetic energy both dictates how much range and penetration

SECTION 20

#1732837358307

3740-408: A large-calibre anti-tank gun, because of the high mass of the shot, its rigidity, short overall length, and thick body. The APS uses fragmentation warheads or projected plates, and both are designed to defeat the two most common anti-armour projectiles in use today: HEAT and kinetic energy penetrator . Defeating HEAT projectiles can occur by damaging or detonating their explosive filling, or by damaging

3910-433: A medieval trumpet). The word bazooka appears in the 1909 novel The Swoop, or how Clarence Saved England by P. G. Wodehouse , describing the character Grand Duke Vodkakoff and a musical instrument used in music halls: "I shouldn't 'arf wonder, from the look of him, if he wasn't the 'aughty kind of a feller who'd cleave you to the bazooka for tuppence with his bloomin' falchion ." During World War II, "Bazooka" became

4080-465: A much reduced armour penetrating ability. The filling was detonated by a rear-mounted delay fuze. The explosive used in APHE projectiles needs to be highly insensitive to shock to prevent premature detonation. The US forces normally used the explosive Explosive D , otherwise known as ammonium picrate, for this purpose. Other combatant forces of the period used various explosives, suitably desensitized (usually by

4250-528: A new infantry anti-tank weapon was needed, and this ultimately came in the form of the "projector, infantry, anti-tank" or PIAT. By 1942, the PIAT had been developed by Major Millis Jefferis . It was a combination of a HEAT warhead with a spigot mortar delivery system. While cumbersome, the weapon allowed British infantry to engage armor at range for the first time. The earlier magnetic hand-mines and grenades required them to approach dangerously near. During World War II

4420-577: A new, more powerful anti-tank rocket launcher, the 3.5-inch (90 mm) M20. However, the weapon's design was not completed until after the war and saw no action against an enemy until the Korean War. In 1945, the U.S. Army's Chemical Warfare Service standardized improved chemical warfare rockets intended for the new M9 and M9A1 launchers, the Army adopted the M26 gas rocket, a cyanogen chloride (CK)-filled warhead for

4590-405: A newly acquired Bell HTL-4 helicopter to test if a Bazooka could be fired from a helicopter in flight. One of the larger, 3.5 inch, models of the Bazooka was chosen, and was mounted ahead and to the right of the helicopter to allow the door to remain clear. The Bazooka was successfully tested, although it was discovered that it would require shielding for the engine compartment, which was exposed in

4760-533: A number of North Korean tanks that entered the city on July 20. As a result, the U.S. Army rushed to secure more M20 rockets and was able to hold more than 900 Super Bazookas during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter . The South Korean military also began receiving the M20 in early August, and successfully destroyed four tanks with M20s during their first usage on 9 August. Large numbers of 2.36-inch bazookas that were captured during

4930-617: A part-time consultant to the U.S. government at Indian Head, Maryland , until 1923, but turned his focus to other projects involving rocket propulsion. Hickman completed the development of the Bazooka after becoming head of the National Defense Research Committee in the 1940s, where he guided rocket development for the war effort. Shaped charge technology was developed in the U.S. into a shaped charge anti-tank grenade for use by infantry, effective at defeating up to 60 mm (2.4 in) of vehicle armor . The grenade

5100-512: 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 U.S. Ordnance Corps began development on

5270-522: A reporter that his idea of fighting a war was to "attack, attack and then attack again". During the critical late-September Battle of Arracourt , Carpenter managed to achieve disabling hits on several German armored cars and two Panther tanks , along with killing or wounding a dozen or more enemy soldiers. In the opening months of the Korean War , in August 1950, a joint U.S. Navy and Marine Corps test used

High-explosive anti-tank - Misplaced Pages Continue

5440-654: A rifle. This resulted in the creation of a series of rifle grenade launchers, the M1 ( Springfield M1903 ), the M2 ( Enfield M1917 ), the M7 ( M1 Garand ), and the 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 more effective man-portable anti-tank weapon. The combination of rocket motor and shaped charge warhead led to

5610-437: A series of bombs propelled by rockets to assist in penetrating the armour of ships and similar targets. Armour-piercing rifle and pistol cartridges are usually built around a penetrator of hardened steel , tungsten , or tungsten carbide , and such cartridges are often called "hard-core bullets". Rifle armour-piercing ammunition generally carries its hardened penetrator within a copper or cupronickel jacket, similar to

5780-465: A shaped charge liner or fuzing system. Defeating kinetic energy projectiles can occur by inducing changes in yaw or pitch or by fracturing the rod. Bazooka The Bazooka ( / b ə ˈ z uː k ə / ) is a man-portable recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher weapon, widely deployed by the United States Army , especially during World War II . Also referred to as the "stovepipe",

5950-403: A shell version. They had been using APHE since the invention of the 1.5% high-explosive Palliser shell in the 1870s and 1880s, and understood the tradeoffs between reliability, damage, percentage of high explosive, and penetration, and deemed reliability and penetration to be most important for tank use. Naval APHE projectiles of this period, being much larger used a bursting charge of about 1–3% of

6120-495: A shock-buffering cap is placed between the core and the outer ballistic shell as with APC rounds. However, because the round is lighter but still the same overall size it has poorer ballistic qualities, and loses velocity and accuracy at longer ranges. The APCR was superseded by the APDS, which dispensed with the outer light alloy shell once the round had left the barrel. The concept of a heavy, small-diameter penetrator encased in light metal

6290-419: A small calibre and very high velocity. The entire projectile is not normally made of the same material as the penetrator because the physical characteristics that make a good penetrator (i.e. extremely tough, hard metal) make the material equally harmful to the barrel of the gun firing the cartridge. Most modern active protection systems (APS) are unlikely to be able to defeat full-calibre AP rounds fired from

6460-410: A smaller but dense penetrating body within a larger shell, firing at a very-high muzzle velocity . Modern penetrators are long rods of dense material like tungsten or depleted uranium (DU) that further improve the terminal ballistics. The late 1850s saw the development of the ironclad warship , which carried wrought iron armour of considerable thickness. This armour was practically immune to both

6630-544: 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 for its operators, 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 U.S. troops. A U.S. general visiting

6800-481: A superficial resemblance to the Panzerschreck , the M20 had a 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 rate of fire of six shots per minute. As with its predecessor,

6970-407: A total of 22 shots on the side and rear at about 10 meters in distance, but survived the attack. On July 8, Colonel Robert R. Martin , commander of the 34th Regiment of the U.S. 24th Infantry Division , was killed while operating a 2.36-inch rocket launcher to prevent North Korean tanks from advancing. Additionally, ordnance authorities received numerous combat reports regarding the failure of

High-explosive anti-tank - Misplaced Pages Continue

7140-466: A tube-fired rocket for military use. He and his co-worker Clarence N. Hickman successfully demonstrated his rocket to the U.S. Army Signal Corps at Aberdeen Proving Ground , Maryland, on November 6, 1918, but as the Compiègne Armistice was signed only five days later, development was discontinued. The project was also interrupted by Goddard's serious bout with tuberculosis . He continued to be

7310-413: A type of shaped charge used to defeat armoured vehicles. They are very efficient at defeating plain steel armour but less so against later composite and reactive armour . The effectiveness of such shells is independent of velocity, and hence the range: it is as effective at 1000 metres as at 100 metres. This is because HEAT shells do not lose penetrating ability over distance. The speed can even be zero in

7480-504: A wire coat hanger bent with a broken nail. The trial was being watched by various senior officers, among them the chief of research and engineering in the Ordnance Department , Major General Gladeon M. Barnes . Barnes was delighted by the performance of the system and fired it himself, but commented: "It sure looks like Bob Burns' bazooka". The development of the Bazooka involved the development of two specific lines of technology:

7650-587: Is a saboted sub-calibre high-sectional density projectile, typically known as a long rod penetrator (LRP), which has been outfitted with fixed fins at the back end for ballistic-stabilization (so called aerodynamic drag stabilization). The fin-stabilisation allows the APFSDS sub-projectiles to be much longer in relation to its sub-calibre thickness compared to the very similar spin-stabilized ammunition type APDS (armour-piercing discarding sabot). Projectiles using spin-stabilization ( longitudinal axis rotation ) requires

7820-517: Is a projectile which has a core of high-density hard material, such as tungsten carbide , surrounded by a full-bore shell of a lighter material (e.g., an aluminium alloy). However, the low sectional density of the APCR resulted in high aerodynamic drag . Tungsten compounds such as tungsten carbide were used in small quantities of inhomogeneous and discarded sabot round, but that element was in short supply in most places. Most APCR projectiles are shaped like

7990-428: Is added (APC-T). An armour-piercing projectile must withstand the shock of punching through armour plating . Projectiles designed for this purpose have a greatly strengthened body with a specially hardened and shaped nose. One common addition to later projectiles is the use of a softer ring or cap of metal on the nose known as a penetrating cap, or armour-piercing cap . This lowers the initial shock of impact to prevent

8160-438: Is also pyrophoric and may become opportunistically incendiary, especially as the round shears past the armour exposing non-oxidized metal, but both the metal's fragments and dust contaminate the battlefield with toxic hazards. The less toxic WHAs are preferred in most countries except the US and Russia. Armour-piercing bombs dropped by aircraft were used during World War II against capital and other armoured ships. Among

8330-408: Is concentrated by using a reduced-diameter tungsten shot, surrounded by a lightweight outer carrier, the sabot (a French word for a wooden shoe ). This combination allows the firing of a smaller diameter (thus lower mass/aerodynamic resistance/penetration resistance) projectile with a larger area of expanding-propellant "push", thus a greater propelling force and resulting kinetic energy. Once outside

8500-505: Is contained within the barrel. In non-gun applications, when HEAT warheads are delivered with missiles , rockets , bombs , grenades , or spigot mortars, the warhead size is no longer a limiting factor. In these cases, HEAT warheads often seem oversized in relation to the round's body. Classic examples of this include the German Panzerfaust and Soviet RPG-7 . Many HEAT-armed missiles today have two (or more) separate warheads (termed

8670-507: Is defined by explosive power, HEAT rounds were particularly useful in long-range combat where slower terminal velocity was not an issue. The Germans were again the ones to produce the most capable gun-fired HEAT rounds, using a driving band on bearings to allow it to fly unspun from their existing rifled tank guns. The HEAT round was particularly useful to them because it allowed the low-velocity large-bore guns used on their many assault guns to also become useful anti-tank weapons. Likewise,

SECTION 50

#1732837358307

8840-648: Is increased velocity for the projectile. However, projectile impact against armour at higher velocity causes greater levels of shock. Materials have characteristic maximum levels of shock capacity, beyond which they may shatter, or otherwise disintegrate. At relatively high impact velocities, steel is no longer an adequate material for armour-piercing rounds. Tungsten and tungsten alloys are suitable for use in even higher-velocity armour-piercing rounds, due to their very high shock tolerance and shatter resistance, and to their high melting and boiling temperatures. They also have very high density. Aircraft and tank rounds sometimes use

9010-489: Is mainly restricted to lightly armored areas of MBTs—the top, belly and rear armored areas, for example. It is well suited for use in the attack of other less heavily armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) and for breaching material targets (buildings, bunkers, bridge supports, etc.). The newer rod projectiles may be effective against the more heavily armored areas of MBTs. Weapons using the SEFOP principle have already been used in combat;

9180-877: Is normally contained between the cap and penetrating nose, within a hollow at the rear, or a combination of both. If the projectile also uses a tracer , the rear cavity is often used to house the tracer compound. For larger-calibre projectiles, the tracer may instead be contained within an extension of the rear sealing plug. Common abbreviations for solid (non-composite/hardcore) cannon-fired shot are; AP , AP-T , API and API-T ; where "T" stands for "tracer" and "I" for "incendiary". More complex, composite projectiles containing explosives and other ballistic devices tend to be referred to as armour-piercing shells. Early WWII-era uncapped armour-piercing ( AP ) projectiles fired from high-velocity guns were able to penetrate about twice their calibre at close range (100 m). At longer ranges (500–1,000 m), this dropped 1.5–1.1 calibres due to

9350-590: Is reduced by the higher first round hit rate of the Abrams with its improved fire control system compared to that of the M60. Another variant of HEAT warheads surround the warhead with a conventional fragmentation casing, to increase its effectiveness against unarmored targets, while remaining effective in the anti-armor role. In some cases, this is merely a side effect of the armor-piercing design, whilst other designs specifically incorporate this dual role ability. Improvements to

9520-403: Is the initial full-bore caliber, but the outer shell is deformed as it passes through the taper. Flanges or studs are swaged down in the tapered section so that as it leaves the muzzle the projectile has a smaller overall cross-section. This gives it better flight characteristics with a higher sectional density, and the projectile retains velocity better at longer ranges than an undeformed shell of

9690-589: The Mistel weapon. These so-called Schwere Hohlladung (heavy shaped charge) warheads were intended for use against heavily armored battleships . Operational versions weighed nearly two tons and were perhaps the largest HEAT warheads ever deployed. A five-ton version code-named Beethoven was also developed. Meanwhile, the British No. 68 AT rifle grenade was proving to be too light to deal significant damage, resulting in it rarely being used in action. Due to these limits,

9860-570: The Püppchen , Panzerschreck and Panzerfaust were introduced. The Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck (tank fist and tank terror, respectively) gave the German infantryman the ability to destroy any tank on the battlefield from 50 to 150 meters with relative ease of use and training (unlike the British PIAT ). The Germans made use of large quantities of HEAT ammunition in converted 7.5 cm Pak 97/38 guns from 1942, also fabricating HEAT warheads for

10030-541: The 4.2 cm Pak 41 and 7.5 cm Pak 41 . Although HE rounds were also put into service, they weighed only 93 grams and had low effectiveness. The German taper was a fixed part of the barrel. In contrast, the British used the Littlejohn squeeze-bore adaptor , which could be attached or removed as necessary. The adaptor extended the usefulness of armoured cars and light tanks, which could not be upgraded with any gun larger than

10200-802: 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 . It is considered that the Communist-used bazookas destroyed more tanks than the UN Bazookas did. The M20 was used in the early stages of the war in Vietnam by the U.S. Marines before gradually being phased out by

10370-860: The M203 grenade launcher , to larger dedicated anti-tank systems like the Carl Gustav recoilless rifle . When combined with the wire-guided missile , infantry weapons were able to operate at long-ranges also. Anti-tank missiles altered the nature of tank warfare from the 1960s to the 1990s; due to the tremendous penetration of HEAT munitions, many post-WWII main battle tanks , such as the Leopard 1 and AMX-30 , were deliberately designed to carry modest armour in favour of reduced weight and better mobility. Despite subsequent developments in vehicle armour , HEAT munitions remain effective to this day. The jet moves at hypersonic speeds in solid material and therefore erodes exclusively in

SECTION 60

#1732837358307

10540-532: The Raketenpanzerbüchse " Panzerschreck " ("rocket anti-armor rifle 'tank terror ' "). Near the end of the war, the Japanese developed a similar weapon, the Type 4 70 mm AT rocket launcher , which featured a rocket-propelled grenade of a different design. During the Korean War , the M1 and M9 Bazooka series was replaced by the larger caliber M20 Super Bazooka . The term "bazooka" still sees informal use as

10710-463: The Stielgranate 41 , introducing a round that was placed over the end on the outside of otherwise obsolete 37 millimetres (1.5 in) anti-tank guns to produce a medium-range low-velocity weapon. Adaptations to existing tank guns were somewhat more difficult, although all major forces had done so by the end of the war. Since velocity has little effect on the armor-piercing ability of the round, which

10880-516: The bombs used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the attack on Pearl Harbor were 800 kg (1,800 lb) armour-piercing bombs, modified from 41-centimeter (16.1 in) naval shells, which succeeded in sinking the battleship USS  Arizona . The Luftwaffe ' s PC 1400 armour-piercing bomb and the derived Fritz X precision-guided bomb were able to penetrate 130 mm (5.1 in) of armour. The Luftwaffe also developed

11050-536: 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. Following Operation Overlord in 1944,

11220-515: 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, undersides, and tops of enemy tanks. To hit the bottom of an enemy tank, the Bazooka operator had to wait until the tank

11390-473: The Army's development of light antitank weapons. In 1942, U.S. Army Colonel Leslie Skinner received the M10 shaped-charge grenade which was capable of stopping German tanks. He gave Lieutenant Edward Uhl the task of creating a delivery system for the grenade. Uhl created a small rocket, but needed to protect the operator from the rocket motor's exhaust. According to Uhl: I was walking by this scrap pile, and there

11560-524: The Bazooka under lend-lease . There were also examples captured during the Operation Torch invasions in the North African Campaign. The Germans promptly developed their own version of the weapon called the Panzerschreck , increasing the diameter of the warhead from 60 mm to 88 mm (2.4 to 3.5 in), which as a result, gave it significantly greater armor penetration. During U.S. trials of

11730-514: The British referred to the Monroe effect as the "cavity effect on explosives". During the war, the French communicated Mohaupt's technology to the U.S. Ordnance Department, and he was invited to the US, where he worked as a consultant on the bazooka project. The need for a large bore made HEAT rounds relatively ineffective in existing small-caliber anti-tank guns of the era. Germany worked around this with

11900-484: The British. The only British APHE projectile for tank use in this period was the Shell AP, Mk1 for the 2 pdr anti-tank gun and this was dropped as it was found that the fuze tended to separate from the body during penetration. Even when the fuze did not separate and the system functioned correctly, damage to the interior was little different from the solid shot, and so did not warrant the additional time and cost of producing

12070-420: The German 150 millimetres (5.9 in) guns (the Japanese 70  mm Type 92 battalion gun and Italian 65 mm mountain gun also had HEAT rounds available for them by 1944 but they were not very effective). High-explosive anti-tank rounds caused a revolution in anti-tank warfare when they were first introduced in the later stages of World War II. One infantryman could effectively destroy any existing tank with

12240-509: The German infantryman the ability to destroy any tank on the battlefield from 50–150 m with relative ease of use and training, unlike the UK PIAT. The first British HEAT weapon to be developed and issued was a rifle grenade using a 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -inch (63.5 mm) cup launcher on the end of the barrel; the British No. 68 AT grenade issued to the British army in 1940. By 1943, the PIAT

12410-413: The Germans, Italians, and Japanese had in service many obsolescent infantry guns , short-barreled, low-velocity artillery pieces capable of direct and indirect fire and intended for infantry support, similar in tactical role to mortars ; generally an infantry battalion had a battery of four or six. High-explosive anti-tank rounds for these old infantry guns made them semi-useful anti-tank guns, particularly

12580-470: The Korean military had secured in sufficient quantities. The South Korean military actively operated rocket launchers against North Korean armor. However, the 2.36-inch rocket launcher failed to show its power against the front armor of T-34-85 , which was the biggest threat. The South Korean military responded by firing rockets into the side, rear, or track through ambushes, but they did not have much effect. At

12750-409: The M1, calls for a larger-diameter warhead had also been raised by some ordnance officers but were rejected. Later in the war, after participating in an armor penetration test involving a German Panther tank using both the Raketenpanzerbüchse , or 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

12920-544: 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). During

13090-471: 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

13260-514: 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. Therefore, the U.S. Army immediately airlifted a small number of available M20 Super Bazookas from the U.S. mainland after learning that it needed more powerful rockets. The rockets were deployed during the Battle of Taejon on July 18, and proved their power by destroying

13430-692: The M9A1 and M20A1 launchers in various campaigns in Indochina , Korea , and Algeria . The M20A1 was replaced in the 1970s by the LRAC F1 . Commonwealth armies also used the M20 and M20A1 under the name M20 Mk I and M20 Mk II . They were used until their replacement by the Carl Gustav L14A1 . For instance, British Army used Super Bazookas during the Operation Vantage . The Argentine Army fielded M20s during

13600-522: The QF 2 pdr. Although a full range of shells and shot could be used, changing an adaptor during a battle is usually impractical. The APCNR was superseded by the APDS design which was compatible with non-tapered barrels. An important armour-piercing development was the armour-piercing discarding sabot ( APDS ). An early version was developed by engineers working for the French Edgar Brandt company , and

13770-672: The Swiss inventor Henry Mohaupt , who exhibited the weapon before World War II. Before 1939, Mohaupt demonstrated his invention to British and French ordnance authorities. Concurrent development by the German inventors’ group of Cranz, Schardin , and Thomanek led to the first documented use of shaped charges in warfare, during the successful assault on the fortress of Eben Emael on 10 May 1940. Claims for priority of invention are difficult to resolve due to subsequent historic interpretations, secrecy, espionage, and international commercial interest. The first British HEAT weapon to be developed and issued

13940-427: The Swiss inventor Henry Mohaupt , who exhibited the weapon before World War II. Before 1939, Mohaupt demonstrated his invention to British and French ordnance authorities. During the war, the French communicated the technology to the U.S. Ordnance Department, who then invited Mohaupt to the US, where he worked as a consultant on the bazooka project. By mid-1940, Germany had introduced the first HEAT round to be fired by

14110-618: 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 U.S. forces. The M1A1 accounted for four medium German tanks and

14280-457: The U.S. Army began to be experimentally field-armed, and were already flying with pairs or quartets of the American ordnance —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 to attack enemy armor , and was credited with destroying six enemy tanks, including two Tiger I heavy tanks. In

14450-449: The U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving 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 pointed noses, which were found to cause deflection from

14620-509: The United States Army , who ordered 5,000 units on the spot. By late 1942, the improved Rocket launcher, M1A1 was introduced. The forward hand grip was deleted, and the design simplified. The production M1A1 was 55 inches (1.37 m) long and weighed 12.75 pounds (5.8 kg). The ammunition for the original M1 launcher was the M6 ("trials" code: T1), which was notoriously unreliable. The M6

14790-399: The aim of the bursting charge was to aid the number of fragments produced by the shell after armour penetration, the energy of the fragments coming from the speed of the shell after being fired from a high velocity anti-tank gun, as opposed to its bursting charge. There were some notable exceptions to this, with naval calibre shells put to use as anti-concrete and anti-armour shells, albeit with

14960-530: The armor of main battle tanks have reduced the usefulness of HEAT warheads by making effective man portable HEAT missiles heavier, although many of the world's armies continue to carry man-portable HEAT rocket launchers for use against vehicles and bunkers. In unusual cases, shoulder-launched HEAT rockets are believed to have shot down U.S. helicopters in Iraq. The reason for the ineffectiveness of HEAT munitions against modern main battle tanks can be attributed in part to

15130-405: 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. However, budget cutbacks initiated by Secretary of Defense Louis A. Johnson in the years following World War II effectively canceled

15300-537: The barrel, the sabot is stripped off by a combination of centrifugal force and aerodynamic force, giving the shot low drag in flight. For a given calibre, the use of APDS ammunition can effectively double the anti-tank performance of a gun. Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot ( APFSDS ) in English nomenclature , alternatively called "arrow projectile" or "dart projectile" ( German : Pfeil-Geschoss , Swedish : pilprojektil , Norwegian : pilprosjektil ),

15470-875: The best-performance penetrating caps were not very aerodynamic, an additional ballistic cap was later fitted to reduce drag. The resulting rounds were classified as armour-piercing capped ballistic capped (APCBC). The hollow ballistic cap gave the rounds a sharper point which reduced drag and broke away on impact. Semi-armour-piercing ( SAP ) shot is a solid shot made of mild steel (instead of high-carbon steel in AP shot). They act as low-cost ammunition with worse penetration characteristics to contemporary high carbon steel projectiles. Armour-piercing composite rigid ( APCR ) in British nomenclature , high-velocity armour-piercing ( HVAP ) in US nomenclature, alternatively called "hard core projectile" ( German : Hartkernprojektil ) or simply "core projectile" ( Swedish : kärnprojektil ),

15640-526: The bursting charge. Armour-piercing high-explosive ( APHE ) shells are armour-piercing shells containing an explosive filling, which were initially termed "shell", distinguishing them from non-explosive "shot". This was largely a matter of British usage, relating to the 1877 invention of the first of the type, the Palliser shell with 1.5% high explosive (HE). By the start of World War II, armour-piercing shells with bursting charges were sometimes distinguished by

15810-409: The case where a soldier places a magnetic mine onto a tank's armour plate. A HEAT charge is most effective when detonated at a certain, optimal distance in front of a target and HEAT shells are usually distinguished by a long, thin nose probe protruding in front of the rest of the shell and detonating it at a correct distance, e.g., PIAT bomb. HEAT shells are less effective when spun, as when fired from

15980-491: The conflict, APCBC fired at close range (100 m) from large-calibre, high-velocity guns (75–128 mm) were able to penetrate a much greater thickness of armour in relation to their calibre (2.5 times) and also a greater thickness (2–1.75 times) at longer ranges (1,500–2,000 m). In an effort to gain better aerodynamics, AP rounds were given ballistic caps to reduce drag and improve impact velocities at medium to long range. The hollow ballistic cap would break away when

16150-469: The desert terrain lacked the concealment required for such a short range weapon and it was not deployed in that theater. 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, General Dwight D. Eisenhower was shocked to discover from

16320-498: The early 2000s onwards, rifled APFSDS mainly exist for small- to medium-calibre (under 60 mm) weapon systems, as such mainly fire conventional full-calibre ammunition and thus need rifling. APFSDS projectiles are usually made from high-density metal alloys, such as tungsten heavy alloys (WHA) or depleted uranium (DU); maraging steel was used for some early Soviet projectiles. DU alloys are cheaper and have better penetration than others, as they are denser and self-sharpening. Uranium

16490-474: 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

16660-620: The effectiveness of gun-fired single charge HEAT rounds being lessened, or even negated by increasingly sophisticated armoring techniques, a class of HEAT rounds termed high-explosive anti-tank multi-purpose , or HEAT-MP, has become more popular. These are HEAT rounds that are effective against older tanks and light armored vehicles but have improved fragmentation, blast and fuzing. This gives the projectiles an overall reasonable light armor and anti-personnel and material effect so that they can be used in place of conventional high-explosive rounds against infantry and other battlefield targets. This reduces

16830-554: The first HEAT round to be fired by a gun, the 7.5 cm Gr.38 Hl/A, (later editions B and C) fired by the KwK.37 L/24 of the Panzer IV tank and the StuG III self-propelled gun . In mid-1941, Germany started the production of HEAT rifle-grenades, first issued to paratroopers and, by 1942, to the regular army units ( Gewehr-Panzergranate 40 , 46 and 61 ), but, just as did the British, soon turned to integrated warhead-delivery systems: In 1943,

17000-505: The first penetrates the spaced armor, the second the reactive or first layers of armor, and the third one finishes the penetration. The total penetration value may reach up to 800 millimetres (31 in). Some anti-armor weapons incorporate a variant on the shaped charge concept that, depending on the source, can be called an explosively formed penetrator (EFP), self-forging fragment (SFF), self-forging projectile (SEFOP), plate charge , or Misnay Schardin (MS) charge. This warhead type uses

17170-460: The force of the warhead's impact enough to prevent detonation of the explosive charge. Later in the Pacific war, Army 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,

17340-670: The fragments strike. Another damage mechanism is the mechanical shock that results from the jet's impact and penetration. Shock is particularly important for such sensitive components as electronics . Spinning imparts centrifugal force onto a warhead's jet, dispersing it and reducing effectiveness. This became a challenge for weapon designers: for a long time, spinning a shell was the most standard method to obtain good accuracy, as with any rifled gun. Most hollow charge projectiles are fin-stabilized and not spin-stabilized. In recent years, it has become possible to use shaped charges in spin-stabilized projectiles by imparting an opposite spin on

17510-461: The hands of American infantry the Bazooka still enjoyed rare successes against heavy Nazi armored fighting vehicles. In 1945, during the failed Operation Nordwind offensive, a Bazooka team managed the unlikely achievement of destroying a Jagdtiger heavy tank destroyer, the most heavily armored fighting vehicle in World War Two. The team managed to do this by positioning themselves to get a shot at

17680-447: The high-explosive filling. Advanced and precise methods of differentially hardening a projectile were developed during this period, especially by the German armament industry. The resulting projectiles change gradually from high hardness (low toughness) at the head to high toughness (low hardness) at the rear and were much less likely to fail on impact. APHE shells for tank guns, although used by most forces of this period, were not used by

17850-478: The impact. More modern SFF warhead versions, through the use of advanced initiation modes, can also produce rods (stretched slugs), multi-slugs and finned projectiles, and this in addition to the standard short L to D ratio projectile. The stretched slugs are able to penetrate a much greater depth of armor, at some loss to BAD. Multi-slugs are better at defeating light or area targets and the finned projectiles have greatly enhanced accuracy. The use of this warhead type

18020-445: The innovative Bazooka was among the first generation of rocket-propelled anti-tank weapons used in infantry combat. Featuring a solid-propellant rocket for propulsion, it allowed for high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shaped charge warheads to be delivered against armored vehicles , machine gun nests, and fortified bunkers at ranges beyond that of a standard thrown grenade or mine . The universally applied nickname arose from

18190-535: The intended widespread issue of the M20, and initial U.S. 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. At the outbreak of the Korean War , the South Korean military had 1,958 M9A1 rocket launchers that were given from the U.S. Forces Korea during withdrawal in 1948 to 1949, and they were the only anti-tank firearms that

18360-530: The interaction of the detonation waves, and to a lesser extent the propulsive effect of the detonation products, to deform a dish or plate of metal (iron, tantalum, etc.) into a slug-shaped projectile of low length-to-diameter ratio and project this towards the target at around two kilometers per second. The SFF is relatively unaffected by first-generation reactive armor, it can also travel more than 1,000 cone diameters (CDs) before its velocity becomes ineffective at penetrating armor due to aerodynamic drag, or hitting

18530-459: The jacket which would surround lead in a conventional projectile . Upon impact on a hard target, the copper case is destroyed, but the penetrator continues its motion and penetrates the target. Armour-piercing ammunition for pistols has also been developed and uses a design similar to the rifle ammunition. Some small ammunition, such as the FN 5.7mm round, is inherently capable of piercing armour, being of

18700-424: The jet so that the two spins cancel out and result in a non-spinning jet. This is done either using fluted copper liners, which have raised ridges, or by forming the liner in such a way that it has a crystalline structure which imparts spin to the jet. Besides spin-stabilization, another problem with any barreled weapon (that is, a gun) is that a large-diameter shell has worse accuracy than a small-diameter shell of

18870-509: The lift struts as other L-4s had done. Within a few weeks, Carpenter was credited with knocking out a German armored car and four tanks. Carpenter's plane was known as "Rosie the Rocketer", and his exploits were soon featured in many press accounts, including Stars and Stripes , the Associated Press , Popular Science , The New York Sun , and Liberty magazine. Carpenter once told

19040-411: The local area where it interacts with armor material. The correct detonation point of the warhead and spacing is critical for optimal penetration, for two reasons: An important factor in the penetration performance of a HEAT round is the diameter of the warhead . As the penetration continues through the armor, the width of the hole decreases leading to a characteristic fist to finger penetration, where

19210-574: The management of Tran Dai Nghia . It was successfully test-fired in 1947. The anti-French Viet Minh received Chinese Type 51 bazookas. They were used by the Viet Cong as late as 1964. The Portuguese Armed Forces used quantities of M9A1 and M20 rocket launchers in their overseas provinces in Africa against Marxist guerrilla forces during the Portuguese Overseas War . The French Army also used

19380-408: The massive vehicle's thinner side armor, scoring a direct hit on the ammunition bustle and causing a catastrophic kill . This incident shows that when correctly aimed at vulnerable points on vehicles the Bazooka could still be effective against even the largest of armored vehicles, though it required significant skill to accomplish. In a letter dated May 20, 1944, General George S. Patton stated to

19550-540: The mid-1960s in favor of the M67 recoilless rifle and later, the M72 LAW rocket. The U.S. Army also used it in lesser quantity. 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

19720-585: The military version of the Piper J-3 Cub, the L-4 Grasshopper, was issued a new L-4H version during the concluding stages of "Overlord", taking this "light attack" role against German armor by himself. With a 150-pound pilot and no radio aboard, the L-4H had a combined cargo and passenger weight capacity of approximately 232 pounds. This margin allowed him to eventually mount a total of six Bazookas, three per side on

19890-542: The military version of the slow-flying Piper J-3 Cub high-wing civilian monoplane, the L-4 Grasshopper, began to be used in a light anti-armor role by a few U.S. Army artillery spotter units over France; these aircraft were field-outfitted with either two or four Bazookas attached to the lift struts , against German armored fighting vehicles. Upon arriving in France in 1944 , U.S. Army major, Charles Carpenter , an Army aviator flying liaison and artillery-spotting lightplanes like

20060-511: The model 47 and other early helicopters. The helicopter itself belonged to HMX-1, a marine experimental helicopter squadron. In September 1942, a consignment of 600 M1 Bazookas was shipped to Egypt for use by the British Army in the Western Desert campaign . In a demonstration to British commanders, a Bazooka penetrated the frontal armor of a captured Panzer III ; however it was decided that

20230-541: The newly developed M247 70 millimeter (2.8 in) HEAT rockets, which were yet untested in the theatre of war. The helicopters destroyed three T-54 tanks that were about to overrun a U.S. command post. McIntyre and McKay engaged first, destroying the lead tank. Armor piercing shell Armour-piercing ammunition ( AP ) is a type of projectile designed to penetrate armour protection, most often including naval armour , body armour , and vehicle armour . The first, major application of armour-piercing projectiles

20400-476: The place of the Palliser shot. At first, these forged-steel rounds were made of ordinary carbon steel , but as armour improved in quality, the projectiles followed suit. During the 1890s and subsequently, cemented steel armour became commonplace, initially only on the thicker armour of warships. To combat this, the projectile was formed of steel—forged or cast—containing both nickel and chromium . Another change

20570-445: The point from deflecting away from the armour face. Shot and shell used before and during World War I were generally cast from special chromium steel that was melted in pots. They were forged into shape afterward and then thoroughly annealed , the core bored at the rear and the exterior turned up in a lathe . The projectiles were finished in a similar manner to others described above. The final, or tempering treatment, which gave

20740-412: The poor ballistic shape and higher drag of the smaller-diameter early projectiles. In January 1942 a process was developed by Arthur E. Schnell for 20 mm and 37 mm armour piercing rounds to press bar steel under 500 tons of pressure that made more even "flow-lines" on the tapered nose of the projectile, which allowed the shell to follow a more direct nose first path to the armour target. Later in

20910-538: The preferred material in constructing older armored fighting vehicles . Spaced armor and slat armor are also designed to defend against HEAT rounds, protecting vehicles by causing premature detonation of the explosive at a relatively safe distance away from the main armor of the vehicle. Some cage defenses work by destroying the mechanism of the HEAT round. Helicopters have carried anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) tipped with HEAT warheads since 1956. The first example of this

21080-586: The primary method of conducting anti-tank warfare. They are still in use in artillery above 50 mm calibre, but the tendency is to use semi-armour-piercing high-explosive ( SAPHE ) shells, which have less anti-armour capability but far greater anti-materiel and anti-personnel effects. These still have ballistic caps, hardened bodies and base fuzes , but tend to have far thinner body material and much higher explosive contents (4–15%). Common terms (and acronyms) for modern armour-piercing and semi-armour-piercing shells are: High-explosive anti-tank ( HEAT ) shells are

21250-815: The production of the M9A1, the T43 sight was replaced by the Polaroid T90 optical reflector sight, which used an etched reticle for aiming. The T43 and T90 sights were interchangeable. Various types of blast deflectors were tried, and an additional strap iron shoulder brace was fitted to the M9 launcher. 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 0 °F or above 120 °F (−18 °C to +49 °C). 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

21420-444: The projectile hit the target. These rounds were classified as armour-piercing ballistic capped (APBC) rounds. Armour-piercing, capped projectiles had been developed in the early 1900s, and were in service with both the British and German fleets during World War I. The shells generally consisted of a nickel steel body that contained the burster charge and was fitted with a hardened steel nose intended to penetrate heavy armour. Striking

21590-433: The projectile mass too light for sufficient kinetic energy (range and penetration), which in turn limits how aerodynamic the projectile can be (smaller calibre means less air-resistance ), thus limiting velocity , etc, etc. To get away from this, APFSDS sub-projectiles instead use aerodynamic drag stabilization (no longitudinal axis rotation), by means of fins attached to the base of the sub-projectile, making it look like

21760-421: The projectile will have. This long thin shape also has increased sectional density , in turn increasing penetration potential. Large calibre (105+ mm) APFSDS projectiles are usually fired from smoothbore (unrifled) barrels, as the fin-stabilization negates the need for spin-stabilization through rifling . Basic APFSDS projectiles can traditionally not be fired from rifled guns, as the immense spinning caused by

21930-680: The required hardness/toughness profile (differential hardening) to the projectile body, was a closely guarded secret. The rear cavity of these projectiles was capable of receiving a small bursting charge of about 2% of the weight of the complete projectile; when this is used, the projectile is called a shell, not a shot. The high-explosive filling of the shell, whether fuzed or unfuzed, had a tendency to explode on striking armour in excess of its ability to perforate. During World War II, projectiles used highly alloyed steels containing nickel -chromium- molybdenum , although in Germany, this had to be changed to

22100-555: The rifling damages and destroys the fins of the projectile, etc. This can however be solved by the use of "slipping driving bands" on the sabot ( driving bands which rotates freely from the sabot). Such ammunition was introduced during the 1970s and 1980s for rifled high-calibre tank guns and similar, such as the Western Royal Ordnance L7 and the Eastern D-10T . However, as such guns have been taken out of service since

22270-514: The rigid projectile from shattering, as well as aiding the contact between the target armour and the nose of the penetrator to prevent the projectile from bouncing off in glancing shots. Ideally, these caps have a blunt profile, which led to the use of a further thin aerodynamic cap to improve long-range ballistics . Armour-piercing shells may contain a small explosive charge known as a "bursting charge". Some smaller- calibre armour-piercing shells have an inert filling or an incendiary charge in place of

22440-450: 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 visibility screen, but its burning particles can cause severe injuries to 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

22610-426: 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 pillboxes . Against coconut and sand emplacements, the weapon was not always effective, as these softer structures often reduced

22780-469: The rocket-powered weapon and the shaped charge warhead. It was also designed for easy maneuverability and access. This rocket-powered weapon was the brainchild of Robert H. Goddard as a side project (under U.S. Army contract during World War I) of his work on rocket propulsion. Goddard, during his tenure at Clark University , and while working at Worcester Polytechnic Institute 's magnetic lab and Mount Wilson Observatory (for security reasons), designed

22950-454: The round cast-iron cannonballs then in use and to the recently-developed explosive shell . The first solution to this problem was effected by Major Sir W. Palliser , who, with the Palliser shot , invented a method of hardening the head of the pointed cast-iron shot. By casting the projectile point downwards and forming the head in an iron mold, the hot metal was suddenly chilled and became intensely hard (resistant to deformation through

23120-525: The same time, the U.S. military dispatched its first troops to the Korean Peninsula without trusting reports that a 2.36-inch rocket could not destroy North Korean tanks. On July 5, 1950, during the Battle of Osan , Task Force Smith tried to stop North Korean tanks with 2.36-inch rocket launchers and 75 mm recoilless rifles but was overrun by 33 T-34-85s. One of the North Korean T-34s received

23290-514: The same weight. As with the APCR, the kinetic energy of the round is concentrated at the core of impact. The initial velocity of the round is greatly increased by the decrease of barrel cross-sectional area toward the muzzle, resulting in a commensurate increase in velocity of the expanding propellant gases. The Germans deployed their initial design as a light anti-tank weapon, 2.8 cm schwere Panzerbüchse 41 , early in World War II , and followed by

23460-417: The same weight. The lessening of accuracy increases dramatically with range. Paradoxically, this leads to situations when a kinetic armor-piercing projectile is more usable at long ranges than a HEAT projectile, despite the latter having a higher armor penetration. To illustrate this: a stationary Soviet T-62 tank, firing a (smoothbore) cannon at a range of 1000 meters against a target moving 19 km/h

23630-503: The size of the eventual finger is based on the size of the original fist . In general, very early HEAT rounds could expect to penetrate armor of 150% to 250% of their diameters, and these numbers were typical of early weapons used during World War II. Since then, the penetration of HEAT rounds relative to projectile diameters has steadily increased as a result of improved liner material and metal jet performance. Some modern examples claim numbers as high as 700%. As for any antiarmor weapon,

23800-570: The smart submunitions in the CBU-97 cluster bomb used by the US Air Force and US Navy in the 2003 Iraq war used this principle, and the US Army is reportedly experimenting with precision-guided artillery shells under Project SADARM (Seek And Destroy Armor). There are also various other projectiles (BONUS, DM 642) and rocket submunitions (Motiv-3M, DM 642) and mines (MIFF, TMRP-6) that use the SFF principle. With

23970-493: The standard APCBC round (although some of the German Pzgr. 40 and some Soviet designs resemble stubby arrows), but the projectile is lighter: up to half the weight of a standard AP round of the same calibre. The lighter weight allows a higher muzzle velocity. The kinetic energy of the round is concentrated in the core and hence on a smaller impact area, improving the penetration of the target armour. To prevent shattering on impact,

24140-576: The suffix "HE"; APHE was common in anti-tank shells of 75 mm calibre and larger, due to the similarity with the much larger naval armour-piercing shells already in common use. As the war progressed, ordnance design evolved so that the bursting charges in APHE became ever smaller to non-existent, especially in smaller calibre shells, e.g. Panzergranate 39 with only 0.2% high-explosive filling. The primary projectile types for modern anti-tank warfare are discarding-sabot kinetic energy penetrators , such as APDS. Full-calibre armour-piercing shells are no longer

24310-484: 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 3.5–4 inches (89–102 mm) of armor plate. Battery problems in

24480-448: The target becomes a problem. The impact of an SFF normally causes a large diameter, but relatively shallow hole (relative to a shaped charge) or, at best, a few CDs. If the SFF perforates the armor, extensive behind-armor damage (BAD, also called behind-armor effect (BAE)) occurs. The BAD is mainly caused by the high temperature and velocity armor and slug fragments being injected into the interior space and also overpressure (blast) caused by

24650-447: The target's armour thickness. The penetrator is a pointed mass of high-density material that is designed to retain its shape and carry the maximum possible amount of energy as deeply as possible into the target. Generally, the penetration capability of an armour-piercing round increases with the projectile's kinetic energy, and with concentration of that energy in a small area. Thus, an efficient means of achieving increased penetrating power

24820-511: The total number of rounds that need to be carried for different roles, which is particularly important for modern tanks like the M1 Abrams , due to the size of their 120 millimetres (4.7 in) rounds. The M1A1/M1A2 tank can carry only 40 rounds for its 120 mm M256 gun—the M60A3 Patton tank (the Abrams' predecessor), carried 63 rounds for its 105 millimetres (4.1 in) M68 gun. This effect

24990-455: The universally applied nickname of the new American anti-tank weapon , due to its vague resemblance to the musical instrument invented and popularized by 1930s American comedian Bob Burns . Shortly after the first prototype launcher and rockets had been tested by firing into the Potomac River , U.S. Army colonel Leslie Skinner , and Lieutenant Colonel Edward Uhl took the new system to

25160-440: The use of new types of armor. The jet created by the explosion of the HEAT round must be a certain distance from the target and must not be deflected. Reactive armor attempts to defeat this with an outward directed explosion under the impact point, causing the jet to deform and so greatly reducing penetrating power. Alternatively, composite armor featuring ceramics erode the liner jet faster than rolled homogeneous armor steel,

25330-457: The use of waxes mixed with the explosive). Cap suffixes (C, BC, CBC) are traditionally only applied to AP, SAP, APHE and SAPHE-type projectiles (see below) configured with caps, for example "APHEBC" (armour-piercing high explosive ballistic capped), though sometimes the HE-suffix on capped APHE and SAPHE projectiles gets omitted (example: APHECBC > APCBC). If fitted with a tracer, a "-T" suffix

25500-482: The user elevating the Bazooka so the rear sight lined up with the selected "rung" on the front sight. On the M9, the ladder sight was replaced by the General Electric T43 aperture sight. Ranging was accomplished by looking through the rear sight's peep hole while rotating the assembly (which had graduations of 100, 200, and 300 yards) so it lined up with the blade positioned at the muzzle. In September 1944, during

25670-543: The war, Bazookas were lend-leased to the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, China, and Free French forces as well as the Soviet Union . Some were supplied to French maquis and Yugoslav partisans . 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 (89 mm) model was adopted, the M20 "Super Bazooka". Though bearing

25840-485: The weapon's M1 variant's vague resemblance to the musical instrument called a bazooka invented and popularized by 1930s American comedian Bob Burns . During World War II , the 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 (among other minor changes) and widely issuing it as

26010-423: The weight of the complete projectile, but in anti-tank use, the much smaller and higher velocity shells used only about 0.5% e.g. Panzergranate 39 with only 0.2% high-explosive filling. This was due to much higher armour penetration requirements for the size of shell (e.g. over 2.5 times calibre in anti-tank use compared to below 1 times calibre for naval warfare). Therefore, in most APHE shells put to anti-tank use

26180-521: Was a rifle grenade using a 63.5 millimetres (2.50 in) cup launcher on the end of the rifle barrel; the Grenade, Rifle No. 68 /AT which was first issued to the British Armed Forces in 1940. This has some claim to have been the first HEAT warhead and launcher in use. The design of the warhead was simple and was capable of penetrating 52 millimetres (2.0 in) of armor. The fuze of the grenade

26350-425: Was a tube that... happened to be the same size as the grenade that we were turning into a rocket. I said, That's the answer! Put the tube on a soldier's shoulder with the rocket inside, and away it goes. At the launcher's first firing test, Uhl wore a welding helmet , but discovered that there was not enough exhaust from the rocket to require protective equipment. The prototype launcher was demonstrated in May 1942 at

26520-434: 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 simple fixed sights and used launch tubes without reinforcements. During the war, the M1A1 received a number of running modifications. The battery specification

26690-440: Was armed by removing a pin in the tail which prevented the firing pin from flying forward. Simple fins gave it stability in the air and, provided the grenade hit the target at the proper angle of 90 degrees, the charge would be effective. Detonation occurred on impact, when a striker in the tail of the grenade overcame the resistance of a creep spring and was thrown forward into a stab detonator . By mid-1940, Germany introduced

26860-414: 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). The M1 and M1A1 used rear iron sights and front rectangular "ladder" sights positioned at the muzzles. The vertical sides of the ladder sight were inscribed with graduations of 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards, with

27030-620: Was developed; a combination of a HEAT warhead and a spigot mortar delivery system. While cumbersome, the weapon at last allowed British infantry to engage armour at range; the earlier magnetic hand-mines and grenades required them to approach suicidally close. During World War II, the British referred to the Munroe effect as the cavity effect on explosives . Armour-piercing solid shot for cannons may be simple, or composite, solid projectiles but tend to also combine some form of incendiary capability with that of armour-penetration. The incendiary compound

27200-470: 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. In September 1944, the fragile folding aperture sight was replaced by a Polaroid optical reflector sight. 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

27370-476: Was fielded in two calibres (75 mm/57 mm for the 75 mm Mle1897/33 anti-tank gun , 37 mm/25 mm for several 37 mm gun types) just before the French-German armistice of 1940. The Edgar Brandt engineers, having been evacuated to the United Kingdom, joined ongoing APDS development efforts there, culminating in significant improvements to the concept and its realization. The APDS projectile type

27540-773: Was further developed in the United Kingdom between 1941 and 1944 by L. Permutter and S. W. Coppock, two designers with the Armaments Research Department. In mid-1944 the APDS projectile was first introduced into service for the UK's QF 6-pdr anti-tank gun and later in September 1944 for the QF-17 pdr anti-tank gun. The idea was to use a stronger and denser penetrator material with smaller size and hence less drag, to allow increased impact velocity and armour penetration. The armour-piercing concept calls for more penetration capability than

27710-482: Was improved and designated M6A1 , and the new ammunition was issued with the improved M1A1 launcher. After the M6, several alternative warheads were introduced. Many older M1 launchers were modified to M1A1 standards in July and August 1943. Batches of M6 rockets designated M6A2 were overhauled with the latest ignition systems and had been modified to be able to be fired from the upgraded M1 launchers. The M6A3 rocket featured

27880-400: Was later employed in small-arms armour-piercing incendiary and HEIAP rounds. Armour-piercing, composite non-rigid ( APCNR ) in British nomenclature , alternatively called "flange projectile" ( Swedish : flänsprojektil ) or less commonly "armour-piercing super-velocity", is a sub-calibre projectile used in squeeze bore weapons (also known as "tapered bore" weapons) – weapons featuring

28050-415: Was rated to have a first-round hit probability of 70% when firing a kinetic projectile . Under the same conditions, it could expect 25% when firing a HEAT round. This affects combat on the open battlefield with long lines of sight; the same T-62 could expect a 70% first-round hit probability using HEAT rounds on target at 500 meters. Additionally, a warhead's diameter is restricted by a gun's caliber if it

28220-488: Was standardized as the M10. However, the M10 grenade weighed 3.5 lb (1.6 kg), proving 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, a dangerous and 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

28390-462: 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 a similar, elevated, position. Even the heavy King Tiger tank only possessed hull and turret top armor of 44 mm ( 1 + 3 ⁄ 4 in) thickness at best, able to be pierced by the Bazooka's shaped-charge rocket. During the 1944 Allied offensive in France, when some examples of liaison aircraft with

28560-415: Was the introduction of a soft metal cap over the point of the shell – so called "Makarov tips" invented by Russian admiral Stepan Makarov . This "cap" increased penetration by cushioning some of the impact shock and preventing the armour-piercing point from being damaged before it struck the armour face, or the body of the shell from shattering. It could also help penetration from an oblique angle by keeping

28730-827: Was the use of the Nord SS.11 ATGM on the Aérospatiale Alouette II helicopter by the French Armed Forces . After then, such weapon systems were widely adopted by other nations. On 13 April 1972—during the Vietnam War —Americans Major Larry McKay, Captain Bill Causey, First Lieutenant Steve Shields, and Chief Warrant Officer Barry McIntyre became the first helicopter crew to destroy enemy armor in combat. A flight of two AH-1 Cobra helicopters, dispatched from Battery F, 79th Artillery , 1st Cavalry Division , were armed with

28900-429: Was to defeat the thick armour carried on many warships and cause damage to their lightly armoured interiors. From the 1920s onwards, armour-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank warfare . AP rounds smaller than 20 mm are intended for lightly armoured targets such as body armour, bulletproof glass , and lightly armoured vehicles. As tank armour improved during World War II , anti-vehicle rounds began to use

#306693