The bazooka
dates back to experiments carried out by the scientist, Robert
H. Goddard, in the 1920s. It consisted of a lightweight metal
tube held on the shoulder, from which a fin-stabilized rocket could
be fired.
In the
Second World War scientists returned to the
idea and in 1942 the bazooka became an important anti-tank
weapon for
the US infantry. It fired a 3.4lb rocket to a range of 400 yards.
The Red
Army was supplied with this weapon to use on the Eastern
Front against the Germans. After managing to capture some of these
weapons, the German Army introduced the
Panzerschreck. Based on the bazooka, the German version fired a 7.3lb
rocket around 165 yards.
US
Soldier using a bazooka in Okinawa
in 1945.
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