# An American Original: The Bazooka M1/M9



## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

Trainee soldier aiming an M1 bazooka in 1943 (pic from upload.wikimedia.org):










When I was about 11 years old and ensconced in the junior boarding house of my secondary school, there was a fantastically fun craze for making rockets and creating explosive mayhem. This was, of course, before the days of modern health and safety legislation and before kids like me were no longer able to buy various chemicals from chemists and hardware stores. During that craze, it seemed obvious to us that one could use a tube to contain the rocket and give it at least a semblance of direction, and this obvious conclusion had earlier formed the basis of the bazooka. Fortunately, as kids, we never reached the obvious but dangerous stage of hand-holding or shouldering a tube in which a rocket was contained and then ignited. That idea had already been tried and developed, with the first military bazookas from the States and the subsequent improved successors and later rocket-propelled grenades, and the bazooka and rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) were to remain strong in the public consciousness through news reports, films and computer games through my life right up until today.

In this topic, I am only going to deal with World War Two period American bazookas, essentially the M1 and M9 models, including improved versions of these two types. Obviously, I will need to touch very briefly on other bazooka type weapons, but in order to give this topic a sense of being contained as a whole, I cannot go down the route of describing related weapons from elsewhere and from more recent periods, when the problems of the original bazooka designs had largely been solved. The American M1 bazooka was the first anti-tank weapon of its type and it launched, literally, a whole battery of derivatives and class of weapon, not only American but also from other countries, now generally designated as rocket-propelled grenades.

An original design for a tube-fired rocket-powered weapon was first mooted by Dr. Robert H. Goddard, and he and his co-worker, Dr. Clarence N. Hickman, jointly and successfully demonstrated Goddard's rocket to the US Army Signal Corps at Aberdeen Proving ground, Maryland, on 6 November 1918. However, further development of this weapon was delayed by the completion of the Armistice ending World War One as well as Goddard's severe bout of tuberculosis. On his recovery, Goddard turned to other projects pertaining to rocket propulsion, and it was finally left to Hickman to finalise the eventual design of the bazooka as head of the National Defense Research Committee in the 1940s.

While developments were going on in the area of rocketry and rocket propulsion, a simultaneous development was occurring in shaped charge technology - the use of a warhead shaped so that its explosive power was concentrated on a single point. The Americans were designing a shaped charge hand grenade that was for use by the infantry and which could pierce up to 60mm of vehicle armour. This grenade, designated the M10, proved to be cumbersome to throw and too heavy to be rifle-launched, with the result that a smaller, less powerful, grenade, the M9 was introduced. This grenade could be fired from a rifle, and a number of different rifle grenade launchers were created for that purpose. Indeed, it has been claimed that rifle grenade launchers could fire their ammunition almost as far and as accurately as a bazooka, and it has to be said that the bazooka did not replace the rifle launched grenade, with rifle launchers continuing in use throughout the War.

World War Two Garand M1 rifle with M7 launcher attachment and 22mm grenade, ready to go (pic from upload.wikimedia.org):










The US military were not really satisfied by the outcome of all this work, and they now looked around for a more effective man portable anti-tank weapon. The basic work had been done in the two strands of rocket technology and shaped charges, and it was now time to combine the two, with the rebirth of the tube idea.

In 1942, US Army Colonel Leslie Skinner was provided with the heavier M10 shaped-charge grenade that was capable of destroying German tanks but really could only be placed rather than thrown - not a sensible delivery method for destroying tanks etc.. He therefore tasked Lieutenant Edward Uhl with the creation of a suitable delivery system for the grenade. The system needed to be manoeuvrable, relatively accurate in aim, and safe to use. Acccording to Uhl, the idea of the bazooka tube occurred to him while walking through a scrap pile where there was a tube of the same size as the grenade he was applying a rocket to: Thus, "I said, That's the answer! Put the tube on a soldier's shoulder with the rocket inside, and away it goes." The prototype launcher and rocket were successfully trialled at the Aberdeen proving ground in May 1942 in front of senior officers, and one of them, Major General Gladeon M. Barnes, Chief of Research and Engineering in the Ordnance Department commented that, "It sure looks like Bob Burns' bazooka," a novelty musical instrument featuring in shows by Bob Burns, a popular radio comedian. Thus was born the nickname "bazooka" for the shoulder-born rocket launcher - an evocative term that has remained redolent among weapons of this type ever since. Before going on, I must just mention "bazooka-speak" whereby the term "rocket" generally refers to both the rocket motor and the explosive payload, while "bazooka" may refer to the weapon as a whole or sometimes specifically the tube launcher. I have sometimes used the shorter method, or more specific terms, in this topic and I trust that my wording is clear.

The resulting design for the complete weapon, the M1 bazooka (designated, 2.36-inch Anti-Tank Rocket launcher M1) was a 54 inch (137 cm) smoothbore steel tube opened at both ends, and had a usual crew of 2, comprising operator and loader. The solid-fuel rocket grenade, (designated, Rocket A.T., M6, 2.36 inch) with its payload of high explosive, was loaded into the barrel from the rear and then connected to the electric firing system by its own wire attaching to a contact spring next to the rear end of the barrel. The electrical firing system relied on two D-cell batteries in the wooden shoulder stock (that also held two spare batteries) and a signal lamp to alert for proper contact. A simple pistol grip trigger triggered the system and fired the rocket, and at first there were no manual safety mechanisms. Simple rear iron sights fitted to the barrel had settings for 100, 200, 300 and 400 yards, with a ladder sight at the front. The bazooka M1 had a maximum range of 400 yards (370 m), with a claimed effective range of only 150 yards (140 m). The bazooka also required careful treatment when used in tropical, arctic, or dusty conditions, and rockets could not be launched below 0 degrees F or above 120 degrees F (-18 C to +48 C).

The original bazooka, M1, together with its M6 rocket ammunition (pic from markfranklinarts.com):










Diagram for the M1 bazooka (pic from modernfireams.net):










The first 5000 bazooka launchers were produced by General Electric within an incredible 5 weeks - perhaps a testament to the simplicity of the first M1 design. Early production versions of the M1 bazooka and M6 rocket found their way to some US troops in North Africa in mid-1942. However, the soldiers had not received any training in the use of the weapon, and the bazooka also proved to be unreliable; it therefore played no significant role in the fighting in North Africa. Additionally, some of these weapons were captured by the Germans, just as in late 1942, a number of early lend-lease supplied M1 bazookas were captured by German troops from Soviet forces. The outcome of this was that the Germans were soon developing their own version of the weapon, that was to prove somewhat superior to the M1 and later M9 bazookas.

The introduction in service of the M1 soon revealed serious flaws in terms of its safety and reliability, in both ammunition and launcher. This led to the introduction in late 1942 of a modified bazooka, the M1A1, and a slightly improved rocket, the M6A1. This simplified launcher design omitted the forward hand grip and was slightly lighter in weight than the original M1. In addition to production M1A1 bazookas, many M1 bazookas were converted to M1A1 specifications, just as many M6 rockets were also modified to improve ignition. There was also a series of running minor alterations made to the weapon in order to effect further improvement, with perhaps the most notable being the use of larger, standard, batteries that necessitated reaming out the wooden stock compartment to prevent these larger cells from sticking fast. The improved M6A1 ammunition for the M1A1 was followed by an improved M6A2 variant with more reliable ignition.

Picture showing the M1 and the slightly improved M1A1 (pic from droopaille.free.fr):










The firing of an M1A1 bazooka showing the very visible rocket propellant emerging front and rear of the tube (pic from gb.fotolibra.com):










The M1A1 may have been an improvement on the primitive M1 bazooka, but it was really not a great deal better in terms of safety and reliability. One of the big problems was that the sheet-steel tube was not reinforced, and in 1943, reports were coming in to US Army Ordnance from the field about rockets sticking in the launch tube and detonating prematurely. This led to frantic but fruitless attempts to find improvised ways to reinforce the steel tube, and only when bore slug test gauges were introduced could this problem of the rocket catching be reduced. in addition to reinforcements for the tube, various blast deflectors were tried, and a circular flash guard was sometimes used at the muzzle end. There was even a full face protective mask developed for use with the bazooka, but these often impeded the use of the weapon, so tended to be discarded.

It is difficult to accurately evaluate the effectiveness of the M1/M1A1 bazooka as a military weapon during World War Two. In May 1943, deliveries of bazookas for troops in North Africa were suspended due largely to problems I have already mentioned above. In the Allied invasion of Sicily, a small number of M1A1 bazookas were used to some effect, knocking out four medium German tanks and a heavy Tiger 1 - the latter being stopped by a rocket through the driver's vision slot. In the field, the bazooka was not as effective as it might have been predicted; although the weapon as designed was recoil-less, the back blast was very noticeable and the bazooka operator often had to make himself clearly visible in order to aim clearly at the target. The best method of tank-busting with the M1 bazooka was to hit the areas where armour was thinnest, particularly beneath the vehicle but in other areas as well. To hit the bottom panel of a tank, the bazooka operator waited until the tank was surmounting a steep hill or obstacle, revealing its underside, and even the heavy Tiger tank was vulnerable to the shaped charge used in the M1 bazooka at these thinner areas. Interestingly, there has been debate online as to the exact way a bazooka launcher was best held in action and it seems that different operators had their own styles and methods over and above official recommendations.

An improvised weapon fielding two M1 bazookas et on a machine gun mount inside a Willis Jeep (pic from forgottenweapons.com):










A Marine firing his bazooka on Peleliu, against the Japanese (pic from ww2awartobewon):










In the Pacific campaign, the original M1 bazookas sent out to the troops were found to be unreliable. Rough handling could easily damage the battery-operated ignition system, and the often extreme conditions found in this field of combat caused failures in the rocket motors. The replacement M1A1, with improved ammunition, did prove useful against the Japanese, destroying some armour, concrete bunkers and pill boxes. Even here, though, concrete and sand structures could cause problems for bazooka ammunition, being so soft that the rocket grenade would fail to explode on impact. In certain operations, the flamethrower was to compete with the bazooka as an effective weapon, with World War two being the first conflict where flamethroweres were used on a large scale.

Given the fact that the Germans were developing their "Panzerschrek" rocket launcher - partly basing it on reverse engineering captured bazookas - as a larger and more powerful weapon than the American model, it may seem surprising that instead of building on the M1A1 to produce a larger calibre bazooka with more armour-piercing capability, the replacement for the M1A1, the M9, used the same 2.36 inch calibre as the M1 models.

The M9 bazooka was designed to operate in conjunction with the new and improved M6A3 rocket; this new ammunition had a blunt rounded nose rather than being pointed, which lessened the chances of the grenade ricocheting off when hitting angled armour. Other types of rocket ammunition were also developed for the M9, including phosphor smoke grenades and incendiary rockets. Even a chemical warfare rocket for the bazooka was designed, but was never used against the Axis powers. The M9 commenced production in October 1943, and it was to have a number of crucial modifications lending it enhanced superiority as a weapon. Firstly, the M9 used a different form of gunsight - a General Electric T43 Aperture sight which involved looking through a peephole and turning the assembly so that it lined up with the blade positioned at the muzzle and also provided a distance parameter for the operator. When the M9A1 took over, this launcher was provided with a Polaroid T90 optical reflector sight using an etched reticle for aiming - these two sights were interchangeable. The M9 was also fitted with an extra iron shoulder strap. Perhaps the most important innovation in the M9 was the replacement of battery-powered ignition by a magneto system whereby a spark was emitted when the trigger was pulled, and a safety system was incorporated that prevented misfires caused by stored charge prematurely firing the rocket when the trigger was released. The final major change was the division of the weapon into two parts, separated by bayonet joints and making the weapon easier to carry. This was especially important for airborne troops.

Two American soldiers in World War Two; the man on the left fields an M1 bazooka, with the M9 model being held by the right-hand soldier (pic from tothosewhoserved.com):










The improved M6A3 rocket grenade with its blunt rounded nose and cylindrical fin assembly (pic from modernfirearms.net)










US infantryman armed with a bazooka runs passed a knocked-out German vehicle, Avenholden, Germany, 1944 (pic from c1.staticflickr.com):










The final version of the M9, the improved M9A1, saw service in World War Two, from late 1943. Perhaps the oddest episode regarding the M9 was when it six bazookas were mounted on the lift struts of an L-4H Grasshopper aeroplane by US Army Major Charles Carpenter, in France, in 1944. His exploits included knocking out four tanks and an armoured car within a few weeks, and he played a notable role in disabling armoured vehicles and soldiers with his modified L-4H during the battle of Arracourt in late September 1944.

Although there had been a sequence of improvements to the bazooka, from its inception, these could not detract from the fact that from a relatively lightweight and simple weapon, the bazooka had become, with the M9A1, a heavy, cumbersome and relatively complex piece of kit. The launch tube of the M9A1 was no less than 61 inches (1.55 metres) and when empty, the launcher weighed 14.3 pounds (6.5 kilos).

In late 1943, it was becoming clear that the M9 bazooka, with its M6A3 ammunition was becoming less and less effective against enemy armour. German tanks were now increasingly fitted with thicker and better designed armour plating, and vulnerable areas were now being protected. On 20 May 1944, General George S. Patten wrote in a letter 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 October 1944, after receiving reports of the ineffectiveness of the bazooka and having examined captured German weapons of a similar type, the US Ordnance Corps began to develop a new and more powerful anti-tank launcher, the 3.5 inch M20. This weapon, however, was not to be in service until after then end of World War Two.

A bazooka team during the Battle of Osan, in Korea, fielding a model M9A1 bazooka (pic from upload.wikimedia.org):










The bazooka seems such a logical idea yet one that is obviously fraught with hazards for those who have to operate it. Indeed, although the World War Two American bazooka might seem to be an easy weapon to use - a presumption originally made by the US military authorities - it turned out that bazooka crews needed to be trained and certainly required intelligence and courage if their weapon was to be effective. What is extraordinary is that the original M1 bazooka was so short in its pre-production gestation period before being supplied to soldiers, many of whom were apparently untrained as to how to use it effectively. The Second World War was to be a proving ground for the bazooka - a short-cut testing process - and necessary modifications came thick and fast throughout the war both in the launcher itself and the rocket ammunition. And yet, in spite of this opportunity to field test the weapon over years of conflict, it was never perfected during World War Two and remained problematic. Nevertheless, Eisenhower was to declare that the bazooka was one of the four crucial "tools for Victory" in the War, and partly because the bazooka was, for all its faults, a useful weapon in a variety of circumstances, its development continued post-War, and eventually was to lead to the rocket launcher or RPGs of today. The other factor in the continuation of the bazooka is harder to pin down but I feel that it lies in the irresistible idea of this class of weapon; with both the Germans and Japanese catching up with the States by the end of the war, having bazooka-type weapons of their own. The basic premise of having a flexible rocket-powered weapon packing quite a punch that could be carried and shouldered by a single man is just so obvious and irresistible, even if it took much work to produce a really serviceable weapon of that type.

Two US soldiers in action during WW2; the soldier on the right is using a flamethrower while that on the left holds a bazooka - flamethrowers were first used on any scale during the Second World War and sometimes performed tasks that a bazooka might also be used for (pic from 14544-presscdn-0-64-pagely.netdna-cdn.com.










The 3.5 inch M20 Super-Bazooka, introduced early in 1950 and a more powerful and improved successor to the M9A1 (pic from koreanwaronline.com):










An M9 bazooka team of the 82nd Airborne Division loading and about to take aim near Bossons in Belgium during the battle of the Bulge (pic from cdn-images-1.medium.com):


----------



## scottswatches (Sep 22, 2009)

RPG is such a boring name next to Bazooka!


----------



## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

Topic (plus short post by scottswatches) finally posted on 22 September 2017.


----------



## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

scottswatches said:


> RPG is such a boring name next to Bazooka!


 and PIAT.


----------



## bridgeman (Dec 9, 2008)

Great write up again ,

reminds me of the early 1960s....blocking a 3foot length of copper tube with mud at one then dropping a lit firework banger down the open end., cardboard hard banger case came whizzing out......all a matter of good timing.....

and dangerous.


----------



## deano1956 (Jan 27, 2016)

really interesting read honour, thank for the time to write, love WW11 stuff and some good historic photos too :thumbsup:

don't fancy doing a write up on the German MP40 machine gun?( which I have a love of and just bought a co2 version which is very realistic frighteningly so! )

deano


----------



## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

You never know, Deano... And thanks so far folks for the responses.

Are you sure you weren't at school with me, dear bridgeman. Sounds like fun even today...

:biggrin:


----------



## vinn (Jun 14, 2015)

check out the "recoil less rifle".


----------



## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Spud Gun was as far as I got - - a deadly weapon at five paces with a big potato in one hand, and the gun in the other - - the things we tried at home before Elf'nSafe Tea got to us! :yahoo:

Great write up Honor!


----------



## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

How did I miss this, probably to busy blethering about shirts

:laugh: :laugh:

Fascinating read.



When we were kids two of our aunts worked in Brocks firework factory so every bonfire night we would literally have that many firework we would be there for hours letting them off.

We lived besides a main railway and one year they were replacing the sleepers so my brother and I dragged a load of them over the fence for the bonfire. Years of being soaked in oil and diesel so what a fire. At some point my we decided to wrap a few boxes of bangers and other assorted fireworks in old newspapers and throw them into the fire.

There was mayhem, probably a few burnt people, burning embers raining down and so on.

You'd never get away with it now.

:laugh: :laugh:


----------

