The Bazooka - Gordon L Rottman

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Résumé :

The bazooka was the popular name given to the innovative US rocket-propelled, man-portable antitank weapon that saw widespread service with US and other forces from 1942 to the early 1980s and was described by Eisenhower as one of the four Tools of Victory - with the atom bomb, the Jeep, and the C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft - that won World War II for the Allies.

Most belligerents entering World War II armed their infantry with bulky and ineffectual antitank rifles as their primary means of combating tanks, but US planners realized that what infantrymen needed was a relatively lightweight, man-portable antitank weapon that was simple to operate, accurate, and capable of knocking out the average tank at a reasonable range, while also being effective against fortified buildings, pillboxes, and personnel in the open. The bazooka combined a revolutionary new antitank rifle-grenade warhead, a much-modified British antiaircraft rocket motor, and a cobbled-together launcher tube and electrical firing system...

Biographie:
Gordon L Rottman entered the US Army in 1967, volunteered for Special Forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. He served in the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam in 1969-70 and subsequently in airborne infantry, long-range patrol and intelligence assignments until retiring after 26 years. He was a Special Operations Forces scenario writer at the Joint Readiness Training Center for 12 years and is now a freelance writer, living in Texas....

Sommaire:
its first test-firing astounded observers, and it was immediately adopted by the US armed forces.

Although the bazooka and its ammunition suffered teething problems, US and other troops quickly found the bazooka was highly effective against an enormous variety of targets. The weapon was widely used in all theaters of war...

...details the creation of this revolutionary anti-tank weapon. --Hal Miller, Model Retailer (September 2012) Splendidly informative photos, captions, sidebars, and illustrations enhance this superb little study. Glossary, bibliography, and index complete contents. Grab this enormously entertaining effort! --David L. Veres, www.cybermodeler.com ...provides a fine survey of the career of the bazooka and its importance in World War II ... Vintage black and white photos and color illustrations throughout make this a fine recommendation for any military equipment history holding. --James A. Cox, California Bookwatch (October 2012) The book goes into the development of the bazooka, its introduction into the military, and how it evolved. From its earliest beginnings to today's modern army, the weapon is a mainstay against armored vehicles. Accomapnying the text are numerous photographs and the usual detailed illustrations that are in every Osprey book. Another noteworthy addition to the publisher's weapon series. --Military Heritage (July 2013)