M20A1B1 Super Bazooka - It's a Super Bazooka. Need I Say More?

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 27 окт 2017
  • The US was one of the few major military powers that went into World War II without a substantial infantry antitank weapon. Most countries had an antitank rifle of some sort, but the US just had some marginal antitank rifle grenades. That was rectified in late 1942 when the M1 Rocket Launcher - aka the Bazooka - was introduced. Using a 2.36” shaped charge warhead, it was able to penetrate about 4.7 inches of armor, which was effective through most of the war. A larger version went into development in 1943 though, because it was clear that the M1 would soon become obsolete.
    The 3.5” M20 Super Bazooka was adopted in late 1945 and put into production in 1948, with it s first combat use coming in the Korean War. It was much more powerful, capable of penetrating 11 inches of armor plate. The launchers itself weighed just 13 pounds, with each rocket adding another 8.9 pounds. This, and the updated M20A1, would serve as the main US infantry antitank weapon until replaced by the 90mm recoilless rifle in the 1960s.
    / forgottenweapons
    Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! shop.bbtv.com/collections/forg...
    If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! / inrangetvshow

Комментарии • 1,2 тыс.

  • @hal3674really
    @hal3674really 6 лет назад +4359

    "0 out to 450 yards" Hopefully that 0 is just a suggestion.

    • @SgtKOnyx
      @SgtKOnyx 6 лет назад +345

      HAL hopefully it isn't even a suggestion.

    • @Piromanofeliz
      @Piromanofeliz 6 лет назад +461

      They will go full TF2

    • @TheRogueWolf
      @TheRogueWolf 6 лет назад +313

      Well, if nothing else, at that range the backblast is the least of your worries.

    • @kennenandersen
      @kennenandersen 6 лет назад +227

      The zero yards is for anything behind it.

    • @The_Viktor_Reznov
      @The_Viktor_Reznov 6 лет назад +112

      "You are not going anywhere now, son!"

  • @davey_boy94
    @davey_boy94 6 лет назад +3426

    Ah, perfect for home defense.

    • @LittleLion93
      @LittleLion93 6 лет назад +170

      A robber could use a tank to open your door! Who knows! :3

    • @Mr_Bones.
      @Mr_Bones. 6 лет назад +278

      “Can’t rob my house if I blow up half of it!”

    • @armcollector1580
      @armcollector1580 6 лет назад +128

      And since it has no recoil it makes a great edc option for those who are recoil sensitive!

    • @1SaG
      @1SaG 6 лет назад +41

      Yup.. looks like the perfect tool to hit someone over the head with... :D

    • @stockingsstuffer6302
      @stockingsstuffer6302 6 лет назад +30

      now with minimal organ liquefying backblast!

  • @alexandersmall7380
    @alexandersmall7380 3 года назад +508

    Little known fact, the “weight to awesomeness” is how the German Wunderwaffe scientists judged their creations

    • @babyxenomorphPA1R3
      @babyxenomorphPA1R3 2 года назад +4

      tank

    • @jesuschrist711
      @jesuschrist711 2 года назад +19

      I mean the maus was almost 1:1, hence wny after it was impossible. The weight....outweighed...the awesomeness.

    • @kingoliever1
      @kingoliever1 2 года назад +19

      @@jesuschrist711 ​ The Maus meaning in German mice was as the name suggest thought as the small version, they had planes for something called Rat whit multiple 8,8 cm AA guns. This is what Meth does to your military procurement.

    • @eveflash733
      @eveflash733 2 года назад +4

      ​@@kingoliever1 i mean the German also made a small RC Tank and name it the Goliath tank

    • @paavobergmann4920
      @paavobergmann4920 Год назад +1

      @@eveflash733 it was packed with a hell of a lot of RDX, though....

  • @Bustermaniax
    @Bustermaniax 4 года назад +274

    Someone deactivates super bazooka.
    Gun jesus "look how they massacred my boy"

  • @WeirdHarold49
    @WeirdHarold49 6 лет назад +2149

    Since Ian forgot and Wikipedia knows:
    Origin of the "bazooka" name
    Shortly after the first prototype launcher and rockets had been tested by firing into the Potomac River, Skinner and Uhl took the new system to 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 a wire coat hanger. 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". Bob Burns was a popular radio comedian, who used a novelty musical instrument which he had devised himself and called a "bazooka".

    • @machintelligence
      @machintelligence 6 лет назад +239

      Now I have a mental image of a "transformer" musical instrument that converts from a contrabassoon into an anti-tank weapon. Just the thing for symphony concerts in a war zone.

    • @vaclav_fejt
      @vaclav_fejt 6 лет назад +91

      The pocket version, designed to penetrate tankettes and model tank miniatures.

    • @PhilKelley
      @PhilKelley 6 лет назад +25

      A member of the James Bond orchestra of transformer weapons.

    • @MrBioniclefan1
      @MrBioniclefan1 6 лет назад +1

      n bo lol

    • @JunkCCCP
      @JunkCCCP 6 лет назад +11

      n bo I think a bazoom is something else entirely (also they typically come in pairs)

  • @pontusforsman5276
    @pontusforsman5276 6 лет назад +617

    it looks like a chimney with a pistol grip.

    • @jongsookim636
      @jongsookim636 5 лет назад +38

      Its chimney right. Sometimes it spits smokes and fires

    • @JohnnyShagbot
      @JohnnyShagbot 4 года назад +17

      Well they were often called stovepipes

    • @TruthNerds
      @TruthNerds 4 года назад +5

      It looks like a Bazooka made for the mythical 8' Nazi Übersoldat.

    • @soldat2501
      @soldat2501 4 года назад +8

      JohnnyShagbot The German’s called them stovepipes for that exact reason.

    • @grayju79
      @grayju79 4 года назад +1

      Lol!

  • @JonasC22
    @JonasC22 6 лет назад +1856

    Gun Jesus should lay hands on the injured weapon and miraculously heal it's wounds.

    • @ElijahDecker
      @ElijahDecker 6 лет назад +102

      In theory, it could be legally returned to firing status. It would just need to be registered as a destructive device, have the bar cut out, and that hole welded shut with a fitted patch, then reinforced with another piece of metal welded around the tube. Although, I imagine that are a number of these in firing condition already registered, so it may not be worth the effort. I find it ironic that machine guns are harder to legally acquire than rocket launchers. The hardest part of course is finding rockets for it, as each one also needs to be registered as a destructive device.

    • @Jesses001
      @Jesses001 6 лет назад +64

      He has done it before after all. He said he accidentally dropped the rifle and fixed it, but we all know the truth.

    • @intelligentgrawlix794
      @intelligentgrawlix794 6 лет назад +2

      Jonas amen

    • @MHLivestreams
      @MHLivestreams 5 лет назад +24

      Come on, I mean, how difficult is it to add a couple of electric terminals and a switch to a piece of pipe? Anyone could make one of these in about half an hour.

    • @Dog.soldier1950
      @Dog.soldier1950 5 лет назад +23

      Very simple weapon. Getting the ammo? A bit harder

  • @supperdumb
    @supperdumb 5 лет назад +130

    *STG 44 casually hanging out in the background*
    I love gun Jesus

    • @MrJeepmarine
      @MrJeepmarine 3 года назад +7

      I know right, I had trouble concentrating on the green stove pipe.

  • @dredelcottcryptozooligist4101
    @dredelcottcryptozooligist4101 6 лет назад +1090

    Maybe i missed it, but was there a bayonet lug?

    • @edwardstrowder2217
      @edwardstrowder2217 6 лет назад +30

      Farty McGee No ! That wound been interesting!!

    • @ottogofast3882
      @ottogofast3882 4 года назад +121

      Imagine getting stabbed through the chest and then the missile shot at the same time. Sheesh.

    • @tjbarke6086
      @tjbarke6086 4 года назад +87

      This isn't the Astra Militarum, son.

    • @confusedcapitalist2242
      @confusedcapitalist2242 4 года назад +25

      Dr Ed Elcott no bayonet lug? Heresy

    • @Voron_Aggrav
      @Voron_Aggrav 4 года назад +10

      Mean all you'd have to do is Turn around and fire the thing and Hope you're not hitting something friendly with either missile or Backblast

  • @christiantibaudo1467
    @christiantibaudo1467 6 лет назад +2008

    What holster do you recommend for this? (Planning to conceal carry)

    • @thebonedawg2808
      @thebonedawg2808 5 лет назад +157

      A guitar bag

    • @stephensellers2453
      @stephensellers2453 5 лет назад +61

      I carry mine canceled in a shoulder holster for nabor hood protection.

    • @connorc6293
      @connorc6293 5 лет назад +40

      Just replaced your hand with this thing there ya go

    • @tbone2260
      @tbone2260 5 лет назад +19

      Elephantiasis of everything. Or an Alien Gear Shapeshifter, I think they have a shell for this.

    • @observingcitizen404
      @observingcitizen404 5 лет назад +19

      Bladetech... "Carry confident"

  • @Liamv4696
    @Liamv4696 6 лет назад +738

    only you could make a 15 minute video about a steel tube interesting..

    • @garrettholland664
      @garrettholland664 6 лет назад +43

      Liamv4696 aluminum, not steel

    • @bluesunschurch8412
      @bluesunschurch8412 5 лет назад +12

      Guys your both wrong it's a gad damn rocket launcher designed to punch a hole through tanks. I think it's a little more complicated than a aluminum tube your would find in a construction site

    • @satannstuff
      @satannstuff 5 лет назад +18

      This would be far easier to reproduce than just about any other weapon on this channel, it really is just a tube with a simple electrical system, optics and a couple of fitted pins and brackets. Seems rather pointless to deactivate weapons like this when they're so simple to make, it's not like you can go to your local gun store to buy ammo for it even if you had one that still works.

    • @kimmer6
      @kimmer6 4 года назад +2

      @@bluesunschurch8412 Yeah, and it breaks in half and the pieces lock together to transport it.

    • @Gooberpatrol66
      @Gooberpatrol66 3 года назад +3

      All of his videos are about steel tubes.

  • @oldgysgt
    @oldgysgt 4 года назад +75

    I fired one of these in Infantry Training at Camp Pendleton CA in 1965. Although the Marine Corps had already adopted the M72 LAW, the South Vietnamese were still using the M20, so we were trained on them as well. I managed to hit my target, an old Sherman tank, but one Marine managed to just clip the top of the turret, and the rocket deflected up, and went over the hill in back of the tank. Luckily, as the rocket tumbled down the reverse slope of the hill, it hit something with enough force to set off the warhead. That was a relief to us, because if it hadn't detonated, we would have been required to go looking for it. With the dense covering of brush on the hill side, that would have been a bit "harry", because if you hit the rocket nose after it left the tube, it could ruin your whole day.

  • @LeDibeau
    @LeDibeau 6 лет назад +725

    Basic home defense

    • @falloutm134
      @falloutm134 6 лет назад +14

      LeDibeau yep just after the m134 on the porch

    • @bami2
      @bami2 6 лет назад +27

      Daily concealed carry

    • @p_serdiuk
      @p_serdiuk 6 лет назад +34

      What else are you going to use against the sudden appearance of a wild tank?

    • @paaatreeeck
      @paaatreeeck 6 лет назад +5

      The power of friendship

    • @kisaragi_san1378
      @kisaragi_san1378 6 лет назад +5

      perfect for deer hunting, the deer can be behind you and still get hit! good luck eating it, though... or finding it

  • @LukePowerstancedUp
    @LukePowerstancedUp 6 лет назад +25

    Super Bazooka sounds like the kind of weapon a 10 y/o would make up while playing war in the backyard.

  • @neoconshooter
    @neoconshooter 3 года назад +48

    In addition to the 40 MM M-79 that I trained on in 1968 and used in Hue-Phu Bai RVN, I was also trained on the M-20! I can personally attest to the effectiveness of both weapons. The M-79 was so accurate that I could drop a grenade within a foot or two of my target and if I missed with the first Grenade, the second always hit! The M-20 was so loud that my ears rang like a bell for two days and I have permanent hearing loss from it. But they taught us where to aim in class and if you guessed the range right, the first rocket hit the ammo inside and blew the tank to smithereens! Turrets flying off into the air sort of thing! I was grateful that my team had access to both toys during the Tet Offensive.

  • @jaymassengill3340
    @jaymassengill3340 6 лет назад +58

    In an Army training film instructing how to use the regular bazooka in WWII, they touch on that characteristic of a glancing impact not detonating the shell. They instructed to aim a little low versus high if the actual range to the target was unknown.
    They actually showed a shot skip off the ground just short of the target and then impact the tank and detonate.

    • @edwardstrowder2217
      @edwardstrowder2217 6 лет назад +3

      Jay Massengill to defeat 45 deg sloping armor you The lower part of line in the radical, causing the round to in- pact at steeper angle. (Lobbying)

    • @22wiggles
      @22wiggles 4 года назад +2

      Jay Massengill you have ou’re a

  • @user-ns3vs3bp3e
    @user-ns3vs3bp3e 6 лет назад +86

    I heard a super bazooka was here... possibly fastest click I’ve ever done

  • @BlueskKulls
    @BlueskKulls 6 лет назад +262

    Very interesting video!
    Little anecdote: a soldier died in training this or last year in Germany because he was standing behind a handheld launcher. These things are not jokes!

    • @FirstDagger
      @FirstDagger 6 лет назад +8

      Well not really an anecdote www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/wildflecken-soldat-stirbt-bei-uebung-mit-panzerfaust-1.3509304

    • @SgtKOnyx
      @SgtKOnyx 6 лет назад +56

      Well it's called back*blast* for a reason

    • @Kr-nv5fo
      @Kr-nv5fo 6 лет назад +22

      Anecdotes are that instructors would hammerfist/kick soldier's (helmeted) head in training if they failed to check their back sector. It kind of makes sense, though.

    • @BlueskKulls
      @BlueskKulls 6 лет назад +7

      FirstDagger when the story is true is it not an anecdote anymore?

    • @xmm-cf5eg
      @xmm-cf5eg 6 лет назад +30

      An instructor monitoring an m-72 law almost died when my father was in the service, only reason he didn't was because my father called him out and informed him how deadly backblast is.
      It's terrifying to think that people willingly stand behind recoilless rifles

  • @Gapeagle
    @Gapeagle 6 лет назад +607

    Well, it's not an automatic rifle and doesn't have 30 round magazines. People CANNOT complain about civilians having one of these, right?

    • @sebastianstraub8910
      @sebastianstraub8910 5 лет назад +33

      Gapeagle just walk in the classroom turn around and let the back blast hit em

    • @devincook2736
      @devincook2736 5 лет назад +107

      Dude.. 30 round mag fed bazooka.. you're onto something there.. XD

    • @nottherealpaulsmith
      @nottherealpaulsmith 5 лет назад +69

      *kid walks into school with a damn 6 foot long metal tube stuffed into a duffel bag*

    • @theinstitute1324
      @theinstitute1324 4 года назад +5

      @@sebastianstraub8910 Wouldn't it do that thing with the air pressure and kill a lot more people than expected?

    • @Name-eg1uf
      @Name-eg1uf 4 года назад +2

      @@devincook2736 oh no

  • @davidallen2058
    @davidallen2058 6 лет назад +154

    I'm kind of sad you weren't able to take it outside and fire this one. It'd be interesting to see the trajectory of the rocket and the back blast in slo-mo.

    • @CurmudgeonExtraordinaire
      @CurmudgeonExtraordinaire 6 лет назад +24

      I think each round ends up needing an (unconstitutional) $200 ATF tax stamp.

    • @edwardstrowder2217
      @edwardstrowder2217 6 лет назад +2

      Slo-Mo ,trajectory.is the same as a football ,about 33 ft / sec , you can see it frying .if you are fast enough you probably could cut it like you would a foot-ball , not I wouldn’t advise it.

    • @CurmudgeonExtraordinaire
      @CurmudgeonExtraordinaire 3 года назад +10

      Here I am watching this 3 years later and didn't realize that I had previously watched it, much less previously made this comment... Getting old sucks... :(

    • @TheBanjoShowOfficial
      @TheBanjoShowOfficial 2 года назад +5

      @@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire I've done that before, i click on a video, thinking I've never seen it only to see I commented 4 years ago. Kind of spooky.

    • @ArmchairDeity
      @ArmchairDeity Год назад

      ruclips.net/video/53ZA10_AndQ/видео.html

  • @white0devil0
    @white0devil0 6 лет назад +286

    I hope you can get your hands on a 84mm Carl Gustaf Recoilless Rifle!

    • @Colinpark
      @Colinpark 6 лет назад +4

      We had ours way before the US got theirs, quite the thump firing them.

    • @white0devil0
      @white0devil0 6 лет назад +7

      It really is 84mm of "Sod off!"

    • @xmm-cf5eg
      @xmm-cf5eg 6 лет назад +2

      Can't penn a tank anymore, but the gustaf will sure as hell drop a concrete structure!

    • @saithfeed511
      @saithfeed511 5 лет назад +1

      that thing is a fucking beast in Far Cry 2

    • @anzaca1
      @anzaca1 5 лет назад +9

      @@xmm-cf5eg Um, the Carl Gustav is still in service.

  • @-Minuano-
    @-Minuano- 6 лет назад +131

    Davy Crockett next! Lol

    • @mariuszpudzianowski1743
      @mariuszpudzianowski1743 6 лет назад +29

      Only with footage from shooting range.

    • @teamcybr8375
      @teamcybr8375 4 года назад +5

      @@GarthKlaus Heresy!

    • @thatguybrody4819
      @thatguybrody4819 4 года назад +9

      hello i'm Ian McCullom here at Rock Island Action house and today we are looking at a fuccing nuclear mortar

    • @terminator3000
      @terminator3000 2 года назад +1

      I am pretty sure ian would happily do that when someone offers him the opportunity.

  • @frankdantuono2594
    @frankdantuono2594 6 лет назад +72

    Ian, this video reminded me that I haven't bugged you about the PIAT anti-tank spigot mortar in over a year.

  • @arthurglock3874
    @arthurglock3874 5 лет назад +160

    "I'm here today at the James Julia auction house taking a look at some of...well...some of the Anti Tank Rocket launchers that are going to be for sale"
    Isn't america great? XD

    • @notgray88
      @notgray88 2 года назад +1

      "Non-functioning Anti Tank Rocket Launchers"

    • @Tomd4850
      @Tomd4850 2 года назад +5

      @@notgray88 But you can buy active, registered destructive devices so... yah, Murcia!

    • @notgray88
      @notgray88 2 года назад +2

      @@Tomd4850 I still don't see the point of rendering these rocket launchers non-functional. It's not like the average person is going to have the means to actually buy/build rockets for the launcher.

    • @Tomd4850
      @Tomd4850 2 года назад +3

      @@notgray88 You can actually get a hold of the real rockets if you have the legal means to do so, plus you would be surprised how easy it would be to improvise these things. Model rocket motor components are 'easy' enough to source make the engine; an impact detonation system is not complicated; and something approximating a shape charge could be done with some basic knowledge. Plus, a defined "destructive device" is very expensive to own and transport and has heavy restrictions depending on where you live. A deactivated one is just for show, and completely legal and cheap everywhere in the US.

    • @pin9001
      @pin9001 2 года назад

      note that ian IS british

  • @prgrier1
    @prgrier1 4 года назад +19

    I fired it a few times in early 70's in CAF. The rocket was so slow, watching it arc to the target, almost like it was lobbed, there was a strap on the neck of the rocket that had to be removed, to allow a safety pin to fall out after leaving the tube. The firer could feel the launcher move as the rocket weight left the tube upon firing, so weird...

  • @matthayward7889
    @matthayward7889 6 лет назад +46

    With that title, and that opening sentence, no you don’t *need* to say more.
    I’m very glad you did though!

  • @aevangel1
    @aevangel1 4 года назад +12

    Ah yes that timeless metric of "weight to awesomeness"

  • @pasquarielloanthony
    @pasquarielloanthony 5 лет назад +39

    "taking a look at some of the anti-tank rocket launcher up for sale" -can only be said in America

  • @Calvin_Coolage
    @Calvin_Coolage 6 лет назад +77

    So it's a Bazooka, but Super. Woah.

  • @tjmatthews8214
    @tjmatthews8214 5 лет назад +4

    We had these in Vietnam for bunker-busting. We called it the three-and-a-half inch rocket launcher. Carried the rounds unboxed in boot socks tied to our ruck frames. I got to qualify for record with it at Benning in ‘67. Three rounds at 50m and two at 150m. Backblast was a beast.

  • @troy9477
    @troy9477 6 лет назад +4

    Strangely enough, Bazooka was pretty much my favorite bubble gum growing up. It had the little folded comics inside featuring Bazooka Joe and his gang. I didn't know there was a bigger and better version of the WW2 original. Sounds very effective. Something tells me the LAW was less powerful. Then there was the Davy Crockett in about 1957, but that's another story. Great video as always. Thank you

  • @kden9772
    @kden9772 4 года назад +11

    I remember hearing an account of a Korean War US soldier using an M1 Bazooka against a T34-85 used by the North Koreans and he said they probably fired 20 (probably exaggerated) shots and they all bounced off the sloped frontal armour of the tank.

    • @znail4675
      @znail4675 2 года назад +5

      Ian actually understated the problem of the M1 Bazooka and it quite frankly didn't work as AT weapon during WW2. The issue was not that the round didn't explode, it was that the fuse was too slow, so that the round bounced off before it exploded. That ment it had no effect against slope armor and limited when it hit straight on due the distance the round bounced away.

    • @Ass_of_Amalek
      @Ass_of_Amalek 2 года назад +1

      the rounded front ends of the projectiles seem pretty stupid. it seems to me like the armor slope issue could have been significantly improved if the missile had some hardened steel spikes on the tip to bite into armor at oblique angles.

  • @glocke380
    @glocke380 5 лет назад +12

    I was in the SeaBees in the mid-70's and we trained with these, we called it the 3.5" rocket launcher. We also trained with the 105MM recoilless rifle.

    • @tedgrego1584
      @tedgrego1584 2 года назад

      Wrong....it's a 106

    • @seanhiatt6736
      @seanhiatt6736 2 года назад

      @@tedgrego1584 the round fired was in fact a 105 mm but the army labeled it 106.

    • @twostep1953
      @twostep1953 Год назад +1

      @@seanhiatt6736 Yes, as with the U.S. 76mm (notice the missing .2). That shell was not a 3" round but a 75mm with a slightly inaccurate name because we already had 75mm shells. (Thanks to videos like these, I now know...) The M10 used a 3" gun (Navy, used as AA during WWI); the M18 and M4A3E8 used the '76mm' gun. But... in 1974 the Army told us the 106mm R.R. was 4.2" and we already had one of those (mortar). To make matters worse, the Russians had a 107mm R.R., (I wonder if that is like their 82mm mortar which could fire German 81mm shells...)

  • @BIIGtony
    @BIIGtony 6 лет назад +176

    No full auto? Lame.

    • @theshapeexists
      @theshapeexists 6 лет назад +20

      BIIGtony it does take glock mags though.

    • @throngcleaver
      @throngcleaver 6 лет назад +19

      I can live with a single-shot, but no suppressor? Screw that.

    • @daylenhigman8680
      @daylenhigman8680 4 года назад +9

      It is full auto it just has one bullet in the mag...

  • @jensenzack9666
    @jensenzack9666 6 лет назад +184

    I see bazooka, I press like.

    • @Zayl1016
      @Zayl1016 3 года назад

      I see super bazooka, I hit subscribe.

  • @a4channoob
    @a4channoob 6 лет назад +2

    as a plumber, every time i hold a section 3-4" PVC pipe i pretend its a bazooka

  • @BobSmith-dk8nw
    @BobSmith-dk8nw 4 года назад +4

    Thanks Ian! I fired two rounds from one of these in ITR in 1970. ITR was basically infantry familiarization training for Marines after Recruit Training but before being sent to your school. The real 0311's went on to BITS. We did some maneuvers, fired a few rounds from various weapons and slept cold in 10 man tens.
    The weapons familiarization was hit and miss, mostly dependent on the mood of the instructor. When I fired the 3.5" Rocket Launcher the guy had processed hundreds of guys through his weapon and just wanted to move us along so he could kick back or go to chow. So he told me to how to hold it and fire it, loaded it but then didn't even let me use the sights, he just grabbed the tube and pointed it at the impact zone and told me to fire.
    I pulled the trigger and it didn't fire.
    Me: "Sir. Misfire, Sir."
    Him: "What?"
    Me: "Sir. Misfire, Sir."
    Him: "Uh ... OK ... wait a minute ... OK try it again.
    FWOOOOOSH!!!!
    I fired two rounds - and that was my familiarization with the 3.5" Rocket Launcher.
    Of course - not getting to actually aim at something or see how he loaded it - took something away from the familiarization (I had fired it but not aimed or loaded it) ... although ... we did have a class on it before firing them - and they may have shown us how to load them there ... . In any case I didn't really have anything to shoot at anyway.
    Like a lot of those ranges that were processing thousands of guys through them, while there had originally been ... something ... in the impact zone to shoot at ... by the time I got there - it was in thousands upon thousands of tiny little pieces. I could see them. Little bits of rusted metal scattered randomly about the impact zone ... getting their positions redistributed about the area with each round fired into it ...
    I'm vague on my training on the M-72. We had a class on how to use it in High School, Jr. ROTC and then ... I believe ... I also had a class on it in the Marines ... somewhere ... but I just can't remember if I ever fired one or not ... I might have ... but I'm not sure ... I remember putting one on my shoulder, looking through the little fold up plastic sight and pressing down on the rubber trigger thing ... but ... I don't remember if that was a live round or just an empty tube in a class room ... *shrug* ... 50 years ago now ... and I just don't know.
    .

  • @williambeck2202
    @williambeck2202 6 лет назад +41

    We had these in Vietnam and I never heard of it being used, an interesting fact, to shoot one you had to have a long hold on target because it took a long time for the rocket to clear the tube compared to a rifle round leaving the chamber, so you remain very still until you see the rocket headed down range, we all get to shoot a couple of rounds in ITR after boot camp, , evidently they had a lot of rounds, since the Marine Corps is notoriously tight with everything, and I can tell you if we had ever been attacked by tanks, they were going to have to be close before anybody could hit them, the damned things were notoriously hard ty hit with !

  • @petesheppard1709
    @petesheppard1709 6 лет назад +32

    The original AT rocket for the M1 was based on the US AT rifle grenade; hence the odd 2.36 bore diameter.

    • @twostep1953
      @twostep1953 Год назад

      @@justforever96 My guess would be 60mm mortar... borrowed from France in WWI ?

    • @Trashcansam123
      @Trashcansam123 Год назад

      Probably because they were already producing 60mm mortar tubes actually

  • @dickkickemthereckoning7425
    @dickkickemthereckoning7425 6 лет назад +157

    I found my new conceal carry. Those criminals will think twice before being blown into nothing

  • @GamersBar
    @GamersBar 6 лет назад +98

    I think i saw a guy playing one of these in australia once
    side note , i find shaped explosives super interesting its basically like creating the same effect a plasma gun uses to cut through plate steel but someone figured out how to get that effect from some metal and explosives.

    • @p_serdiuk
      @p_serdiuk 6 лет назад +15

      Afaik plasma or acetylene cutters use heat to cut the metal, while shaped explosives use extreme pressure to displace it.

    • @MPI1000
      @MPI1000 6 лет назад +27

      Fun fact: Acetylene cutters don't use the acetylene to actually cut, they use oxygen. After you get a starting puddle you can actually shut off the acetylene and the cutting is maintained by the oxidization of the steel.
      But you're right, shaped charges don't even melt the copper liner and it doesn't melt through the armour. At the pressures and momentum involved the metals behave more like liquids. A.k.a. superplasticity.

    • @lucignolo8333
      @lucignolo8333 6 лет назад +2

      sometimes i wish shaped explosives were never invented, tank firefights with kinetic penetrators are awesome

    • @Thelothuo
      @Thelothuo 6 лет назад +1

      +Dio Cane
      If it makes you feel better, modern militaries keep sabot-based munitions around to defeat ERA.
      www.chinatopix.com/articles/112850/20170328/new-army-m1-abrams-tank-rounds-easily-destroy-t-14.htm

    • @asneakychicken322
      @asneakychicken322 6 лет назад +6

      Dio Cane most armour nowadays is designed with the threat of shaped charge ammo in mind, with composite armour and reactive armour etc. which doesn’t do anything really for kinetic based rounds, it’s because especially during the Cold War everyone and their mothers started fielding ATGM’s and shaped charge launchers, both vehicle launched and man portable. The RPG line being one example

  • @Invoilabilis
    @Invoilabilis 5 лет назад +7

    I'm a simple man, I see "Super Bazooka" on the thumbnail of forgotten weapons I click.

  • @Dog.soldier1950
    @Dog.soldier1950 5 лет назад +2

    I was a range safety officer for Marine Corps 0351 training in 1974. This was one of our weapons. It used a slow moving 3.5” rocket. Minimal back blast. It was carried broken in 2 sections. Can still go thru the firing procedures

  • @Th3EpitapH
    @Th3EpitapH 6 лет назад +4

    thanks for taking the time to get footage of the sight! optics, especially old ones and ones for less conventional projectiles are always one of the most interesting parts of guns to me, so it's always a treat. keep up the good work.

  • @charlesdeens8927
    @charlesdeens8927 6 лет назад +6

    Fantastic historical presentation! Love your content. Thank you!

  • @Corristo89
    @Corristo89 6 лет назад +8

    I can just imagine the situation on the battlefield... "Oh shit, here's Jim with his Bazooka again... run!"

  • @TheSnikers111
    @TheSnikers111 6 лет назад +11

    I truly appreciate these videos and also a big thank you for showing the optics/sights in these videos. Most people don't do this, and It might seem like nothing special, but I think it's very important part when showing a gun, to show when people using it seen.

  • @HarryBalzak
    @HarryBalzak 6 лет назад +2

    I read a Vietnam vet's story about the war and in it he described the back blast on the bazooka in great detail and with reverence. He made the comment that had he been over run, he would have grabbed a zooka and fired it away from the advancing troops, confident that the back blast would stop their assault.

  • @Perfusionist01
    @Perfusionist01 6 лет назад +6

    Nice video on a rather obscure US weapon. By the way, the M1/M1A1 rocket launchers had been superceded by the M9A1 during late WW2 and for Korea. Same rocket, so there was no tactical differences. M9A1 introduced the magneto firing (versus batteries) and also introduced the two-piece tube design. The Germans used captured US bazookas to design their "Panzershreck" 88mm launcher. When the US went to upgrade their bazooka design, where did we go - 3.5" which is about the same 88-90mm caliber as the Germans chose. AS you stated the weapons were developed late in WW2 but were not produced for several years due to the drastic defense cuts after WW2 ("we have A-bombs, we don't need an Army"). The North Koreans' use of T34/85 medium tanks caught the ROK and early deployed US forces with inadequate AT firepower so M20s were rushed to Korea. The ChiComs captured M20s and made an almost exact copy that stayed in service with them for many years (the ChiComs went into Korea with no effective infantry antiarmor weapons, so they learned a hard lesson). The M20 rocket launcher served alongside the recoilless rifles until both were replaced by guided missles. Mark Bowden;s recent book on the battle of Hue in 1968 emntions that the USMC were caught unprepared for urban combat but they found M20A1s sitting in storage and found them useful to blow holes in walls for house-to-house fighting.

  • @BigLisaFan
    @BigLisaFan 2 года назад +5

    Got to fire one of these things in the Canadian army reserves in the early 70's. Those were fun times as a number of the WW II/Korean War weapons were probably in their last days of service. Only years later did I find out there was a mask to protect the user's face from burned propellant from the rocket. Our rounds were inert ones so they just bounced off the target but still fun to shoot. Got about 6 wooden crates that held 3 rounds apiece. Still have some and they make great storage containers.
    Was all set to fire a Bren gun when some officer noticed I wasn't part of their unit and got me kicked off the firing point. I did have permission from a warrant officer to give it a try for the experience but was over ruled at the last second. Never got close to an active Bren gun after that. Something I'll always regret not trying out.
    Was sent on a gunner's course for the 7.62 GPMG, which was a converted .30 cal M-1919 and a Browning .50 Cal M2 HMG. The ammunition was all WW II vintage for the 50 so it gave hang fires on occasion and dud rounds so good for Immediate Action training purposes. Passed the course and in true military wisdom, I never touched one ever again in service.

  • @Ocker3
    @Ocker3 5 лет назад +3

    Your knowledge of weapons and weapon demonstration videos is really apparent when demonstrating the range on the optical sight, I was struggling to really figure out what was happening until you moved the bazooka and then it was really clear :)

  • @paint_thinner
    @paint_thinner 6 лет назад +268

    Can I put a bump-fire stock on it?

    • @PostalPatriot556
      @PostalPatriot556 6 лет назад +2

      Totally

    • @ElectronicYouth
      @ElectronicYouth 6 лет назад +31

      Moon Meme its gonna make it an assault bazooka

    • @velazquezarmouries
      @velazquezarmouries 6 лет назад +5

      Make a bullpup version

    • @planescaped
      @planescaped 5 лет назад +2

      Isn't it already? It loads from the back, they trigger is towards the front.

    • @bereal6132
      @bereal6132 4 года назад

      In the eyes of the government, that would reactivate it somehow and you get arrested for unregistered destructive device

  • @wacojones8062
    @wacojones8062 5 лет назад +4

    base impact fuze was iffy at best. Later rounds especially Israeli production with Pezo electric crystal in the fuze linked to the base unit were devastating. Point initiating base detonation fuzing became the gold standard for all Shape charge warhead systems.

  • @jerkfudgewater147
    @jerkfudgewater147 3 года назад +10

    Has anyone ever used the backblast offensively?
    It seems like a giant shotgun blast (area of effect wise) and if you didn’t know where the enemy was it would seem like an easier way to hit them, if the rocket could be safely forgotten... i mean 75m long and 25m wide is a huge area

    • @RCP-1136
      @RCP-1136 Год назад +2

      Me, many times. Also useful to jump very high.

  • @GreaseMonkeyAuto
    @GreaseMonkeyAuto 6 лет назад

    Hey Ian, I've watched your channel for a while now! Love your stuff. Your Super Bazooka just made me a believer, there is still some good out there!

  • @filiofbs
    @filiofbs 6 лет назад +7

    "[...] if you happen to have a basement full of 3.5 inch bazooka rockets [...]", that made my laugh:)

  • @TimusOminere
    @TimusOminere 6 лет назад +3

    "Remarkably Pissed Off".
    My new favourite way of being pissed off.

  • @TheWorldEnd2
    @TheWorldEnd2 4 года назад +5

    Bazooka 2: super boogaloo

  • @starwarsheros9245
    @starwarsheros9245 6 лет назад +1

    I love your videos, I’ve come to learn allot thank you for sharing your knowledge

  • @workingguy6666
    @workingguy6666 6 лет назад

    Thank you, Ian - love today's example.

  • @hansmueller3029
    @hansmueller3029 4 года назад +3

    The way you said..
    ..." so if you happened to have a bunch of 3.5" anti-tank rockets in your basement..." sounded like you totally know a guy with a bunch of 3.5" anti-tank rockets in the basement.

  • @caminoprojectUS
    @caminoprojectUS 6 лет назад +6

    Having used a modern equivalent there are a few things I really quite like about this. The firing mechanism is simpler while also being reliable. There is an overall robust look to it. The lack of a spotting rifle would however have made first round hits some what difficult. Same overall designed role though. Never ever stand behind one of these types of weapons when it is being fired. The shock wave is the least of your worries once past 25 meters. It will kill you and injure the gunner and a-gunner if you are directly behind it inside of 3-4 meters. Past that it will still probably kill you from the blast alone out to about 10 meters. 10- meters and over shrapnel becomes the primary concern. These throw debris like crazy. Pebbles, sticks, small rocks etc are propelled at very high speed by the blast. The back blast cone is quite dangerous. Not to be trifled with.

  • @naguerea
    @naguerea 3 месяца назад

    Thank you, utterly fascinating and informative.

  • @cannoneer155mm
    @cannoneer155mm 6 лет назад +1

    I learned how to fix them and also taught troops how they work. Fun weapon and deadly on tanks.

  • @StrohmaniasFlyingCircus
    @StrohmaniasFlyingCircus 6 лет назад +124

    Look out squirrels!
    :- ]

    • @three-stripes
      @three-stripes 6 лет назад +1

      Strohmann That would turn those little critters into liquid...

    • @austinhunt2411
      @austinhunt2411 6 лет назад +1

      Yeah it would my 8mm does a good job of that to

    • @bluemobster0023
      @bluemobster0023 5 лет назад

      Watch out trees

  • @Voron_Aggrav
    @Voron_Aggrav 4 года назад +4

    "Clear Backblast!" is a great thing to shout Before you fire this

  • @jamesmaddie4015
    @jamesmaddie4015 6 лет назад +1

    Fun little fact for you, Ian,.... Up here in the Canadian Army we have something called "The field cool factor". ie: a sig 226, 9mm has a certain 'air' about it. But, a FN, MINIMI, with a 500 round belt hanging off the side, slung at ones hip has a 'more influential presence' a "field cool factor". The M20A1B1 has what we up here would call "a substantial field cool factor"!!! :-P Love your stuff, God Bless.

  • @dantebond8124
    @dantebond8124 6 лет назад

    Fact of the day: This channel is awesome!

  • @heartrate0
    @heartrate0 6 лет назад +3

    as a former 0351 anti-tank assaultmen in the marine corps i tell you it's completely true that an entire battle line will shift to avoid a rockets back blast.

    • @xmm-cf5eg
      @xmm-cf5eg 6 лет назад +1

      I mean, why wouldn't they? nobody wants their organs pulverized for sure!

  • @mariocassina90
    @mariocassina90 6 лет назад +46

    Home defence in Texas

  • @13jhow
    @13jhow 6 лет назад +2

    "Weight to awesomeness ratio" This is gold, I literally laughed out loud :D

  • @obisvanainobis9950
    @obisvanainobis9950 2 года назад +2

    "The gods gave use fire, but blowing stuff up? That was our idea."
    -Ahoy

  • @alynicholls3230
    @alynicholls3230 6 лет назад +17

    a competent welder could reactivate that tube in a heartbeat.

    • @johnballs1352
      @johnballs1352 4 года назад +1

      You don't say?

    • @ssneg
      @ssneg 3 года назад +1

      No need to even weld. A sturdy pipe collar will do the trick - the pressure exerted on the walls isn't big, it is almost completely relieved via the back.

  • @ajesbayes9057
    @ajesbayes9057 6 лет назад +13

    What a great intro!

    • @justinhemboorger1620
      @justinhemboorger1620 6 лет назад +1

      I just had to like that cause u have an ancient baby painting as ur profile pic XD

  • @beez1717
    @beez1717 4 года назад +1

    The hole cut in the side was patched and looks so good! This weapon is so iconic and so cool!

  • @Dog.soldier1950
    @Dog.soldier1950 3 года назад +1

    I was range safety officer for 3.5 rocket launcher at Infantry training school, Camp Pendleton for 0351 training 1973. These were lots of fun. Lots of misfires The ammunition was all Korean War era. Very slow moving but very effective against all kinds of hard targets. Loading took a second man. The rockets had a cooper ring you engaged with the launcher then pull the trigger and whoosh I could step up and go thru the firing procedure today. Funny how all these detail come back after close to 50 yrs Semper Fi

  • @Mr037rally
    @Mr037rally 6 лет назад +51

    Ha ha I remember having one of these as a kid with my Action Man (G I Joe in the US)

    • @junichiroyamashita
      @junichiroyamashita 6 лет назад +5

      Never knew Action man was GI joe

    • @dick_richards
      @dick_richards 6 лет назад

      Lol me too!! As soon as i saw it i clicked on for just that reason!!!!

    • @kirbyculp3449
      @kirbyculp3449 4 года назад

      Look online for 'Mattel Sonic Blaster and Kurt Russell'. The Sonic Blaster was an imitation bazooka that was so loud that it damaged kids' hearing and was recalled.

    • @Romin.777
      @Romin.777 3 года назад

      Me too!
      Still have a pretty collection. ;)

  • @unverifiedbiotic
    @unverifiedbiotic 6 лет назад +8

    A weapon to surpass Metal Gear.

  • @boonedox25s
    @boonedox25s 4 года назад

    4:57 "Remarkably pissed off" he says
    I geeked haha

  • @tripleog9557
    @tripleog9557 6 лет назад

    I didn’t even know such a thing existed...WOW... thank you GJ

  • @JenkemSuperfan
    @JenkemSuperfan 6 лет назад +19

    "some of the rocket launchers that will be sold"
    *ANCAP MUSIC GETS VERY LOUD*

  • @GrasshopperKelly
    @GrasshopperKelly 4 года назад +4

    "And a hole the size of the bore diameter"
    As I look at the screen... "And so the lord placed his hands on the sick man, and his wounds were healed..."

  • @tedgrego1584
    @tedgrego1584 2 года назад

    My MOS 0351. USMC 1969 RVN. As a Section Leader it was my job to clear the tube when they miss fired. Great weapon.

  • @jamesbach2021
    @jamesbach2021 4 года назад +1

    There is a TV show from the 1950's called "The Big Picture" where Captain Carl Zimmerman interviews a soldier who was on the ground in Korea using these. The soldier said at the beginning they were issued WWII style bazookas and they were really happy when the super bazookas started to show up. They used them to great effect.

  • @levram2
    @levram2 6 лет назад +10

    The Bazooka (musical instrument) it was named after ruclips.net/video/5YjXFOV6Nwk/видео.html

  • @flypaper2222
    @flypaper2222 6 лет назад +6

    Fired the 3.2 during infantry training at Camp Gieger during ITR 1961. All kinds of crap blown back into your face when fired, will never forget that blast.....Also was taught the first WWII were 2.8 later stepped up to 3.2 and then 3.5 even later on

    • @edwardstrowder2217
      @edwardstrowder2217 6 лет назад

      flypaper2222 I way in A.I.T in 1961,but I have not heard of “I.T.R. ?,

  • @bobbzor
    @bobbzor 6 лет назад

    I hit the like button just because the opening sentence made me chuckle.

  • @felixthecat265
    @felixthecat265 6 лет назад +1

    UK also used the A1 up to the 60s, and I was actually trained on them as a cadet! The rocket motor had to burn in the length of the tube and there were strict temperature limits for use as in very cold weather the rocket motor would still be burning as it left the tube. The velocity was not great and the weight change was significant as the rocket fired. You had to brace your hand on the front of the guard to stop the tube dipping as the rocket went over your shoulder. As I recall, the fuze worked by inertia not not by a crush switch, hence there was a slight delay on impact and a tendency to bounce if the impact was much off normal.. I seem to recall there was a WP smoke rocket in addition to the HEAT one!

  • @intillex1
    @intillex1 5 лет назад +4

    Did I miss it, or did you never talk about the name "Bazooka" at the end?

  • @FPSGuy100
    @FPSGuy100 6 лет назад +7

    Can I use this for concealed carry?

    • @TruthNerds
      @TruthNerds 4 года назад

      Just take it apart and put it in your backpack:
      www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/01/giant-backpack09-1294528363.jpg

  • @mancik17
    @mancik17 6 лет назад

    Thanks for sharing my CCW Ian

  • @southernhunter7476
    @southernhunter7476 4 года назад +1

    Really like your videos. Just wished you'd maybe give a ballpark figure of what these weapons may go for at auction..... It'd be nice to know and dream,Lol.
    Keep up the good work and thanks.

    • @jarhead6153
      @jarhead6153 4 года назад

      Southern Hunter one is being sold locally in the FL panhandle for under $1k now.

  • @AdrenalineJunkieXL
    @AdrenalineJunkieXL 6 лет назад +4

    Oh no the 30-06 chauchat isn't there anymore..... that means it's been on the table in front of a camera right!?!? Lol I hope so

  • @jackbuck6773
    @jackbuck6773 4 года назад +4

    Why deactivate it when I'm sure the actual munitions for it are just as scarce if not more so than the launcher?

    • @unholyprognosis2636
      @unholyprognosis2636 4 года назад

      Im sure if someone wanted to bad enough they could make some.

  • @Mrgunsngear
    @Mrgunsngear 2 года назад

    Thanks

  • @dragonbutt
    @dragonbutt 6 лет назад +2

    The backblast of the M20 super bazooka was reportedly so strong that it became the inspiration for space rockets.

  • @Chalky.
    @Chalky. 6 лет назад +260

    But how do you deactivate a Bazinga?

  • @josephdillard9907
    @josephdillard9907 6 лет назад +8

    Its so painful to see such an awesome weapon "deactivated" and cut up like that 😯
    Ridiculous laws....

    • @cole1407
      @cole1407 4 года назад +2

      Easy fix for a fabricator to remove those unconstitutional laws implemented onto it....very easy. 😉

  • @yudicreativeartstudio6279
    @yudicreativeartstudio6279 2 года назад

    I need and hopefully M202A1 review someday 😊

  • @dachers1238
    @dachers1238 4 года назад

    Crazy how such a simple weapon has so much care and thought put into it. I guess that's part of the reason it is so famous.