This is a
shoulder-mounted
weapon with a long
smoothbore tube that fired
armor-piercing rockets at short
range, used first by
American forces during
World War II. The bazooka weighed in at around 16
pounds (7.25
kilograms), and measured 61
inches (1.5
meters) fully
assembled. The weapon was named for a
crude pipe instrument called by the same name (
probably from
bazoo,
kazoo) invented by American
comedian Bob Burns (1896-1956).
A competent two-soldier team could fire ten rockets per minute with this weapon. The bazooka was only marginally effective against German tanks, the soldier having to hit the tank on its flanks to have any demonstrable effect. Soldiers had more success using this weapon against light bunkers, machine gun emplacements, and light vehicles.