A bazooka is a man-portable recoilless anti-
tank rocket launcher weapon, widely deployed by the United States
Army, especially during World
War II. Also referred to as the "stovepipe", the innovative bazooka was among the first generation of rocket-propelled anti-
tank weapons used in infantry combat. Featuring a solid-propellant rocket for propulsion, it allowed for high-explosive anti-
tank (HEAT) shaped charge warheads to be delivered against armored vehicles, machine gun nests, and fortified bunkers at ranges beyond that of a standard thrown grenade or mine. The universally applied nickname arose from the M1 variant'
s vague resemblance to the musical instrument called a bazooka invented and popularized by 1930s American comedian
Bob Burns.
