Military History Club: Duel - Bazooka vs Panzer

Who would win? The Bazooka or the German Panzer? Come explore this MHC Duel and find out which weapon was superior. 

The rocket-propelled grenade launcher (RPG) has become a ubiquitous weapon on the modern battlefield; and all of these weapons trace their lineage back to the American 2.36in rocket launcher, better known as the bazooka. The bazooka was the serendipitous conjunction of two new technologies: the shaped-charge antitank warhead and the shoulder-fired rocket launcher. This class looks at the development of this iconic weapon, and traces its combat use on the World War II battlefield.

One of the widespread myths to have emerged about German tank design during World War II was the notion that German sideskirt armor was developed in response to the bazooka, and its British equivalent, the PIAT (Projector Infantry Antitank). American and British troops began encountering the new versions of German armored vehicles with extra armor shields in 1944, and so presumed that this new feature was in response to the Allied shaped-charge weapons. The shields received a variety of names including “bazooka shields,” “bazooka pants,” and “PIAT shields.” In reality, their development was not a response to Allied shaped-charge weapons, for most German innovations in tank technology during the war years were prompted by developments on the Eastern Front.