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I have followed the several
discussions RE: the non-effectiveness of the 2.36" Bazooka against the NK
T-34/85 tanks, during the early months of the Korean Conflict, with great
interest. One of the volumes of the "US Army in WW II" historical series,
Planning Munitions for War, contains considerable info pertaining to the
many problems with the launchers & ammo encountered by the using units in
the last years of WW II. Many changes in the launcher firing mechanisms were
necessary, principally due to the effects of cold weather. The shaped-charge
rocket projectile required a base-detonating fuze, which had reliability
problems, from the beginning stages of development. The BD fuze was complicated,
difficult to manufacture & tended to corrode & "freeze up", in storage.
The US Army utilized existing ammunition storage facilities, inherited from the
former Japanese Army, to store ammunition, in Japan. The 2.36" rockets, which
were used in the early days in Korea, had then been stored, in less than optimum
conditions, for approx 5 yrs. On paper, the 2.36" rocket will penetrate tthe
frontal armor of the T-34/85 tank, anywhere it strikes. The "official" thickness
of the glacis plate is listed as "45MM [1.8"] at 30 degrees slope". The sides
& rear of the tank are, of course, thinner. However, shaped-charge
penetration is calculated on the theory that the projectile will stike the
target surface on the perpendicular. Sloped armor tends to dissipate the
penetrating jet, so that the "equivalent" thickness may easily overmatch the
2.36" rocket. One last comment on the ammunition: My EOD colleagues, in
Japan, kept quite busy destroying the tons of obsolete
rockets, which remained in storage, in 1954-55.
The development of the 3.5"
Bazooka was a very high priority project, in 1945. The German heavy tanks had
proven to be practically impervious to the 2.36" rockets. However, the end of
European fighting caused the termination of that program & no further work
was done until the need, again, arose in 1950. According to my instructor, at
The Ordnance School, in 1953, the 3.5" Bazooka was considered to be a modern
weapons production "miracle", going from blueprint to issue in Korea. in approx
6 months.
The ChiComs immediately captured a sample, produced a slightly
modified version & had it in Korea, in approx 90 days. Our testing of
captured ChiCom 3.5" launchers & ammo showed them to be inferior to our
weapon, in range & penetration, but much less expensive to manufacture. The
moral to the story: If you have oceans on both sides & friendly, peaceful
countries, top & bottom, why spend money on modern equipment? Best regards,
JBaker
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