Show army and navy turn to rocket weapons As answer to need for more fire power munitions schedule greatly Steppe dUp to meet demands war rockets are not new the chinese used crude projectiles t jec tiles in 1232 against the tartars Tar tars the british fired them at american troops in the war of 1812 during the battle of when they routed Stans burys american brigade and then marched to washington francis franc s scott key kay going aboard a british prison ship in the chesapeake to discover the fate of a friend was obliged to stay aboard during the british rocket ship sh ip attack on fort mchenry on 0 n the basis of this experience he wrote the rocket references in the american national anthem and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air rockets however were never neve r used before in century warfare in this war these projectiles have hav e become important and destructive weapons their considerable use in combat is one of the principal weapon innovations of this war Ania amazing zing expansion of use and production of american Ameil can rockets since the bazooka was invented in 1941 has been reported by the army ar m y the navy and the office of scientific research and development the increase in rocket production 0 of f course based on increased requirements quire u irementa ire ments for rockets to use ln in combat is shown by these facts in november 1944 the navys bureau of ordnance reported that ly by the end 0 of the first quarter or early in the second quarter of 1945 the navy would be spending approximately per month on rocket am ammunition alone which Is as much as Is now being spent per month on all types of at naval ammunition I 1 in n december 1941 1944 however the navys bureau of ordnance said salY that in hi a few months navy rocket production would be stepped up op by nearly per cent the army which placed its first rocket orders of this war in 1941 19 had bad approximately in rocket contracts during 1942 during 1943 the expanding rocket racket production program had bad shot chot up by 2400 per cent over that of 1913 1942 and in 1914 the program was further increased by another per cent over 1943 production according to the army ordnance department during 1945 the army will be s spending pending approximately per month on rocket ammunition alone while the navy will produce rockets lor for all branches ot of the armed forces and will be responsible tor for loading and testing the projectiles jec tiles the army will be responsible 8 for the manufacture of a rocket propellant charge that will not dissolve 80 ive in ordinary solvents such ai ab wa water ter and of rockets of sizes not produced by the navy new types more powerful rockets used by the american armed forces today including the navys latest type airplane rocket and the latest plane type used by the army air forces are even more potent weapons than the bazooka which was the ardys antitank anti tank r rocket ceet first put into production in 1941 and first used in combat in the north african invasions according to t 0 the national defense research c ommittee committee rockets are accurate we weapons a pons when fired from high speed aircraft ir craft and the navy reports that rockets fired from planes can be pinpointed on the target in this war american rockets are fired from naval crat craft aircraft and from the ground or from ground ve K V w V X N 3 g ajr t SO a P B 1 I W 14 rl 1 aaa aty yav A lf jt 11 11 bf most all pursuit planes are now being equipped ith bazoukas baidokas baio bazo okas till this P 47 has baa six tabes mounted under the he wings the rocket projectiles art are fired electrically by the pilot the picture shows a ground crewman loading one of the bazookas bazoukas bazo okas three of thebie the bl rockets are standing or on end In front of one of the wheels in the foreground this plane Is also armed with eight 50 caliber machine guns hides similar in principle to the fourth of july skyrocket these new rockets are artillery type weapons with the rockets being equivalent to shells and the launching devices equivalent to guns fired irom from tubes that vary in length and diameter according to the type ot of rocket the weapons have warheads carrying explosives plosives plo or smoke or incendiary chemicals the tube that extends to the rear of the warhead contains contain the propel propellant lint a material that after being electrically ignited generates expanding gas the gas pushing against the head forces the rocket forward the M 8 rocket that was developed 0 after the bazooka Is a 45 inch projectile that equals in firepower the mm medium artillery gun the M 8 rocket weighs only 33 38 pounds the M as launcher M 12 weighs 35 to 40 pounds while a mm gun weighs approximately ly 12 tons the M 12 launcher costs only while a mm gun complete costs BI AI ils clear the way the navy put M 8 rockets rocket sto to their first real test in the pacific amp hibi M ej r 1 P edg I 1 lg A R 4 ik two men with a bazooka can blast a hole bole in a medium tank this thi strange weapon nevertheless Is light to carry and easy to handle th the orward forward man holds the tube and alms it while the rear man loads the th rocket missile there Is no recoil since the tube Is open at both ends the rocket pushes against the air instead of a breech block ous operations by the time the european theater invasion began rocket firing craft had become essential equipment for landings on hostile beaches on the china bur ma india theater M 0 8 rockets fired by array army air force P 51 mustang fighter planes carrying six rockets each destroyed in rounds of firing fix large warehouses 12 medi um sized warehouses one foundry tour four locomotives 10 japanese aircraft two river boats and lour four native shacks and damaged two me daum sized warehouses five medi um sized buildings one locomotive and 13 japanese aircraft P 38 P 39 A Irac obras P 40 War hawks P 47 thunderbolts as well as the mustangs are the fighter planes equipped with rockets by the army air forces grumman avenger torpedo planes and such lighter navy fighter planes as hellcats Hell cats have been armed with rockets navy carrier task forces are using rockets in ever increasing quantity army air force foice fighter planes carrying rockets slung in mounts have combined rocket fire with bombing to destroy concentrations ot of armored vehicles rail lines rolling stock trucks and troop convoys on light field fortifications such as bunkers pillboxes pill boxes artl artillery ile ry em placements radio installations and light naval and cargo craft both in europe and in the china burm bunna in a dia theater of war for more than two years the navy has been using a type of 0 rocket weapon against axis submarines now standard tor for all navy amphibious operations Is the rocket weapon that was used successfully sf ully in the invasions of north africa sicily italy and france in the landings on ar awe and subsequent landings in the pacific blast shore installations landing craft Of infantry antry attacked with rockets at Kwa jaleta guam several thousand rockets were hurled at japanese shore installations by on guam these rockets were fired by electrical control from multiple banks of launchers that had been welded to forward well decks operational and tactical reports of rocket successes from field commanders and in various theaters of 0 war have increased markedly over 1912 1942 after analyzing the wide destruction st of enemy ground targets by rocket firing P of the ninth air force the operational research se section action of the force recommended more extensive use of airborne rockets since 1941 american rocket research and development have been forwarded by the war and navy departments part ments working with scientists of the office of scientific research and development the latter Is responsible a among other things tor for initiating and supporting scientific research on weapons of war the air technical service command tech L nic nl clans ians the army ordnance department and civilian scientists of the group developed airborne rockets for tactical use in the war alter only two years of research at wright field dayton ohio and other proving grounds while rockets have great fire power and mobility and may be fired without recoil which increase increased i their adaptability for use where guns cannot be employed only when fired alred from high speed aircraft are they of pinpoint accuracy ground forces rockets have great possibilities as a barrage weapon rocket launchers as compared with guns are relatively simple and cheap to manufacture in mass production according to the national defense research council and the army and navy |