How a wire clothes hanger helped create the legendary World War II bazooka.

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Born from a scrap pile and improvised sights, the bazooka became one of the four tools of victory that defined the Allied war effort. While its name was inspired by a comedian's musical instrument, this recoilless rocket launcher fundamentally changed infantry combat by allowing soldiers to challenge armored vehicles from afar.

The bazooka’s origins trace back to World War I, when Robert H. Goddard developed a tube-fired rocket under U.S. Army contract. Although demonstrated in 1918, development stalled until the 1940s. By 1942, Colonel Leslie Skinner and Lieutenant Edward Uhl were tasked with creating a delivery system for the M10 shaped-charge grenade. Uhl famously discovered the solution in a scrap pile: a tube that fit the grenade perfectly, allowing a soldier to fire it from the shoulder.

The weapon’s debut at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in May 1942 was a success, despite the lack of proper sights. Skinner and Uhl improvised them using a wire clothes hanger and a broken nail. The launcher was the only weapon in the trial capable of hitting a moving tank. Major General Gladeon M. Barnes, impressed by the performance, noted its resemblance to the musical instrument popularized by comedian Bob Burns, cementing the name "bazooka."

The weapon faced significant challenges, including unreliable early ammunition and sensitivity to extreme climates. Captured bazookas led the Germans to develop the superior, larger-diameter Panzerschreck. In response, the U.S. began developing the 3.5-inch M20 Super Bazooka, though it arrived too late for World War II. Despite these hurdles, General Dwight D. Eisenhower credited the bazooka as one of the four essential tools of victory, alongside the Jeep, the C-47 Skytrain, and the atomic bomb.

While often used against bunkers and fortifications, the bazooka’s anti-tank efficacy relied heavily on operator skill. Tactics included targeting thinner armor on tank tops or undersides. Major Charles Carpenter, known as "Bazooka Charlie," famously mounted six launchers on his L-4 Grasshopper aircraft to attack German armor from above, proving that with ingenuity, the weapon could disable even the heaviest tanks.

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