The 7.2-Inch Demolition Rocket, also known as the T37, was a

rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

developed and used by the United States military during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Derived from the "

Mousetrap A mousetrap is a specialized type of animal trap designed primarily to catch and, usually, kill mice. Mousetraps are usually set in an indoor location where there is a suspected infestation of rodents. Larger traps are designed to catch other s ...

" anti-submarine rocket, it was intended for use in demolishing concrete bunkers and fortifications, and saw use from August 1944.

Development

The 7.2-Inch Demolition Rocket was developed by Section L of the National Defense Research Committee, located at

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

, in late 1943 as a modification of the existing "mousetrap" (7.2-Inch ASW Rocket) rocket for use against heavily fortified ground targets. Assigned to the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for development and production in July 1944, An additional high-explosive rocket, the T24, was planned, but was dropped in favor of the T37. The rockets utilized a standard rocket motor, fitted with a larger-diameter warhead; a longer-ranged version utilizing a motor was also produced.

Operational history

The T37 saw its first operational use during

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15August 1944. Despite initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, th ...

, the invasion of southern France, in August 1944,Parsch 2006 fired from 120-round "Woofus" launchers mounted aboard

Landing Craft Rocket The Landing Craft Tank (Rocket) or LCT(R) was developed from the British Mk.2 and Mk.3 Landing Craft Tank (LCT) during the Second World War. It was designed to saturate beaches with either 972 or 1,044https://www.combinedops.com/US%20LANDING%2 ...

vessels offshore. The rocket was also intended to be fired from tanks for the clearing of bunkers and

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first deve ...

obstacles. The initial launcher, dubbed "Cowcatcher", was mounted on the front of

M4 Sherman } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the Military history of the United States during World War II, United States and Allies of World War II, Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman prove ...

tanks;Zaloga 2011, pp.35-36 it was quickly found unsatisfactory, and was replaced by 20-round ( T40 "Whiz Bang") and 24-round ("Grand Slam") launchers mounted atop the tank's

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

. The 20-round launcher could fire its entire loadout of rockets in approximately 10 seconds; however the tank installation was unpopular with crews, as the launcher prevented the tank's turret hatches from being opened.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Rocket weapons of the United States World War II weapons of the United States California Institute of Technology Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1944