Edward Uhl on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Edward Uhl (March 24, 1918 – May 9, 2010) was a 
By launching from the shoulder the danger of burns to the face of the operator was avoided. In 1942 the new weapon was deployed to North Africa and it was later used effectively against German tanks in the Normandy Campaign.
Uhl rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and after his military service he worked for the Glenn L. Martin Company and Martin Marietta on guided missiles projects and became vice-president of engineering. He was then president of the
HistoryNet.com. 1918 births 2010 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II American inventors United States Army colonels Martin Marietta people {{US-army-World-War-II-bio-stub
United States Army Ordnance Corps
The United States Army Ordnance Corps, formerly the United States Army Ordnance Department, is a Combat service support (United States), sustainment branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Gregg-Adams, Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia ...
officer who developed the M1 portable rocket launcher, known as the bazooka.
He was born in New Jersey and graduated in engineering at Lehigh University
Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...
, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Bethle ...
in 1940. He enlisted in the US Army in 1941 and was commissioned into the Ordnance Corps.
In 1942 while working at the headquarters of the corps in Washington with the rank of lieutenant he was tasked with utilizing the M1 shaped charge as an anti-tank weapon for use by the infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
. It was too heavy for a hand grenade so Uhl used a piece of scrap metal tubing to create a simple recoilless rocket launcher to propel the charge. According to Uhl,
By launching from the shoulder the danger of burns to the face of the operator was avoided. In 1942 the new weapon was deployed to North Africa and it was later used effectively against German tanks in the Normandy Campaign.
Uhl rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and after his military service he worked for the Glenn L. Martin Company and Martin Marietta on guided missiles projects and became vice-president of engineering. He was then president of the Fairchild Fairchild may refer to:
Organizations
* Fairchild Aerial Surveys, operated in cooperation with a subsidiary of Fairey Aviation Company
* Fairchild Camera and Instrument
* List of Sherman Fairchild companies, "Fairchild" companies
* Fairchild ...
Engine and Airplane company before his retirement in 1985. He died aged 92 of heart failure.
References
External links
* Budiansky, Stephenbr>"Edward Uhl, the Man Behind the Bazooka"HistoryNet.com. 1918 births 2010 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II American inventors United States Army colonels Martin Marietta people {{US-army-World-War-II-bio-stub