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

rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...

developed and used by the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Derived from the "

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

anti-submarine rocket An anti-submarine rocket is an anti-submarine weapon type deployed on surface warships for the purpose of sinking or damaging submarines by small explosive charges. They are similar to anti-submarine mortar but a comparably more modern system. T ...

, it was intended for use in demolishing concrete

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

s and fortifications, and saw use from August 1944.

Development

The 7.2-Inch Demolition Rocket was developed by the Physical Chemical Problems branch of the

National Defense Research Committee The National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) was an organization created "to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of warfare" in the U ...

, located at

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private university, private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small g ...

, in late 1943 as a modification of the existing ASW rocket (

) for use against heavily fortified ground targets. Assigned to the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

for development and production in July 1944, An additional

high-explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...

rocket, the T24, was planned, but was dropped in favor of the T37. The rockets utilized a standard

rocket motor A rocket engine is a reaction engine, producing thrust in accordance with Newton's third law by ejecting reaction mass rearward, usually a high-speed jet of high-temperature gas produced by the combustion of rocket propellants stored inside t ...

, fitted with a larger-diameter

warhead A warhead is the section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket (weapon), rocket, torpedo, or bomb. Classification Types of warheads include: *E ...

; 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), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...

, the invasion of southern France, in August 1944,Parsch 2006 fired from 120-round "Woofus" launchers mounted aboard Landing Craft Rocket vessels offshore. The rocket was also intended to be fired from tanks for the clearing of bunkers and

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...

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

M4 Sherman The M4 Sherman, officially medium tank, M4, was the medium tank most widely used by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. I ...

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 * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...

. 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