M1 Rocket Launcher – Bazooka
By an army colonel Leslie Skinner and lieutenant Edward Uhl, the two created rocket launcher for anti-tank grenades. Later this launcher was improved and named the M1A1 rocket launcher, the so-called bazooka.
The M1A1 rocket launcher was nicknamed the bazooka after the popular comedian Bob Burn’s homemade trombone that Bob Burn named the Bazooka.
The M1A1 rocket launcher could mount a 60mm (2.36 inches) antitank rocket, the M6(M6A1) and could penetrate up to 80mm of armor.
Now, infantry could resist to tanks as there wasn’t many formidable weapons that infantry could carry during World War 2 before the invention of the M1A1 rocket launcher.
The German Panzerschreck was inspired and developed after capturing the bazooka from the battlefield. The M1 rocket launcher, the bazooka could penetrate the think armors of some tank destroyers but it couldn’t penetrate the thick armor of heavy tanks or medium tanks like the Tiger Tank shown where Sergeant Horvath tried to knock out the Tiger tank.
TNT
TNT stands for TriNitroToluene which is a chemical compound also named as 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene(C6H2(NO2)3CH3 ). The chemical disintegration/decomposition of TNT(trinitrotoluene) leads to an extreme exothermic reaction in other words an extreme heat releasing chemical reaction that would make it a powerful explosive
By detonation, the TNT goes through a chemical reaction as below that released the pressure, heat and energy causing an explosion.
2 C7H5N3O6 → 3 N2 + 5 H2 + 12 CO + 2 C
TNT would be distributed to troopers or engineers to disable roadblocks, bunkers, obstacles, bridges, heavy guns and artillery during World War II. Composition B was an explosive with the same purpose that mixed TNT and RDX
RDX
RDX is a chemical compound 1,3,5-Trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (O2NNCH2)3 that was invented by a German scientist Georg Friedrich Henning. RDX was much sensitive than TNT and it wasn’t utilized until World War II despite it was patented in 1898.
As it was sensitive and hard to control and not easy to produce in an industrial scale, it wasn’t utilized by the Germans but the Allies have developed a large-scale process of manufacturing RDX and used in in various applications.
RDX is named after Research Department eXplosive or Royal Demolition eXplosive). The famous C4 plastic explosive is 90% of RDX and it is still one of the key explosive used in both military and civilian activities. Various explosives use a mixture of RDX and TNT even for today.
Composition B
Composition B is an explosive with a mixture of RDX and TNT with about a 6:4 ratio. Composition B was used in various artillery shells, rockets, mines and grenades. It was also distributed as an explosive to blow up obstacles, infrastructure etc for troopers.
M2 60mm Mortar
Although the M2 60mm Mortar doesn’t appear in Saving Private Ryan, the shells of the M2 60mm Mortar were featured as the G.I.’s would throw them as if they were grenades.
Along with grenade launchers, mortars are the cheapest, lightest(at least among other weapons), simple to operate and the fastest method to pour greater firepower on enemies.
The most common standard mortar calibers for most countries were 60mm, 81mm, and 120mm during the war. Airborne Divisions were often armed with 60mm mortars as it was the lightest, thus most resistant to crumbling upon airdrops. Heavier weapons would be delivered with gliders to the airborne troopers.
Could you throw a mortar shell like a grenade like Saving Private Ryan?
The Medal of Honor recipient sergeant Beauford Theodore Anderson has fought off 75 Japanese soldiers including throwing 14 of 60mm mortar rounds like a football to the enemy. This may have been an inspiration to this scene of throwing mortar rounds like a grenade.
However this is a very exceptional case of great risk as 60 mm mortar rounds had a much larger blast radius and it was much heavier than a hand grenade.
Throwing a 3 pound,1.4kg mortar round would put the solder in danger as it would be difficult to throw as well. Stories tell that after removing the safety pin and hitting the back of the mortar round could let the mortar to release the gas that it originally uses to projectile and start the explosion sequence.
Since this isn’t a delayed fuse, it must have been very risky to throw a mortar round like a grenade as it would possibly blow at the moment if impact is given considering the technology back then. There aren’t stories of throwing motor rounds like grenades in the European front. Thus, it is possible but not recommended at all
M1919 browning light machine gun
The M1919 browning light machine gun was another masterpiece designed by John M. Browning. The M1919 was based on the water cooled M1917 but was modified to be air-cooled and more portable for troopers to carry.
The M1919 browning light machine gun was much lighter than the M1917, however the barrel was vulnerable to overheating and still the it weighed 31 pounds about 14kgs where the tripod weighed an additional 14lbs about 6.5kgs.
Melish would use the M1919 browning light machine gun to hold off the Waffen SS trooper’s advance and was killed while waiting for Timothy Upham to deliver additional ammunition for the M1919.
Sticky bomb
The origins of the sticky bomb that Captain John. H Miller mentioned is unknown. However, there is a sticky bomb also known as the anti-tank grenade 74 that was produced by the British Army.
It had a lever that conceals a stick sphere like structure that could attach to vehicles and a five-second fuse that would detonate once the lever is released. It was extremely dangerous itself to use the sticky bomb as the fuse could have been activated with the slightest touch of the lever.
P51 Mustang
A P51 Mustang came and destroyed the Tiger tank attempting to cross the bridge of Ramelle. However, P51 Mustangs were mostly used as aerial fighters and even if given air support roles, they weren’t often assigned anti-tank weapons in history.
Possibly the P51 was implied in the film since P51 Mustangs are readily available. The P47 Thunderbolt or the British Hawker Typhoon would have been a more historically accurate tank buster for this scene.
Regardless, the North American Aviation P51 Mustang was one of the masterpieces by the US. The P51 Mustang was excellent in mission range, fire power, speed, operating altitude and many aspects compared with other planes of the war(It isn’t perfect. Nothing is).
The P51 Mustang could escort the B-17 Flying Fortresses deep into Germany that significantly increased the survival rate of B-17’s and P51 Mustangs could operate for multiple roles. After the debut of the P-51, the P-47 Thunderbolts would often take close air support machines and attack roles.
