M20 recoilless rifle

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The M20 recoilless rifle was a U.S. 75 mm calibre recoilless rifle used during the last months of the Second World War and extensively during the Korean War. It could be fired from the shoulder, from a M1917A1 .30 caliber machine gun tripod, or from a vehicle mount, typically a Jeep. Its shaped charge warhead, also known as the HEAT, was capable of penetrating 100 mm of armor. This weapon could stop the Russian made T-34 tank at ranges up to 400 yards. It was used primarily as a close infantry support weapon to engage all types of targets including infantry and armored vehicles. The M20 proved useful against pillboxes and other types of heavy fortifications.

During World War II the U.S. military recognized that a powerful lightweight weapon was needed for defending infantry and light armor units due to advancements in armor technology by enemy forces. The Ordnance Department Small Arms Division commenced development of the a recoilless rifle and by 1944 models of a 75 mm recoilless rifle were being tested. Production of the M20 was underway by March 1945; only limited numbers were used by Allied troops on the European and Pacific theatres.

The M20 relied on a perforated artillery shell casing, combined with a rear vented breech using propellent gases from the firing of a shell, to greatly reduce the recoil of the weapon. It is this use of vented propellent gases that eliminated the need for a recoil system, thereby reducing the weight of the artillery piece and enhancing its use as a light infantry weapon.

Recoilless rifles, such as the M20, were used successfully in large numbers during the Korean War, but were phased out for the wired guided missiles introduced during the Vietnam War in the 1960's and 1970's. Currently, M20 recoilless rifles are being used as part of the avalanche control system used by the U.S. National Park Service.

[edit] Specifications

• Length: 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
• Weight: 114.5 lb (52 kg)
• Rifling: uniform right hand twist, 1 turn in 25
• Range: (HEAT) 7000 yards (6.4 km)
• Muzzle velocity: (HEAT) 1000 ft/s (300 m/s)
• Round weight:
  • HE: 21.86 lb (9.92 kg)
  • HEAT: 20.54 lb (9.32 kg)
  • Smoke (T40, WP): 22.61 lb (10.26 kg)
• Armor penetration: 4 inches (100 mm)