T34 Calliope
| T34 Calliope |
T34 Calliope in France |
| Type |
Tank-mounted rocket launcher |
| Place of origin |
United States |
| Service history |
| Wars |
World War II |
| Production history |
| Designed |
1943 |
| Specifications |
|
Main
armament |
60 × 4.5 in (114 mm) rockets,
75mm M3 L\40 gun
|
Secondary
armament |
2 .30 cal M1919A4 machine guns |
The Rocket Launcher T34 (Calliope) was a tank-mounted multiple rocket launcher used by the United States Army during World War II. The launcher was placed atop the Medium Tank M4, and fired a barrage of 4.5 in (114 mm) rockets from 60 launch tubes. It was developed in 1943; small numbers were produced and were used by various US armor units in 1944-45. It adopts its name from the musical instrument "Calliope", also known as the steam organ, which had similar lined pipes.
Variants
- Rocket Launcher T34 (Calliope) - Version carrying 60 4.5 in (114 mm) rockets in arrangement of a group of 36 tubes on the top, and a pair jettisonable groups of 12 tubes on the bottom (M4A1 not jettisonable).
- Rocket Launcher T34E1 (Calliope) - Same as T34 but groups of 12 jettisonable tubes replaced by groups of 14 tubes.
- Rocket Launcher T34E2 (Calliope) - Caliber of rockets increased from 4.5 in (114 mm) to 7.2 in (183 mm), number of tubes remains at 60. Saw combat in 1944-1945.
See also
External links
References
- Hunting, David. The New Weapons of the World Encyclopedia. New York, New York: Diagram Visual Information Ltd., 2007. ISBN 0-312-36832-1