M20 recoilless rifle | |
---|---|
Type | Recoilless anti-tank weapon |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
Used by | United States |
Wars | |
Production history | |
Designed | 1944 |
Produced | 1945 |
Variants | Type 56 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 103 lb (47 kg) |
Length | 82 in (2.1 m) |
Barrel length | 65 in (1.7 m) |
Crew | 1 or 2[2] |
Shell | 75 x 408 mm R[3] HE, HEAT, Smoke |
Shell weight | 20.5–22.6 lb (9.3–10.3 kg) |
Caliber | 75 mm (3.0 in) |
Recoil | Recoilless |
Carriage | M1917A1 tripod |
Elevation | −27° to +65° |
Traverse | 360°[2] |
Muzzle velocity | 1,000 ft/s (300 m/s) |
Maximum firing range | 3.9 mi (6.3 km)[2] |
The M20 recoilless rifle is a U.S. 75 mm caliber recoilless rifle T21E12 that was used during the last months of the Second World War and extensively during the Korean War. It could be fired from an M1917A1 .30 caliber machine gun tripod, or from a vehicle mount, typically a Jeep. Its shaped charge warhead, also known as HEAT, was capable of penetrating 100 mm of armor. Although the weapon proved ineffective against the T-34 tank and most other tanks during the Korean War, it was used primarily as a close infantry support weapon to engage all types of targets including infantry and lightly armored vehicles. The M20 proved useful against pillboxes and other types of field fortifications.