Bazooka M1, M9 & M18
Official wording
U.S. Models Ml, M9 and 18, cal. 2.36" Rocket Launcher (Bazooka) and variations thereof.
What this entry requires
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1942–1945.
- INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).
Editorial facts · Our research
- Country
United StatesBasis: the ATF wording - Manufacturer
- General Electric & other contractorsBasis: outside reference ¹
- Type
- OtherBasis: the ATF wording
- Action
- OtherBasis: outside reference ²
- Caliber
- 2.36-inch rocketBasis: the ATF wording
- Made
- 1942–1945production; ATF states no dateBasis: outside reference ³
- Service
- Military
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 89 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. Wikipedia, “June 1942” ↗, maker: 'The General Electric Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut finished production on the new M1 rocket launcher, commonly known as the bazooka'
- 2. Wikipedia, “Bazooka” ↗, action: shoulder-fired rocket launcher (recorded as Other)
- 3. Wikipedia, “Bazooka” ↗, years: infobox production date June 1942 – May 1945 (2.36 inch Bazookas); M18 aluminium version ordered late summer 1945, cancelled
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- None
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Soldier with Bazooka M1.jpg” by U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph.., Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “Bazooka”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The bazooka is a man-portable recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher weapon, widely deployed by the United States Army, especially during World War II. Also referred to as the "stovepipe", the innovative bazooka was among the first generation of rocket-propelled anti-tank weapons used in infantry combat. Featuring a solid-propellant rocket for propulsion, it allowed for high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shaped charge warheads to be delivered against armored vehicles, machine gun nests, and fortified bunkers at ranges beyond that of a standard thrown grenade or mine. The universally applied nickname arose from the weapon's M1 variant's vague resemblance to the musical instrument called a bazooka invented and popularized by 1930s American comedian Bob Burns.