"USMC 7.2-inch rocket launcher sled. Iwo Jima " Topic

Is there a miniature of these? Photos? Has anyone used them in a game? Robert

"In order to support the advance of 3/21, a 7.2-inch rocket launcher, mounted on a sled, was attached to the battalion. This improvisation was the idea of the VAC ordnance officer, who had four of the rocket launchers mounted on sleds when it was found that these weapons did not fit the M4A3 tank with which VAC was then equipped. The sled mount appeared to be the answer to the problem of getting this powerful supporting weapon into terrain which was impassable for tanks. Each rocket launcher, equipped with 20 tubes, was capable of delivering 640 pounds of TNT in a salvo. Effective range of the launcher was 250 yards. A volley of rockets, exploding within a narrow area, could be expected to have a gruesome and highly demoralizing effect upon the enemy.

As 3/21 approached the confines of the pocket, meeting very heavy resistance all the way, a rocket launcher was towed into action by a tank of Company C, 3d Tank Battalion. Altogether, 10 volleys were fired into the pocket with undetermined results. Only too soon did it become apparent that the efficiency of the launchers did not match the visual effect created by the exploding rockets. When the dust settled, the enemy still sat securely in his defenses, little the worse for wear. An official report of this action was to note with discouragement: "Nearly 200 of the 7.2-inch rockets were thrown into this pocket and still our infantry was unable to go in and occupy the ground."

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I can find photos of rockets mounted on the back of USMC trucks on Iwo Jima and Okinawa.But no sleds so far. Robert

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"USMC M-2-4 1-ton Cargo Trucks fitted with rocket launchers, Okinawa, 1945"

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"USMC rocket launchers pound the Japanese on Iwo Jima, circa February 1945. The trucks are IH M-2-4 one ton 4x4 vehicles."

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And this,

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Some nice detail here, bit no pics –

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Gary

Thanks for that Gary. They are also mentioned here,
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Robert

So how come this weapon failed when the Katyusha succeeded? Was it the nature of the defenses?

Well they were used by the US Army in Europe also. Robert

"Hurtgen Forest – Men of the 18th F.A reload rockets in Hurtgen Germany, 11/30/44."
realwarphotos.com/army

The specific incident Robert asked about I suspect was a culmination of factors. You have a new weapons system that was supposed to be fitted to a tank, but won't marry up (wonder why not?), so it's deployed on a different mounting. The paragraph before the description of the rocket launchers gives an indication of the target area -

"Even though no solid line of containment surrounded the pocket from the west or southwest, there was no activity on the part of the Japanese trapped within, aimed at either evading the encirclement or launching a direct assault against the Marines approaching them. Instead, the enemy followed the orders issued by General Kuribayashi to the letter. Remaining within their relatively secure pillboxes, dugouts, caves, and stationary tanks, the Japanese contested every foot of ground, continuing to make the Marines pay an exorbitant price for every yard gained."

That suggests to me a well prepared defensive position, with probably standard overhead cover for all weapon sites. Well prepared defences versus cobbled together barrage from a weapon that possibly the troops had not seen before they fired it would usually give the defenders the advantage.

Gary

"That suggests to me a well prepared defensive position, with probably standard overhead cover for all weapon sites. Well prepared defences versus cobbled together barrage from a weapon that possibly the troops had not seen before they fired it would usually give the defenders the advantage. "

Makes sense to me Gary. With the type of defences such as the caves on Iwo and the materials used, especially the volcanic rock, I can see the problem. Robert

It appears that some modified jeeps has launchers mounted on them too,
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Robert

Rocket jeeps and trucks head for Hill 382. Iwo Jima – 1945
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Jeep armed with 4.5 rocket launcher during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944
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I still wouldn't want to be in the Armored cab though its only to protect the interior from the blast LOL. Robert

U.S. trucks and jeeps with rocket launchers during World War II in the Pacific.

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"Although frontline Marines appreciated the support of the 1st and 2d Provisional Rocket Companies' truck-mounted 4.5-inch rocket launchers, they always dreaded the period immediately following a barrage. The dust and smoke thrown up at that time served as a perfect aiming point for enemy artillery and mortars which soon followed. Notice the flight of rockets in the upper left hand section of the picture"

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"As a part of Task Force "Sugar" a provisional 4.5 rocket battery, consisting of three launcher rockets, T-27 was employed. This was the first trial in the division of this weapon."

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"Iwo's Fire Brigades: The Rocket Detachments

Attached to the assault divisions of the landing force at Iwo Jima were provisional rocket detachments. The infantry had a love-hate relationship with the forward-deploying little rocket trucks and their plucky crews. The "system" was an International one-ton 4x4 truck modified to carry three box-shaped launchers, each containing a dozen 4.5-inch rockets. A good crew could launch a "ripple" of 36 rockets within a matter of seconds, providing a blanket of high explosives on the target. This the infantry loved—but each launching always drew heavy return fire from the Japanese who feared the "automatic artillery."

The Marines formed an Experimental Rocket Unit in June 1943 and first deployed rail-launched barrage rockets during the fighting in the upper Solomons. There the heavily canopied jungles limited their effectiveness. Once mounted on trucks and deployed to the Central Pacific, however, the weapons proved much more useful, particularly during the battle of Saipan. The Marines modified the small trucks by reinforcing the tail gate to serve as a blast shield, installing a hydraulic jack to raise and lower the launchers, and applying gravity quadrants and elevation safety chains. Crude steel rods welded to the bumper and dashboard helped the driver align the vehicle with aiming stakes.

Treeless, hilly Iwo Jima proved an ideal battleground for these so-called "Buck Rogers Men." At Iwo, the 1st Provisional Rocket Detachment supported the 4th Marine Division and the 3d Detachment supported the 5th Division throughout the operation (the 3d Division did not have such a unit in this battle). Between them, the two detachments fired more than 30,000 rockets in support of the landing force.

The 3d Detachment landed over Red Beach on D-day, losing one vehicle to the surf, others to the loose sand or heavy enemy fire. One vehicle reached its firing position intact and launched a salvo of rockets against Japanese fortifications along the slopes of Suribachi, detonating an enemy ammunition dump. The detachment subsequently supported the 1st Battalion, 28th Marines' advance to the summit, often launching single rockets to clear suspected enemy positions along the route.

As the fighting moved north, the short range, steep angle of fire, and saturation effect of the rocket launchers kept them in high demand. They were particularly valuable in defilade-to-defilade bombardments marking the final punctuation of pre-assault prep fires. But their distinctive flash and telltale blast also caught the attention of Japanese artillery spotters. The rocket trucks rarely remained in one place long enough to fire more than two salvos. "Speedy displacement" was the key to their survival. The nearby infantry knew better than to stand around and wave goodbye; this was the time to seek deep shelter from the counterbattery fire sure to follow."
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"The Marines saw lightweight, vehicle-mounted rocket launchers as artillery support that could be brought into action quickly when assaulting enemy-held beaches. Their training school for rocketeers, established on the Hawaiian island of Oahu early in 1944, graduated its first class in April of that year. The first of six "provisional rocket detachments" was formed the same week. Each detachment consisted on one officer, fifty-seven enlisted men, and (initially) a dozen 1-ton trucks with 1-ton trailes. All six rocket detachments eventually saw action in the Pacific, first at the invasion of Saipan in June 1944 and later in the invasion of the Philippines in late 1944 and the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945."

Rockets & Missiles – The Life Story of a Technology

MARINE ROCKET LAUNCHERS in support of the drive south. Okinawa
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IMO one reason the barrage failed was that it was done by only one sled and not the 4 that was improvised. Robert