U.S. RECOILLESS RIFLE M-18 57 MM

The M18 recoilless rifle was a US 57mm recoilless gun from the Second World War and the post-war period. The first prototypes of this weapon appeared in 1942, and the serial production started in 1944. The total weight of the gun was approx. 20 kilograms, and its overall length was up to 156 cm. The effective range of the shot did not exceed 450 meters, and the initial velocity of the projectile fired from this weapon was 370 m / s. The M18 recoilless rifle gun was developed for the needs of the US Armed Forces as an anti-tank support weapon for infantry units. It was assumed that the weapon would be as light and effective as possible and could be transported by infantrymen. These assumptions were only partially realized. Compared to the popular M1 Bazooka produced in parallel, the weapon was much heavier and significantly more expensive to produce. On the other hand, it had a much better range and accuracy. The weapon was brought to the front only at the beginning of 1945 and was used, inter alia, during the fighting in Okinawa. The M18 recoilless rifle was also used during the Korean War (1950-1953), where it was used primarily to fight enemy fortifications, as it was of little use in fighting enemy tanks - mainly T-34/85. In addition to the US Army, they were used in the armed forces of, among others: Austria, Brazil, South Korea and Italy.