T34 Calliope

Updated on Oct 05, 2024

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Place of origin United States Designer Victor Hawkins		Wars World War II Designed 1943

Type Tank-mounted rocket launcher (Rocket-Artillery Tank) Mainarmament 60 × 4.5 in (114 mm) rockets (T34), 64 × 4.5 in (114 mm) rockets (T34E1),60 × 7.2 in (183 mm) rockets (T34E2)

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, with its prominent vertical side frames firmly anchored to the turret's sides, and fired a barrage of 4.5 in (114 mm) M8 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 parallel pipes, and which had historically existed on steamboats of the Mississippi River in the United States.

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 (24 tubes of jettisonable groups) on the bottom (Not jettisonable from M4A1 Sherman variant).

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.

References

T34 Calliope Wikipedia

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