89mm M20 RL

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.

Developed during the latter stages of World War II, the M20 was designed to address the inadequacy of the 2.36-inch M9 bazooka against heavier German armor. Although production began in 1945, the weapon was not widely fielded until the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, where it successfully countered North Korean T-34/85 tanks. It subsequently saw extensive combat during the Vietnam War before being phased out of front-line United States service in the late 1960s in favor of the M72 LAW. Today, the M20 is retired from major militaries but remains a landmark design in the evolution of infantry anti-tank warfare.