Wednesday Weapons — The Recoilless Scooter Rifle
by Whaleoil on March 10, 2010 · 7 comments
Only the French would make this weapon platform, it is certainly the oddest weapon I have ever seen, a scooter armed with a M20 75mm recoilless rifle.
After World War II, there was little money for defense spending while the nations of Europe rebuilt their industry and society. When there was some cash to spend, one had to be creative to stretch it as far as possible. The French probably accomplished the most astounding example of that with the ACMA Troupes Aeról Portées Mle. 56. Deployed with their airborne forces, this was essentially a militarized Vespa scooter outfitted with a 75mm recoilless rifle. Five parachutes would carry the two-man gun crew, weapon, ammunition, and two scooters safely to earth, and the men would load the weapon on one scooter and the ammo on the other, then ride away. More impressively, the recoilless rifle could be fired effectively on the move by the best of the gun crews. Total cost? About $500 for the scooter and the recoilless rifle was war surplus. Were they successful military machines? Well, the French Army deployed about 800 armed scooters in wars conducted in both Algeria and Indochina.
The Vespa carried the M20, a U.S.-made light anti-armour cannon, it was very light when compared to a standard 75mm cannon but was still able to penetrate 100 mm of armour by so-called HEAT warheads. The recoil is counteracted by venting propellant gases out the rear of the weapon, thru a venturi, which eliminated the need for a mechanical recoil system or heavy mounts, enabling the weapon to be fired from the Vespa frame.
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Tagged as: French Weapons • M20 • recoilless rifle • Vespa • Wednesday Weapons
{ 7 comments }
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With weapons like this, I can see why we are not all speaking through our noses, eating snails and generally acting like poofters. Basically useless unless the enemy is directly in front of you, on a level height and pissing themselves laughing at the sight of 2 frenchmen on a scooter.
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Is that a 75mm recoilless cannon between your legs or are you just….wait that IS a 75mm recoilless cannon between your legs
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I am calling this one as bullshit.. Or not French. If it was really a french weapon it would have the barrel facing the rear.
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Why they were so effective is when you pull up in front of a tiger tank on a scooter,the tank crew piss them selves laughing, giving you ample time to fire a round.
A good idea actually,provides cheap easy mobility for a squad to get around when otherwise they would have to walk.
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Where did the frenchies drop this one then?
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“Were they successful military machines? Well, the French Army deployed about 800 armed scooters in wars conducted in both Algeria and Indochina.”
That would be a NO then.
“There’s nothing like living in France for 10 years to make a man hate. 10 years of wearing perfume, eating snails and saying ‘pardon’”
– The Hawk, Blackadder, series 1, episode 6 I think.
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The French can make any weapon they like, it’s not as if they’d do any actual fighting anyway.
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