Hello 4th,
I recall the incoming sound of the 122mm rocket as a turbine-like whine. It was a spin stabilised rocket having 5 canted vent nozzels as well as folded angled fins that allowed tube launch. Many used by the VC in I Corps area after Tet "68 were launched from a couple bamboo sticks acting as a fall-away bipod. Cheap and disposable.
Those 122's had a range of about 8 klicks. There were also booster modules available that extended the range. I could see the VC rocket teams launch at night at Camp Evens from so-called "friendly villages". I had 40mm "Dusters" return fire anyway and got my ass chewed. I was not "politically correct" FxxxK 'em !!!!!
Early one morning I was blown out of my rack by a 122 rocket that flew directly over my hooch. It sounded like an airforce jet at low level. The shrapnel shreded buildings and water buffalows like a giant shotgun. A large chunk of nozzel came through my hooch smokin' hot. The piece even had serial numbers on it !!!
Back home I told this incident to my buddy's father (a decorated WW-II US Aircorps officer and POW) and forging machinery engineer. He stated that his American company had made the machinery to produce the 122mm rockets and sold the equipment to India... who then produced the Fxxxxing rockets for the VC and NVA. How GD thoughtful !!!!!
The 122mm rocket is an area weapon and was intended to be fired in masses in WW-II against the nazis. The launcher racks were installed on Studebaker trucks from the US. They were effective !!!!
Since Gaza and Israel are very small land areas the 122mm rockets are sufficient (with boosters) to hit most "areas". They can be man-portable with the warhead separated if needed. I believe that the rockets used a double-base nitro-cellulose propellant in a single extruded grain (ie not as a powder like we use for ammo reloading). That type can propell a rocket up to about 6 inches in diameter max.
Yes, the nazis used numbers of field arty rockets in WW-II such as the souped-up "Nebelwerfers" (smoke thrower chemical rockets) with HE warheads. They also had some multi-stage solid propellant FA rockets.
The Ruskies used far more solid propellant FA rockets as they were cheap, quick and dirty area weapons. They were also very indiscriminate and still are. They have no guidance system and are "free flight" types.
It does seem that Hamas has run about out of their large rocket inventory and are thus seeking a "truce" to reload more rockets from Iran etc. Who was it that said, "a moderate Iranian is one who has run out of ammo" ???
VD in AZ
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