The bazooka gave the ordinary foot soldier something he had never had: a way to kill a tank. Fielded in 1942, the M1 rocket launcher was the world's first man-portable, shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket — a simple electrically-fired tube that threw a shaped-charge warhead able to burn through armor. GIs named it after the crude homemade horn played by radio comedian Bob Burns, and the nickname stuck harder than the official designation ever did. It was no wonder weapon: against the thick frontal armor of a Panther or Tiger it often just bounced, so teams learned to stalk for a shot at the thinner sides, rear or tracks. But it meant two men could stop a tank, and that changed the infantry's world.

The two-man set catches the drill: the kneeling gunner sights down the M1A1 tube while his loader slots a rocket into the rear and taps him ready. Note the loader's burden — he carries both men's M1 Garands, his own and the gunner's, plus extra rounds and grenades, because the gunner's hands are full of launcher. Pair the team with the collection's Walking Bazooka Guy moving up with a fresh tube, point them at the German armored spearhead of Joachim Peiper, and back them with the Grenadier for close-in work. A bazooka team stalking a tank down a snowy street is a diorama with built-in drama.

Model: BBA098 / King & Country / 1/30 (60mm) scale / matte finish / 2 piece set