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Charles Carpenter (1912/1966) aka “Bazooka Charlie” was a WWII US army reconnaissance pilot who strapped bazookas to his observation plane, He is best remembered for destroying several enemy armored vehicles in his L-4 Grasshopper light aircraft.
In 1942, Charles Carpenter enlisted in the US Army. He was a commissioned second Lieutenant. His job was to fly light observation aircraft. Carpenter flew a light observation aircraft and accumulated substantial flight training to perform enemy surveillance and observation as well as artillery scouting missions, and more. One day, Carpenter noticed a pilot had put a bazooka on his plane for anti-tank fire. After receiving approval from his Command Headquarters, Carpenter placed two bazookas on the wings of his plane. He called his aircraft “Rosie The Rocketer.” He did some testing and eventually placed a total of six bazookas on his aircraft. He used a battery ignited toggle switch to fire them.
During the Battle of Arracourt, Sept 1944, Carpenter got into his aircraft and struggled to see the ground because the fog was heavy. Eventually, the fog cleared and Carpenter saw a company of Nazi armored cars and Panther tanks heading toward Arraourt. Facing a barrage of German infantry fire, Carpenter conducted several assaults against the Nazi formation. He emptied all of his bazooka tubes. Carpenter returned to his base and reloaded his plane two more times that day. During the battle, Carpenter fired 16 bazooka rockets at the enemy. He was able to immobilize two Panther tanks and several armored vehicles. The German tank formation had to eventually retreat. Carpenter's heroic actions made it possible for the pinned down units from the 4th Armored Division to escape being captured or killed.
By the end of war, Carpenter had destroyed numerous German armored cars as well as immobilized approximately 14 Nazi tanks. He was credited officially with completely destroying two Tiger 1 tanks among the six tanks he destroyed. Carpenter also participated in many ground combat actions. His rank was Major during the war, and he was often referred to as “The Lucky Major.” This is because he was never injured during the many times he was involved in combat. His bravery and dedication were recognized by the US Army. He was promoted to Lt Col. Carpenter was also awarded the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star as well as the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
L-4 Grasshopper “Rosie The Rocketer”, today.
In 1942, Charles Carpenter enlisted in the US Army. He was a commissioned second Lieutenant. His job was to fly light observation aircraft. Carpenter flew a light observation aircraft and accumulated substantial flight training to perform enemy surveillance and observation as well as artillery scouting missions, and more. One day, Carpenter noticed a pilot had put a bazooka on his plane for anti-tank fire. After receiving approval from his Command Headquarters, Carpenter placed two bazookas on the wings of his plane. He called his aircraft “Rosie The Rocketer.” He did some testing and eventually placed a total of six bazookas on his aircraft. He used a battery ignited toggle switch to fire them.
During the Battle of Arracourt, Sept 1944, Carpenter got into his aircraft and struggled to see the ground because the fog was heavy. Eventually, the fog cleared and Carpenter saw a company of Nazi armored cars and Panther tanks heading toward Arraourt. Facing a barrage of German infantry fire, Carpenter conducted several assaults against the Nazi formation. He emptied all of his bazooka tubes. Carpenter returned to his base and reloaded his plane two more times that day. During the battle, Carpenter fired 16 bazooka rockets at the enemy. He was able to immobilize two Panther tanks and several armored vehicles. The German tank formation had to eventually retreat. Carpenter's heroic actions made it possible for the pinned down units from the 4th Armored Division to escape being captured or killed.
By the end of war, Carpenter had destroyed numerous German armored cars as well as immobilized approximately 14 Nazi tanks. He was credited officially with completely destroying two Tiger 1 tanks among the six tanks he destroyed. Carpenter also participated in many ground combat actions. His rank was Major during the war, and he was often referred to as “The Lucky Major.” This is because he was never injured during the many times he was involved in combat. His bravery and dedication were recognized by the US Army. He was promoted to Lt Col. Carpenter was also awarded the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star as well as the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
L-4 Grasshopper “Rosie The Rocketer”, today.
