The
Vespa 150 TAP is a
Vespa scooter modified for use with
paratroops
(Troupes Aéro Portées, or TAP). Introduced in 1956 and updated in 1959,
it was produced by Ateliers de Construction de Motocycles et
Automobiles (ACMA), the licensed assembler of Vespas in France at the
time.
[1] Modifications from the civilian Vespa included a reinforced frame and a three inch
recoilless rifle mounted to the scooter.
[1][2]
The 150 TAP's mounted
M20 75 mm recoilless rifle,
a U.S.-made light anti-armour cannon, was very light in comparison to a
standard 75 mm cannon but was still able to penetrate 100 mm of armour
by
HEAT warhead. The
recoil
is counteracted by venting propellant gases out the rear of the weapon
which eliminated the need for a mechanical recoil system or heavy
mounts, enabling the weapon to be fired from the Vespa frame.
The scooters would be
parachute-dropped
in pairs, accompanied by a two-man team. The gun was carried on one
scooter, while the ammunition was loaded on the other. Due to the lack
of any kind of aiming devices the
recoilless rifle was never designed to be fired from the scooter, the gun was mounted on a
tripod which was also carried by the scooter, before being fired.
The "Bazooka Vespa" was relatively cheap: Vespas cost roughly
US$500 at the time, and the M20s were plentiful. Roughly 800 of these scooters were deployed in the
Algerian War.
From
Wikipedia.
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