- 25 minutes ago
A history teacher turned combat pilot mounted bazookas on a tiny Piper Cub and used it to hunt German tanks in World War II. Charles “Bazooka Charlie” Carpenter flew a fabric-covered L-4 Grasshopper with six M9 launchers bolted to the wing struts, proving that an observation plane could become a tank killer.
Set during the fighting around Arracourt, France, this military history story follows Carpenter as he takes on Panthers and even Tiger tanks with low-altitude dive attacks, careful angles, and sheer nerve. The transcript traces the tension of each sortie, the damage to his aircraft, and the battlefield impact on trapped American troops.
It’s a gripping World War 2 story, a narrated history feature, and a forgotten war tale about improvisation, courage, and the limits of a 65-horsepower plane. For fans of WWII stories, military aviation history, tank battles, and true stories of battlefield innovation, this is ideal for history listening, documentary-style narration, and long-form war history discovery.
Set during the fighting around Arracourt, France, this military history story follows Carpenter as he takes on Panthers and even Tiger tanks with low-altitude dive attacks, careful angles, and sheer nerve. The transcript traces the tension of each sortie, the damage to his aircraft, and the battlefield impact on trapped American troops.
It’s a gripping World War 2 story, a narrated history feature, and a forgotten war tale about improvisation, courage, and the limits of a 65-horsepower plane. For fans of WWII stories, military aviation history, tank battles, and true stories of battlefield innovation, this is ideal for history listening, documentary-style narration, and long-form war history discovery.
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LearningTranscript
00:00At 0615 on September 20, 1944, Major Charles Carpenter crouched beside his Piper L-4 grasshopper on a muddy airstrip
00:08near Aricourt, France,
00:10watching fog roll across fields where German Panther tanks were advancing toward trapped American positions.
00:1632 years old, 47 combat sorties, six bazookas bolted to his wings.
00:22The German 5th Panzer Army had launched 262 tanks and assault guns against Combat Command A of the 4th Armored
00:29Division two days earlier.
00:31Carpenter was a high school history teacher from Moline, Illinois before the war.
00:35He taught teenagers about battles.
00:37Now, he flew a fabric-covered observation plane with a 65-horsepower engine over battles where men burned inside steel
00:45coffins.
00:46The L-4 grasshopper weighed 765 pounds empty.
00:50Maximum payload was 232 pounds, assuming a pilot and no radio.
00:56Carpenter had mounted six M-9 bazooka launchers on the wing struts.
01:00Each launcher weighed 15 pounds.
01:02The M-6A-3 heat rockets added another 3 pounds each, 18 total rockets.
01:08The mathematics said his plane was overloaded by nearly 90 pounds.
01:12Every other L-4 pilot in France flew reconnaissance missions.
01:15Spot enemy positions, call coordinates to artillery, stay high, stay safe.
01:21The Germans barely bothered shooting at Cubs.
01:24Too small, too harmless.
01:26Carpenter had spent three months watching American tank crews die while he circled overhead with binoculars and a radio.
01:33The 4th Armored Division lost 48 Shermans in the first two days at AeroCourt.
01:38German Panthers could penetrate Sherman armor at 1,200 yards.
01:42American 75-millimeter guns needed 300 yards for a kill shot.
01:47Most Sherman crews never got close enough to fire.
01:50September 18th, the fog came before dawn, and German tanks used it for cover.
01:55Carpenter took off at first light, but the ground disappeared beneath white nothing.
01:59He circled blind for 90 minutes.
02:02By the time the fog lifted, 11 American Shermans were burning in the fields around Luneville.
02:08He watched crews bail out.
02:10Some made it.
02:11Most did not.
02:13One Sherman took a hit to the ammunition storage.
02:15The explosion threw the turret 40 feet.
02:18Carpenter saw the loader stumble out with his uniform on fire.
02:22The man took five steps and collapsed.
02:25Carpenter could do nothing except mark the position and call it in.
02:28September 19th, the 113th Panzer Brigade pushed through American outposts near AeroCourt.
02:3643 Panthers destroyed or damaged by midnight.
02:40American tankers fought from concealed positions using terrain and surprise.
02:44It worked.
02:45Barely.
02:46But Combat Command A was spread thin across 12 miles of rolling farmland, and the Germans kept coming.
02:53Two weeks earlier, Carpenter heard about Lt. Harley Merrick and Lt. Roy Carson.
02:58They mounted bazookas on their L-4s and destroyed two German trucks.
03:03Trucks.
03:04Carpenter wanted tanks.
03:05He found an ordnance tech and a crew chief willing to help.
03:09They bolted three M9 launchers to each wing strut just outboard of the jury struts, angled upward 20 degrees.
03:16Electronic triggers wired to switches in the cockpit.
03:19Individual fire or full salvo.
03:22The crew chief named the plane Rosie the Rocketer.
03:25Other pilots called it suicide.
03:28If you want to see whether Carpenter's bazooka-armed grasshopper could actually destroy German tanks, please hit that like button.
03:34It helps us share more forgotten stories from World War II.
03:38Subscribe if you haven't already.
03:40Back to Carpenter.
03:42The fabric on the L-4's wings was treated cotton.
03:45The bazooka rockets produced 1,200 degrees of exhaust flame.
03:49Nobody knew if the wings would catch fire.
03:52Nobody knew if the overloaded grasshopper could pull out of a dive steep enough to aim the angled launchers.
03:58Nobody had tested it in combat.
04:00September 20th.
04:02Morning fog.
04:02German tanks attacking through the mist.
04:05Carpenter climbed into the cockpit alone.
04:07No observer.
04:09No radio operator.
04:10Just him and 18 rockets.
04:13The engine coughed twice and caught.
04:15He released the brakes and the overloaded grasshopper lurched forward.
04:20By noon, he would either be dead or he would change how cubs fought.
04:26The grasshopper climbed through fog at 400 feet per minute.
04:30Maximum climb rate was 600, but the extra weight cost performance.
04:36Carpenter leveled off at 1,500 feet.
04:39White nothing below.
04:41White nothing ahead.
04:42He throttled back to cruising speed, 75 miles per hour.
04:47The engine settled into a steady drone.
04:50Fuel capacity was 12 gallons.
04:53Endurance, roughly three hours.
04:55He had left at 0642.
04:57By 0930, the fog still had not lifted.
05:02The L4 handled differently with the bazookas mounted.
05:05The launchers created drag.
05:07The rockets added weight to the wings.
05:10Carpenter tested shallow banks.
05:12The grasshopper responded sluggishly.
05:15He pushed the nose down five degrees.
05:18The fabric wings creaked.
05:20The bazooka tubes caught wind and pulled.
05:23This was not the gentle cub he had flown on artillery-spotting missions.
05:28This was something heavier.
05:30Something angrier.
05:32At 0953, the fog began breaking apart in patches.
05:37Carpenter saw ground through gaps.
05:39Fields.
05:40Trees.
05:41The Rhine-Marne Canal reflecting gray sky.
05:44He dropped to 1,000 feet and began a systematic search pattern.
05:49North to south.
05:51East to west.
05:52Looking for German armor.
05:54The 4th Armored Division's Combat Command A held positions around Aracourt and the surrounding villages.
06:02Juvelize to the north.
06:03Moncourt to the south.
06:05Bézange-la-Petite to the east.
06:08German forces had attacked from multiple directions, trying to encircle American units.
06:14Carpenter needed to find where they were massing for the next push.
06:181107.
06:19The fog cleared enough to see the roads.
06:22Carpenter spotted movement three miles northeast of Aracourt.
06:26He descended to 800 feet.
06:29Panther tanks.
06:30He counted six.
06:32Maybe seven.
06:33Difficult to tell with some partially hidden in tree lines.
06:37Armored cars moving with them.
06:39Infantry following on foot.
06:41The formation was advancing southwest toward American positions.
06:46Carpenter checked his fuel.
06:48Enough for one attack run and 90 minutes reserved to return to base.
06:52The M9 Bazooka had an effective range of 300 yards.
06:56The rockets traveled at 265 feet per second.
07:00Gravity and wind affected trajectory beyond 100 meters.
07:04Carpenter needed to get close.
07:05Very close.
07:07The bazookas were angled upward 20 degrees from horizontal.
07:10To aim them at a target on the ground, Carpenter had to put the grasshopper into a shallow dive.
07:1630 degrees nose down.
07:18Maybe 35.
07:19Aim with the entire aircraft.
07:21Fire at 100 meters.
07:23Pull up before German infantry opened fire with small arms.
07:27He climbed to 1,200 feet and positioned himself south of the German column.
07:32Sun behind him.
07:33The panthers were moving slowly through terrain still partially obscured by ground fog.
07:38Carpenter pushed the throttle forward and nosed over.
07:41The grasshopper accelerated in the dive.
07:4380 miles per hour.
07:4590.
07:46The fabric wings vibrated.
07:48The bazooka tubes screamed in the wind.
07:50He could see individual panthers now.
07:53Turrets traversing.
07:54Commanders standing in hatches.
07:56He armed the first launcher.
07:58Right wing outboard position.
08:00His thumb rested on the firing switch.
08:03150 meters.
08:04The lead panther grew larger in his windscreen.
08:07120 meters.
08:09He could see the German cross markings on the turret.
08:12100 meters.
08:13Carpenter pressed the switch.
08:15The M6A3 rocket ignited with a crack that shook the entire airframe.
08:201,200 degrees of exhaust flame shot backward, missing the fabric wing by inches.
08:26The rocket streaked toward the panther, trailing white smoke.
08:29Carpenter did not wait to see impact.
08:31He hauled back on the stick and the grasshopper clawed for altitude.
08:35The overloaded plane responded slowly.
08:38Too slowly.
08:39German infantry below opened fire.
08:42Small arms.
08:43Machine pistols.
08:44Rifle rounds snapped past the cockpit.
08:47One punched through the fabric on the left wing.
08:49Another hit the tail section.
08:51Carpenter kept climbing.
08:53200 feet?
08:54300.
08:55The firing stopped.
08:57He leveled off at 800 feet and looked back.
09:00The panther had stopped moving.
09:02Smoke rose from the engine deck.
09:04Not destroyed.
09:07Immobilized.
09:07The rocket had hit the thinner armor on top or damaged the engine.
09:11The rest of the German column had scattered into defensive positions.
09:16Infantry were pointing at the sky.
09:18At him.
09:19At the cub with bazookas that just attacked a panther tank.
09:24Carpenter had 17 rockets remaining and the Germans were no longer ignoring observation planes.
09:32Carpenter turned the grasshopper northwest toward the American airstrip at Luneville.
09:37Fuel gauge showed nine gallons remaining.
09:39Enough for reloading and one more sortie.
09:42Maybe two if he stayed over friendly territory.
09:45The bullet holes in the wing and tail were small.
09:48The fabric held.
09:49The control surfaces responded normally.
09:51He descended to 100 feet and followed the terrain back to base using trees and ridges for cover.
09:57German infantry now knew cubs could bite.
10:00He touched down at 11.58.
10:03Ground crew ran to the plane before the propeller stopped turning.
10:06They saw the bullet holes first.
10:08Then they saw the empty bazooka tube.
10:10One crew chief climbed onto the wing and examined where the rocket had fired.
10:15The fabric around the launcher was scorched black but intact.
10:19No burn through.
10:20The metal tube had channeled most of the exhaust away from the wing surface.
10:24The design worked.
10:25Barely.
10:26Reloading took 14 minutes.
10:29Six M6A3 rockets slid into the launch tubes.
10:32Each rocket weighed 3.38 pounds.
10:35Total weight, 19.4 inches long.
10:38Blunted nose designed to prevent deflection at low impact angles.
10:42Shaped charge warhead could penetrate 3.5 to 4 inches of armor plate.
10:47The crew chief asked what Carpenter hit.
10:49One Panther immobilized.
10:51The crew chief asked how close he got.
10:54100 meters.
10:55The crew chief said that was insane.
10:57Carpenter said it was effective.
10:5912.19.
11:00Carpenter took off again.
11:02Fuel load, 11.7 gallons.
11:04Maximum capacity was 12, but ground crew could not completely fill tanks during rapid turnaround.
11:1118 rockets total across both sorties.
11:13Six expended.
11:1512 remaining.
11:15He climbed to 1,200 feet and turned east toward Arakor.
11:19The fog had mostly cleared.
11:21Visibility extended to 5 miles.
11:24German positions were now exposed to American air observation.
11:28Carpenter scanned for armor concentrations.
11:3012.41.
11:31He spotted another formation.
11:33Eight Panther tanks moving south along a tree line east of Bézange-la-Petite.
11:38Infantry following in half-tracks.
11:40This was a larger force than the first.
11:42Probably elements of the 111th Panzer Brigade attempting to flank American positions.
11:48Carpenter radioed coordinates to Combat Command A Artillery.
11:52Received acknowledgement.
11:53But artillery took time.
11:56Shells had to be ranged, adjusted, walked onto target.
11:59The Panthers would be gone before rounds landed.
12:02Carpenter decided to attack immediately.
12:04He climbed to 1,500 feet and positioned for a diving attack from the southwest.
12:09Sun still behind him.
12:11The Panthers were spread across 400 yards of road.
12:14Carpenter selected the lead tank.
12:16Same technique as before.
12:18Nose down 35 degrees.
12:20Accelerate in the dive.
12:22100 meters range.
12:23Fire.
12:24The first rocket launched clean.
12:26He pulled up hard and banked left.
12:29Machine gun fire followed him.
12:31Heavier than before.
12:32The Germans had learned.
12:33They were ready.
12:35Tracers arced past the cockpit.
12:37Something hit the engine cowling with a metallic clang.
12:40The Continental engine coughed once but kept running.
12:43Carpenter circled wide at 1,000 feet and looked back.
12:46The lead Panther had stopped.
12:47Smoke from the engine compartment.
12:50Immobilized.
12:51Not destroyed.
12:52The rest of the formation scattered into dispersed positions.
12:55Infantry dismounted from half-tracks.
12:58Some were setting up what looked like anti-aircraft positions.
13:01Carpenter had 11 rockets left, but the Germans were now actively hunting him.
13:05He lined up for a second pass.
13:08Dove toward a Panther that had pulled off the road into a field.
13:11Armed the launcher.
13:12120 meters.
13:13German infantry opened fire while he was still descending.
13:17The grasshopper shuddered.
13:18Fabric ripped somewhere behind him.
13:20He fired anyway.
13:21The rocket streaked down.
13:23Carpenter pulled up without confirming impact.
13:26More tracers.
13:27Something punched through the lower fuselage.
13:30He felt the impact through the rudder pedals.
13:32800 feet.
13:33He leveled off and checked instruments.
13:35Oil pressure?
13:36Normal.
13:37Engine temperature?
13:38Normal.
13:39Controls responsive, except the rudder felt mushy.
13:42He looked back.
13:43The second Panther was burning.
13:45Not immobilized.
13:47Destroyed.
13:48Flames poured from the turret hatches.
13:50Crew bailing out.
13:51But Carpenter's tail section had multiple tears in the fabric.
13:55One elevator cable looked frayed.
13:57The rudder was responding, but with noticeable delay.
14:00Two Panthers stopped.
14:01Ten rockets remaining.
14:03But his aircraft was damaged, and the Germans were setting up dedicated anti-aircraft positions
14:08around their remaining armor.
14:11Carpenter turned west toward Luneville.
14:14The damaged rudder made coordinated turns difficult.
14:17He had to overcompensate with aileron inputs.
14:20The grasshopper wanted to slip sideways in banks.
14:23Fuel gauge showed 7.2 gallons, enough to reach base with minimal reserve.
14:28The engine still ran smoothly, but the oil temperature had climbed 5 degrees above normal.
14:34Not critical yet.
14:35Possibly a small leak from the round that hit the cowling.
14:381321.
14:40Radio transmission from Combat Command A.
14:42German armor had bypassed forward positions, and trapped a 4th Armored Division Waterpoint
14:48support crew 3 miles east of Arakor.
14:51Approximately 20 men.
14:52No heavy weapons.
14:54Panther tanks closing on their position.
14:56Artillery could not reach them without hitting American forces.
14:59Air support was engaged elsewhere.
15:01The Waterpoint crew was requesting immediate assistance.
15:05Any assistance.
15:06Carpenter checked his position.
15:08Four miles from the trapped Americans.
15:11Six miles from his airstrip.
15:13Ten rockets remaining on a damaged aircraft that was barely holding together.
15:16The smart decision was obvious.
15:18Return to base.
15:20Land.
15:20Let mechanics assess the damage.
15:22Reload.
15:23Return in a working aircraft.
15:25But the transmission said Panther tanks were closing on the position.
15:29Twenty American soldiers had minutes.
15:31Maybe less.
15:32He turned the grasshopper east and pushed the throttle forward.
15:35The engine responded.
15:37Oil temperature climbed another 3 degrees.
15:39Carpenter descended to 500 feet and followed terrain features toward the coordinates Combat Command A had transmitted.
15:471334.
15:48He spotted the waterpoint position.
15:50Five trucks parked in a small clearing surrounded by trees.
15:53American soldiers visible.
15:55Taking cover behind vehicles.
15:58Then he saw the Panthers.
15:59Four of them.
16:00Advancing from the northeast.
16:02Maybe 800 yards from the American position.
16:04Infantry moving with the tanks.
16:06The Germans had learned from the previous attacks.
16:09When Carpenter approached, all four Panthers stopped moving.
16:13Infantry scattered into defensive positions.
16:15Machine guns traversed skyward.
16:18They were waiting for him.
16:20Ready for him.
16:21This would not be a surprise attack against an unsuspecting column.
16:24This would be a gun battle where Carpenter was flying an unarmed observation plane made of fabric and hope.
16:31He climbed to 1,800 feet.
16:33Outside effective small arms range.
16:36Barely.
16:37The Panthers resumed advancing toward the trapped waterpoint crew.
16:40Carpenter had to choose.
16:42Attack and probably get shot down.
16:44Or circle uselessly while 20 Americans died.
16:48His right hand moved to the firing switches.
16:50He armed all remaining launchers.
16:53Ten rockets.
16:54He would fire everything in successive passes and pray the grasshopper held together.
16:58First dive.
17:0038 degrees nose down.
17:02The damaged rudder made the descent unstable.
17:05He had to fight the controls.
17:0795 miles per hour.
17:09100.
17:09The airframe vibrated badly.
17:12Something in the tail section was loose and rattling.
17:15Lead Panther filled his windscreen.
17:17German infantry opened fire at 200 meters.
17:20Far earlier than before.
17:22They had estimated his attack pattern.
17:25Tracers converged on his flight path.
17:27150 meters.
17:29Carpenter fired two rockets.
17:31Both launchers.
17:32The grasshopper bucked from the recoil.
17:34He pulled up.
17:35Hard.
17:36The elevator control cable frayed during the previous attack.
17:40Chose that moment to separate partially.
17:42The stick went mushy.
17:44Response delayed.
17:46Carpenter pulled harder.
17:47The nose came up slowly.
17:49Too slowly.
17:50He was still below 400 feet when he passed over the German position.
17:55Rifle fire from every direction.
17:56The grasshopper shuddered.
17:58Multiple impacts.
18:00Fabric tearing.
18:01Metal pinging.
18:02He held the climb.
18:04500 feet.
18:05600.
18:06Both rockets hit near the lead Panther.
18:09Near.
18:10Not on.
18:11The explosions threw dirt and debris but the tank kept moving.
18:15Damage perhaps.
18:17Not stopped.
18:18Carpenter leveled off at 900 feet.
18:20The engine was running rough now.
18:22The oil temperature gauge showed red.
18:24Definitely a leak.
18:25Maybe worse.
18:27His fuel gauge read 5.8 gallons.
18:30Not enough to return to base if he stayed in the area much longer.
18:33The tail section felt like it might separate entirely.
18:37Eight rockets remaining.
18:39Three Panthers still advancing on 20 trapped Americans.
18:42And the Germans below were no longer just shooting at him.
18:46They were coordinating.
18:48They were learning his attack pattern.
18:50They were waiting for him to dive again so they could kill him.
18:55Carpenter had 30 seconds to solve the problem.
18:58The Germans expected him to dive from altitude.
19:01They positioned their guns to cover that approach.
19:04The Panthers kept moving toward the American water point crew.
19:07700 yards now.
19:09American soldiers were firing rifles at armored vehicles.
19:12Useless.
19:13Desperate.
19:14Carpenter needed a different angle.
19:16A different pattern.
19:17Something the Germans would not anticipate.
19:19He dropped to 200 feet.
19:21Terrain following altitude.
19:23Below effective range of organized anti-aircraft fire.
19:26The Germans had positioned their guns skyward, expecting high dives.
19:31Carpenter approached from the west, using a tree line for concealment.
19:3580 miles per hour.
19:36The damaged elevator made level flight difficult.
19:39The engine temperature gauge stayed deep in the red zone.
19:42Oil pressure dropping.
19:43He had minutes before the Continental engine seized.
19:46600 yards from the Panthers.
19:48Carpenter popped up to 300 feet and immediately nosed over into a steep dive.
19:53Attack angle 40 degrees.
19:55Steeper than before.
19:56The angled bazookas meant steeper dives aimed more directly at targets.
20:01The lead Panther was 200 yards from the trapped Americans.
20:04Carpenter armed two launchers.
20:06Left wing outboard and center positions.
20:08130 meters range.
20:10German infantry spotted him.
20:12They swung their weapons, but Carpenter was already firing.
20:15Both rockets launched simultaneously.
20:18The recoil nearly stalled the grasshopper.
20:20He shoved the throttle to the stop and pulled back hard on the damaged elevator.
20:25The nose came up.
20:26Barely.
20:27He cleared the Panther by 70 feet.
20:29Both rockets hit.
20:31One struck the turret ring.
20:32The other penetrated the thinner top armor of the engine compartment.
20:36The Panther stopped.
20:37Flames erupted from the engine deck.
20:40Crew hatches flew open.
20:42German tankers bailed out with their uniforms smoking.
20:45Destroyed.
20:46Confirmed destroyed.
20:47Not immobilized.
20:48Burning.
20:49Carpenter did not climb.
20:51He stayed at 300 feet and immediately turned for the 2nd Panther.
20:55The Germans were confused.
20:57Their anti-aircraft positions were aimed at empty sky above,
21:00while Carpenter attacked from below their firing lanes.
21:03He armed two more launchers.
21:05Right wing outboard and center.
21:08The 2nd Panther was turning its turret toward the American water point position.
21:13Range, 110 meters.
21:15Carpenter fired both rockets and banked hard right.
21:18Machine gun fire from German infantry ripped through the left wing.
21:23The fabric separated completely from the forward lift strut.
21:26The wing held together.
21:28Barely.
21:29But it held.
21:30One rocket missed.
21:32The 2nd hit the Panther's turret side armor at a 30 degree angle.
21:36Penetration.
21:37The shaped charge detonated inside.
21:40Secondary explosion followed.
21:42Ammunition storage cooking off.
21:44The turret lifted 6 inches and settled crooked.
21:48Crew emergency exit through the bottom hatch.
21:51The Panther burned.
21:52Two destroyed.
21:54Two advancing.
21:55The remaining Panthers were 500 yards from the American position.
21:59Infantry with them had gone to ground.
22:02Some were retreating.
22:03They had watched two Panthers die in 90 seconds.
22:07Carpenter armed two more rockets.
22:09Six remaining total.
22:11The engine was shaking badly now.
22:13Metal on metal grinding sounds from the cowling.
22:15Temperature gauge pegged maximum.
22:18He had one more attack run before the engine failed completely.
22:22Third dive.
22:23The rear Panther.
22:24Smaller target.
22:26Partially obscured by the lead tank.
22:28Range.
22:29120 meters.
22:31Carpenter fired one rocket.
22:33Saved the others.
22:34The rocket hit low.
22:36Track assembly.
22:37The Panther slewed left and stopped moving.
22:41Immobilized.
22:41But not destroyed.
22:43The crew kept the engine running.
22:45Turrets still traversing.
22:47The last Panther was 400 yards from 20 American soldiers.
22:51Carpenter had five rockets and an engine that was seconds from catastrophic failure.
22:56Oil smoke poured from the cowling.
22:58The propeller was vibrating so badly he could barely see through it.
23:02The trapped water point crew was firing everything they had at the advancing Panther.
23:07Small arms.
23:09Useless against armor.
23:10Carpenter turned the dying grasshopper toward the last German tank.
23:15The last Panther was 350 yards from the American position.
23:20Close enough that Carpenter could see individual soldiers behind the water point trucks.
23:25They had stopped firing.
23:26Conserving ammunition.
23:28Preparing for the tank to overrun them.
23:30The Panther's turret traversed toward the largest truck.
23:34Preparing to fire.
23:35High explosive round would kill everyone in the blast radius.
23:39Carpenter's engine seized for two seconds.
23:42The propeller stopped.
23:44Complete silence except for wind through the torn fabric wings.
23:48Then the engine caught again.
23:50Grinding.
23:51Clattering.
23:52Dying but not dead.
23:54Not yet.
23:55He armed three rockets.
23:58Everything remaining on the right wing.
24:00He would fire all three simultaneously.
24:03Maximum firepower.
24:05One pass.
24:06No second chances.
24:07The grasshopper descended to 150 feet.
24:11Lowest attack altitude yet.
24:13The Panther was stationary now.
24:15Hull down behind a slight rise.
24:18Only the turret visible to the Americans.
24:20But Carpenter was coming from the side.
24:23From the east.
24:23He could see the full hull profile.
24:26Thinner side armor compared to frontal plate.
24:29Range.
24:30140 meters.
24:32The damaged elevator barely responded.
24:35Carpenter used throttle and aileron to aim the entire shaking aircraft.
24:40120 meters.
24:41The Panther's commander stood in the turret hatch scanning for threats.
24:45He saw the grasshopper.
24:47Too late.
24:48Carpenter fired all three rockets.
24:51The simultaneous launch nearly tore the right wing off.
24:54The grasshopper rolled violently left from the unbalanced recoil.
24:59Carpenter fought the controls.
25:00The wing held.
25:02The rockets converged on the Panther.
25:05All three hit within two seconds.
25:07First rocket struck the turret side.
25:10Penetration.
25:11Second rocket hit the upper hull.
25:14Penetration.
25:15Third rocket hit the track assembly and detonated externally.
25:18The combined effect was catastrophic.
25:21The Panther's ammunition storage exploded.
25:24The entire vehicle lifted off the ground from internal pressure.
25:28Turrets separated completely.
25:30The hull split open.
25:32Secondary explosions continued for 15 seconds.
25:35Nobody escaped.
25:37Four Panthers.
25:38Two destroyed.
25:39Two immobilized.
25:4020 American soldiers alive.
25:42The water point crew was already moving.
25:45Loading trucks.
25:46Preparing to evacuate while German infantry was still scattered and disorganized.
25:50Carpenter had saved them.
25:52But his aircraft was three miles from base with an engine that had approximately 60 seconds of life remaining.
25:57He turned west.
25:58Maximum power.
26:00The engine responded with sounds no Continental O-170-3 should ever make.
26:05Metal fragments rattled inside the cowling.
26:07Oil covered the windscreen.
26:09Temperature gauge had stopped reading entirely.
26:11Probably broken.
26:12Definitely overheated.
26:14The propeller continued turning through momentum and desperation.
26:17Two miles from Luneville.
26:19The engine seized again.
26:21The engine seized again.
26:21This time it did not restart.
26:23Complete silence.
26:24No engine.
26:25Just wind.
26:26The grasshopper became a glider.
26:28A very poor glider with torn fabric and a loaded weight distribution never designed for unpowered flight.
26:34Carpenter trimmed for best glide speed.
27:03Carpenter trimmed for best glide speed.
27:04He did not reach the runway.
27:05He needed another 200 feet of altitude.
27:07He did not have 200 feet.
27:09There was a field northeast of the runway.
27:12Plowed earth.
27:13Soft ground.
27:14Bad for landing gear but better than trees.
27:17Carpenter aimed for the field.
27:18Altitude.
27:19150 feet.
27:21The grasshopper descended steadily.
27:23No engine power to arrest the sink rate.
27:25No control authority at low speed with damaged surfaces.
27:28100 feet.
27:30The field expanded below him.
27:3150 feet.
27:32He pulled back gently on the stick.
27:35Flared the landing.
27:36The tail wheel touched first.
27:38Then the main gear.
27:39The soft earth grabbed the wheels.
27:42The grasshopper nosed over.
27:44The propeller dug into mud.
27:46The aircraft flipped forward and came to rest, inverted.
27:50Carpenter hung upside down in his harness.
27:53Fuel was leaking from the ruptured tank.
27:55The engine was hot enough to ignite gasoline vapor.
27:58He had seconds to escape before Rosie the Rocketer burned.
28:04Carpenter released his harness.
28:06He dropped onto the inverted cockpit roof.
28:09Fuel dripped onto his flight suit.
28:11The smell of high-octane gasoline filled the enclosed space.
28:14He kicked at the side door.
28:17Jammed.
28:18The impact had bent the frame.
28:20He braced his back against the seat and kicked harder.
28:23The door broke free.
28:25Carpenter crawled out through the opening.
28:27Rolled clear.
28:28Got to his feet.
28:29Ran 20 yards before his legs gave out.
28:32Ground crew reached him 40 seconds later.
28:35Fire equipment sprayed foam on Rosie the Rocketer.
28:38The fuel leak stopped burning before ignition occurred.
28:42Medical personnel checked Carpenter for injuries.
28:45Minor cuts.
28:46Bruises across his chest from the harness.
28:48No broken bones.
28:50No burns.
28:5147 combat sorties in bazooka cubs.
28:55Never wounded.
28:56The ground crew called him the lucky major.
28:59Carpenter called it mathematics.
29:01Stay low.
29:03Attack fast.
29:03Never give them a clear shot.
29:06September 20th, 1944.
29:09Three sorties.
29:1018 rockets expended.
29:12Four Panther tanks stopped.
29:14Two destroyed.
29:15Two immobilized.
29:1620 American soldiers extracted alive.
29:19One L4H grasshopper destroyed.
29:22Engine seized from sustained oil loss and thermal damage.
29:26Wings torn beyond repair.
29:28Fuselage structurally compromised.
29:30Total write-off.
29:31But the concept worked.
29:34Bazookas mounted on observation aircraft could kill tanks.
29:37The 4th Armored Division's Combat Command A held Arakort against the German 5th Panzer
29:43Army counteroffensive.
29:45Between September 18th and September 29th, German forces committed 262 tanks and assault guns
29:52to recapturing Luneville and eliminating the American bridgehead.
29:56They lost 200.
29:58Destroyed or damaged.
30:00American forces lost 48 tanks.
30:03The Battle of Arakort became the largest tank engagement on the Western Front until the Battle
30:08of the Bulge three months later.
30:10Carpenter's bazooka attacks on September 20th disrupted German coordination during critical
30:15hours when Combat Command A was most vulnerable.
30:18Carpenter received another L4H three days later.
30:33Between September and December 1944, Carpenter flew 63 more bazooka attack missions.
30:40Official records credited him with six tanks destroyed total, two Tiger tanks, four Panthers or
30:46Panzer IVs, several armored cars, numerous soft-skinned vehicles.
30:51Witness accounts from ground forces suggested the actual number was higher, possibly 14 tanks.
30:57Difficult to confirm when Carpenter attacked targets miles from American lines and could not
31:02land to verify kills.
31:03Other L4 pilots attempted similar modifications.
31:07Most abandoned the concept after one mission.
31:10Diving a fabric-covered observation plane into concentrated anti-aircraft fire was statistically
31:15unsurvivable.
31:17Lieutenant Harley Merrick and Lieutenant Roy Carson, the original bazooka innovators,
31:22returned to standard reconnaissance duties after destroying their two trucks.
31:25They concluded the risk outweighed the tactical benefit.
31:29Carpenter disagreed.
31:30He attacked German armor 63 more times after September 20th.
31:35The Stars and Stripes newspaper interviewed him in October, asked why he continued.
31:40Carpenter said the war needed to be fought 60 minutes an hour and 24 hours a day.
31:45Attack, attack, attack again.
31:47German forces changed their doctrine because of him.
31:50Before September, they ignored Cubs.
31:53Observation planes were not threats.
31:55After Carpenter, standing orders required all ground units to engage any L4 on site.
32:01Infantry carried dedicated anti-aircraft weapons when operating with armor.
32:06Panther and Tiger commanders posted spotters specifically to watch for Cubs with tubes on
32:11their wings.
32:12The Germans called him Der Verrukte Major, the Mad Major.
32:16Carpenter accepted the name.
32:18Said madness was required when fighting tanks that could kill Shermans at 1,200 yards.
32:23The 4th Armored Division advanced east through France.
32:27Carpenter flew with them.
32:28Personal pilot for General John S. Wood in addition to his attack missions.
32:33By December, 3rd Army had pushed to the German border.
32:36Carpenter had accumulated 110 combat sorties, still never wounded, despite being shot at during
32:43every bazooka attack.
32:45Then 1945 arrived and Carpenter became ill.
32:50Doctors diagnosed Hodgkin's disease in early 1945.
32:55Lymphoma.
32:56Terminal.
32:57Army physicians gave Carpenter two years maximum survival time.
33:01He was 32 years old.
33:03He had survived 110 combat sorties flying an unarmed observation plane into anti-aircraft fire.
33:11Never wounded.
33:12Never shot down by enemy action.
33:14Cancer would accomplish what German Panther tanks could not.
33:19The Army promoted Carpenter to Lieutenant Colonel and awarded him the Silver Star for valor.
33:24Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster.
33:26Air Metal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
33:28Officially credited with six tanks destroyed, 17 armored vehicles disabled or destroyed,
33:35dozens of soft-skinned targets.
33:37The citations mentioned extraordinary heroism and complete disregard for personal safety.
33:43They did not mention that Carpenter was a high school history teacher who believed war
33:47should be fought aggressively or not at all.
33:51June 1946.
33:53Honorable Discharge.
33:54Carpenter returned to Urbana, Illinois, returned to teaching,
33:58back to classrooms and teenagers and lessons about battles he had lived through.
34:03His wife, Elda, had waited.
34:05His daughter, Carol, was seven years old.
34:08Carpenter had two years, according to military doctors.
34:11He intended to spend them teaching.
34:141948 arrived.
34:16Carpenter was still alive.
34:18Still teaching.
34:191950.
34:20Still alive.
34:221955.
34:24Still alive.
34:25The two-year prognosis became five years, then 10, then 15.
34:31Medical science in the 1940s did not fully understand Hodgkin's disease progression.
34:37Some patients exceeded predicted survival times.
34:40Carpenter became one of them.
34:42He taught history at Urbana High School for 20 years after doctors said he would be dead.
34:47March 22, 1966.
34:51Charles Carpenter died at age 53, 21 years after diagnosis, 19 years past the predicted two-year
34:59survival.
35:00He outlasted the cancer almost as stubbornly as he had attacked German tanks.
35:05Buried at Edgington Cemetery in Illinois, the grave marker listed his rank.
35:09Lieutenant Colonel.
35:11It did not mention Bazooka Charlie, or Rosie the Rocketer, or the Mad Major.
35:16Just the name and dates and service.
35:18The L4H Grasshopper Carpenter Flu, serial number 4330426, disappeared after the war.
35:26Most assumed it was scrapped or lost.
35:29In 2017, aviation historians identified the aircraft in the collection of the Austrian Aviation
35:35Museum at Graz Airport.
35:36It had been flying in a civilian club in Vienna for decades.
35:40Nobody knew its history.
35:42Nobody knew it was Rosie the Rocketer.
35:44The Collings Foundation purchased the aircraft in 2018 and began restoration.
35:49The same grasshopper that destroyed Panther tanks in September 1944 would fly again.
35:55Carpenter's innovation did not survive the war.
35:58The L4 with bazookas was too vulnerable for sustained combat operations.
36:02Helicopters eventually replaced observation planes.
36:04Dedicated ground attack aircraft replaced improvised weapons systems.
36:09But for four months in 1944, when American tank crews were dying against superior German armor,
36:15a history teacher from Illinois flew a 65-horsepower observation plane into anti-aircraft fire because
36:22somebody had to do something.
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36:38Stories about pilots who saved lives with bazookas and courage.
36:42Real people.
36:43Real heroism.
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