T40/M17 Whizbang

Like the T34 Calliope, the T40 Multiple Rocket Launcher (later standardized as the M17) was designed for use with the M4 medium tank, specifically with variants that mounted the standard 75mm main gun. Unlike the Calliope, which was intended for infantry support, the T40/M17 was designed for close-range demolition of bunkers and other obstacles. Plans that called for it to be deployed during the Normandy landings and later near Ardennes were canceled; instead, the T40/M17, which earned the nickname “Whizbang,” saw limited use in southern France and Italy from 1944 to 1945.