By Isaac Buckland
The Vespa 150 TAP, built by French Vespa licensee ACMA, was designed expressly to be used with the French airborne special forces, the Troupes Aéro Portées (TAP). AdvertisementThe Vespa TAP was designed to be airdropped into a military theater fully assembled and ready for immediate action. The Vespa TAP, or "Bazooka Vespa", a scooter with a 3 inch cannon for use with paratroops. A dashboard view of the Vespa TAP Screenshot/https://www.youtube/watch?v=HgSGvzlPaaERemarkably, aside for a slight overhaul of the engine, plus the inclusion of the rifle and ammunition mounts, the standard Vespa and the TAP were designed almost identically. However ingenious the TAP was, the vehicle was never used outside of the French military during engagements in Algeria and French Indochina.
Hello,I just spent 6 long weeks restoring my 1978 Blue Vespa Piaggio Bravo from the ground up, it barely ran when I got it, and just as I felt like I was about finished...a lady blew through a 4-way stop and just NAILED me on the right bouncing me clear out of the intersection. My tank is crushed...I'm desperately seeking a replacement blue tank for her, so she can ride high and proud once again... Please Help, Thanks !
France (1956-1960)Anti-Tank Weapon Carrier – 600~800 BuiltThe Piaggio Vespa TAP [Troupes AéroPortées] (English: Airborne troops) 56 and 59 were French-developed military motorbikes, based on the iconic Vespa, Italy’s most famous two-wheeler. Thus, the Piaggio Vespa Troupes Aéro Portées 56 was born, to be followed three years later by the 59 model used by the Légion Etrangère (English: French Foreign Legion) and paratroopers. Operational UseBetween 600 and 800 Piaggio Vespa T.A.P. VideoSpecifications of the Piaggio Vespa T.A.P. Record and special production” Fornacette 2001Department of the Army “75-mm Rifle M20” Washington 1948https://www.museopiaggio.it/it/collezioni/1-vespa/11-150-t-a-pRoberto Leandri, Luigi Frisinghelli and Giorgio Notari “Vespa Tecnica 1.
Key Points: The Vespa 150 TAP, a French military adaptation of the iconic scooter, was an inventive solution for post-WWII urban and airborne combat. -Affordable, versatile, and reliable, the Vespa 150 TAP remains a fascinating chapter in military history. They work so well, in fact, that in 1956, the phrase “anti-tank scooter” was invented, and the Vespa 150 TAP entered service. The Vespa 150 TAP had a reinforced frame likely to help balance the weapon’s weight and make the vehicle sturdier. The Vespa 150 TAP would be strapped to a pallet, and a cushion of hay would help soften the blow from the drop.
Anti-tank scooterType of motorcycleThe Vespa 150 TAP was an anti-tank scooter made in the 1950s from a Vespa scooter for use with French paratroops (troupes aéroportées, TAP). [1] Modifications from the civilian Vespa included a reinforced frame and a 75 mm (3.0 in) recoilless rifle mounted to the scooter. [1][2]Vespa 150 TAPThe 150 TAPs mounted a M20 75 mm recoilless rifle, a U.S.-made light anti-armour weapon. It was very light in comparison to a standard 75 mm (3.0 in) cannon but was still able to penetrate 100 mm (3.9 in) of armour with its HEAT warhead. [citation needed]The "Bazooka Vespa" was relatively cheap: Vespas cost roughly US$500 at the time, and the M20s were plentiful.
In the 1950s, the French military once made an anti-tank Vespa scooter. The Vespa 150 TAPVespa is an Italian brand luxury scooter produced by Piaggio & C. SpA. Thus, the Vespa 150 TAP scooter was born. Dropped By PairA pair of Vespa 150 TAP scooters would be dropped from the delivery aircraft along with two soldiers. Popular Mechanics also wrote how Vesta 150 TAP started the idea of off-road scooter:“In 1950s Africa, there often wasn’t a paved road for miles.
