The FmW-35 portable backpack flamethrower was produced in 1935-1940. It consisted of a machine (tubular frame) with two shoulder straps, to which two metal tanks were vertically attached: the large one contained the Flammöl No. 19 combustible mixture, and the small one, located to the left of it, contained compressed nitrogen. The large tank was connected by a flexible reinforced hose to a fire hose, and the small tank was connected to the large one by a hose with a valve. The flamethrower had electric ignition, which made it possible to arbitrarily regulate the duration of the shots. To use the weapon, the flamethrower, pointing the fire hose towards the target, turned on the igniter located at the end of the barrel, opened the nitrogen supply valve, and then the supply of the combustible mixture. The flamethrower could be used by one person, but the crew included 1 - 2 infantrymen who covered the flamethrower. A total of 1,200 units were produced. Performance characteristics of the flamethrower: fire mixture tank capacity – 11.8 l; number of shots – 35; maximum operating time – 45 s; jet range – 45 m; curb weight – 36 kg.

Backpack flamethrower Klein flammenwerfer (Kl.Fm.W)

The backpack flamethrower Klein flammenwerfer (Kl.Fm.W) or Flammenwerfer 40 klein was produced in 1940-1941. It worked on the principle of FmW.35, but had less volume and weight. The small flamethrower tank was located inside the large one. Performance characteristics of the flamethrower: fire mixture tank capacity – 7.5 l; jet range – 25 – 30 m; curb weight – 21.8 kg.

Backpack flamethrower Flammenwerfer 41 (FmW.41)

Backpack flamethrower Flammenwerfer 43 (FmW.43)

The flamethrower was produced in 1942-1945. and was the most widespread during the war. It consisted of a special machine with two shoulder belts, a large tank for fire mixture, a small tank with compressed gas, a special fire nozzle and an ignition device. The large and small reservoirs were located horizontally at the bottom of a trapezoidal semi-rigid canvas knapsack-type loom on a lightweight welded frame. This arrangement reduced the silhouette of the flamethrower, thereby reducing the likelihood of the enemy hitting the tank with the fire mixture. To eliminate misfires when igniting the fire mixture in winter, at the end of 1942 the ignition device in the flamethrower was replaced with a jet squib. The upgraded flamethrower was designated Flammenwerfer mit Strahlpatrone 41 (FmWS.41). Now its ammunition included a special pouch with 10 squibs. The weight was reduced to 18 kg, and the volume of the mixture to 7 liters.

A total of 64.3 thousand flamethrowers of both modifications were produced. Flamethrower performance characteristics: curb weight – 22 kg; fire mixture tank capacity – 7.5 l; nitrogen tank capacity – 3 l; jet range – 25 – 30 m; maximum operating time – 10 s.

As a result of further improvements in design, the Flammenwerfer mit Strahlpatrone 41 flamethrower became basic basis for subsequent work on the creation of new backpack flamethrowers - Flammenwerfer 43 (with a fire mixture volume of 9 liters and a firing range of 40 meters, weighing 24 kg) and Flammenwerfer 44 (with a fire mixture volume of 4 liters and a firing range of 28 meters, weighing 12 kg). However, the production of such flamethrowers was limited to only small-scale batches.

Flamethrower Einstoss-Flammenwerfer 46 (Einstossflammenwerfer)

In 1944, the Einstoss-Flammenwerfer 46 (Einstossflammenwerfer) disposable flamethrower was developed for parachute units. The flamethrower was capable of firing one half-second shot. They were also armed with infantry units and Volkssturm. In army units it was designated as "Volksflammerwerfer 46" or "Abwehrflammenwerfer 46". Performance characteristics: weight of equipped flamethrower – 3.6 kg; fire mixture tank volume - 1.7 l; jet range - 27 m; length - 0.6 m; diameter - 70 mm. In 1944-1945 30.7 thousand flamethrowers were fired.

The medium flamethrower "Mittlerer Flammenwerfer" was in service with the Wehrmacht sapper units. The flamethrower was moved by crew forces. Flamethrower performance characteristics: weight – 102 kg; fire mixture tank volume – 30 l; maximum operating time – 25 s; jet range – 25-30 m; calculation – 2 people.

The Flammenwerfer Anhanger flamethrower was powered by a pump driven by an engine, which was located on the chassis along with the flamethrower. Flamethrower performance characteristics: loaded weight – 408 kg; fire mixture tank volume – 150 l; maximum operating time – 24 s; jet range – 40-50 m.

The disposable, defensive flamethrower Abwehr Flammenwerfer 42 (A.Fm.W. 42) was developed on the basis of the Soviet high-explosive flamethrower FOG-1. For use, it was buried in the ground, leaving a disguised nozzle pipe on the surface. The device was triggered either by remote control or by contact with a tripwire. A total of 50 thousand units were produced. Performance characteristics of the flamethrower: fire mixture volume – 29 l; affected area - a strip 30 m long, 15 m wide; maximum operating time – 3 s.

The backpack flamethrower ROKS-1 was developed in the early 30s by designers Klyuev and Sergeev (Klyuev Sergeev’s Backpack Flamethrower - R.O.K.S). A backpack flamethrower consists of a reservoir with a fire mixture, made in the form of a backpack, a compressed gas cylinder, a fire hose gun connected to the reservoir with a flexible hose and equipped with an automatically operating igniter, and a belt suspension. By the beginning of 1940, a modernized version of the ROKS-2 backpack flamethrower was put into service. The ROKS-2 tank held 10–11 liters of fire mixture, the flame-throwing range of the viscous mixture reached 30–35 m, and the liquid one – up to 15 m.

To the beginning of the Great Patriotic War In the Red Army troops, the rifle regiments had flamethrower teams, consisting of two sections, armed with 20 ROKS-1 and ROKS-2 backpack flamethrowers. The practice of combat use of backpack flamethrowers has revealed a number of shortcomings, and above all the imperfection of the incendiary device. In 1942, it was modernized and named ROKS-3. It had an improved ignition device, an improved firing mechanism and valve sealing, and a shorter gun. In the interests of simplifying the production technology, the flat stamped tank was replaced by a cylindrical one. ROKS-3 operated as follows: compressed air in cylinder under a pressure of 150 atm., entered the reducer, where its pressure was reduced to an operating level of 17 atm. At this pressure, the air passed through the tube through check valve into a container with the mixture. Under the pressure of compressed air, the fire mixture flowed through an intake tube located inside the tank and a flexible hose into the valve box. When the trigger was pressed, the valve opened and the fire mixture rushed out along the barrel. On the way, it passed through a damper, which extinguished the screw vortices that arose in the fire mixture. Simultaneously the striker, under the action of a spring, broke the primer of the igniter cartridge, the flame of which was directed by the visor towards the muzzle of the fire hose gun and ignited the stream of fire mixture as it flew out of the tip. In June 1942, eleven separate companies of backpack flamethrowers (OPRO) were formed. According to the state, they were armed with 120 flamethrowers.
In the offensive operations of 1944, the Red Army troops had to break through only positional enemy defenses, but also fortified areas where units armed with backpack flamethrowers could operate successfully. Therefore, along with the existence of separate companies of backpack flamethrowers, in May 1944, separate battalions of backpack flamethrowers (OBRO) were created and included in the assault engineer brigades. The battalion had 240 ROKS-3 flamethrowers (two companies of 120 flamethrowers each).
Backpack flamethrowers were successfully used to destroy enemy personnel, located in trenches, communication passages and other defensive structures. Flamethrowers were also used to repel counterattacks by tanks and infantry. ROKS acted with great efficiency in destroying enemy garrisons in long-term structures when breaking through fortified areas.
Usually a company of backpack flamethrowers was attached rifle regiment or acted as part of an assault engineer battalion. The regiment commander (commander of the assault engineer battalion), in turn, reassigned the flamethrower platoons into sections and groups of 3–5 people consisting of rifle platoons and in assault groups.

Weight of the loaded flamethrower is 23 kg

The weight of one flamethrower charge is 8.5 kg (viscous fire mixture)

Number of ignition cartridges 10

Number of short shots 6-8

Number of long shots 1-2

Flame throwing range 40 m (with a tailwind - up to 42 m)

Backpack flamethrower ROKS-3: 1. Tank. 2.Carrying equipment. 3.Tube. 4. Cylinder valve. 5. Gearbox. 6.Compressed air cylinder. 7.Check valve. 8. Calm down. 9.Barrel. 10. Fire cannon. 11. Valve. 12.Spring.13.Butt. 14.Trigger. 15.Slider. 16.Valve box. 17.Spring. 18. Drummer. 19. Flexible sleeve

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Today we will take a closer look at some types of flamethrowers in service with various armies around the world. Despite their short range, flamethrowers are quite powerful and scary in their own way. damaging factor weapons.

Flamethrower LC TI M1

A flamethrower used by the Brazilian army. This is a more modern form that replaced the American flamethrowers used during World War II. The flamethrower consists of two cylinders intended for fire mixture and compressed air separately, they are connected together, and also include a supply hose and a starting device. After the flamethrower is launched, gas under high pressure flows through the reducer and solenoid valve into two cylinders at once.

The flamethrower's starting device consists of eight 1.5 V batteries, a voltage converter with a switch, a check valve, and an incendiary spark device. After the release hook is pressed, current is supplied to the electromagnetic valve, after which air under high pressure enters the cylinders with the fire mixture. The fire mixture goes through a hose to the launcher, after which it is thrown at the target using a valve and a “barrel”.

To achieve the desired ignition of the fire mixture, the voltage converter is 20,000 V.

For this flamethrower, an unthickened mixture is most often used, which includes diesel fuel and vegetable oil. The use of thickened fire mixtures is also implied. The disadvantages of the flamethrower are the need for a diesel compressor to charge the high-pressure cylinder.

The main characteristics of the flamethrower are determined by the following parameters: the length of the launcher is 635 mm, the volume of the cylinders is 2x9 liters, the compressed air pressure reaches 200 atmospheres, when loaded the flamethrower weighs 34 kg, when unloaded - 21 kg, the distance over which the thickened fire mixture is launched, is 70 m.

Flamethrower LPO-50

A flamethrower, which is designed to eliminate enemy firing points located in cover. The flamethrower is also used to destroy armored and automotive structures, the enemy himself and create a fire. The development began in the USSR, the main goal of which was to replace high-explosive flamethrowers. Currently, this flamethrower is not used in the Russian army, but is used in other armies of the world.

The production of the flamethrower belongs to China. The design includes the following elements: three cylinders that are filled with fire mixture, while they are connected; they also include a supply hose and a launch device that looks like a rifle with a bipod. The cylinders have a neck used when pouring the fire mixture, a squib designed to create pressure, and a check valve connected to the hose through which the fire mixture flows.

All cylinder hoses are connected into a single tee, from where the fire mixture goes to the starting device. The starting device has an electrical unit. It is located in front of the handle. The electrical unit consists of four batteries and contacts. There is a fuse on the left side, and in the muzzle there are 3 squibs designed to ignite the fire mixture. When the fire mixture is started, press the safety catch to the “fire” position, and then press the trigger. The direction of the current goes from the batteries, then to the squib, which releases the fire mixture from the pressure of the powder gases.

The check valve is opened by the action of the trigger, after which the squib in the muzzle is initiated. If the fire mixture begins to burn from the squib charge, it will be ejected from the barrel of the weapon directly to the target. The duration of each start varies between 2-3 s. If you press the trigger again, the next squib will fire. The launcher has a butt and also a mechanical sight, consisting of a front sight and rear sight. A modification of this flamethrower is the Type 74; its design is no different from the LPO-50, produced in China.

The main characteristics of this flamethrower are the following parameters: the caliber is 14.5 mm, the length of the launcher reaches 850 mm, the volume of the cylinders is 3x3.3 liters, the weight of the flamethrower, which contains a fire mixture, is 23 kg, and the weight of the flamethrower without a fire mixture is 15 kg. The longest launch distance for an unthickened mixture is 20 m, and for a thickened mixture - 70 m.

The disadvantages of a flamethrower are the fact that a very small amount of mixture can be supplied, and the launch occurs only after the squib has begun to burn, which is also unprofitable. Thus, the fire mixture can only be fired 3 times.

Backpack flamethrower

Flamethrower attached to the back. Throws the burning mixture 40 m using compressed air. The charge is designed for 6-8 shots. The main design element of a backpack flamethrower is a steel container filled with a fire mixture: flammable liquid or compressed gas. The volume of such a container is 15-20 liters. The fire mixture is thrown through a flexible rubber hose into a metal fire nozzle and is ignited by an igniter at the outlet of the fire nozzle. The mixture exits the container after opening a special tap valve. Used for offensive purposes. The backpack flamethrower is most effective in a combat situation with a narrow corridor. The main inconvenience in using a backpack flamethrower is short range actions. To protect flamethrowers from burns, special fireproof suits are used.

Jet flamethrower

A flamethrower, the operating principle of which is based on the use of a rocket projectile that pushes out a fire mixture enclosed in a sealed capsule. The range of action of such a flamethrower is hundreds and thousands of meters. The disadvantage of a “classic” flamethrower is its short firing range, which is 50-200 m. And even in the event of high pressure, this problem remains unresolved, since the fire mixture burns during flight and only a small part of it reaches the target. Accordingly, the greater the distance, the less fire mixture will reach.

The problem can be solved by increasing the amount of fire mixture and increasing the pressure, but such an operation also sooner or later reaches a limit. With the advent of the jet flamethrower, this problem was resolved, since it does not involve the use of a burning liquid, but a projectile that contains a fire mixture. And the fire mixture begins to burn only when the projectile reaches the target.

An example of a rocket-propelled flamethrower is the Soviet RPOA, also called Shmel. Modern jet flamethrowers involve the use of thermobaric compounds that replace the fire mixture. If such a mixture reaches the target, then it is sprayed, and after certain time- explosion. In the area of ​​the explosion, both temperature and pressure increase.

Flamethrower "Lynx"

A rocket-propelled infantry flamethrower, the main purpose of which is to eliminate enemy firing points located in cover. The flamethrower is also used to destroy armored and automotive structures, the enemy himself and create a fire. Development was carried out during 1972-1974. at the Instrument Design Bureau of the city of Tula (KBP). Began to be used in Soviet army since 1975

The flamethrower includes the following elements: a launcher, which includes some parts from the RPG-16 hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher, there are also two types of missiles, combat unit which are filled with fire mixture. Its composition is either smoke-generating (“Lynx-D”) or incendiary (“Lynx-Z”). To fire a flamethrower, you need to attach an additional plastic container to the launcher. Inside it there is a capsule containing a fire mixture and a jet engine running on solid fuel.

If you connect the launcher and the container, this connection will be secured by three clamps that are located on the outside of the container. When an electrical impulse is received, which is generated from an electrical mechanism, the capsule is released, the flame travels through the tube that conducts the fire, the jet engine ignites, and its charge burns out. After this, the body is separated from the capsule itself.

The capsule has a tail unit, which allows it to fly along a residually smooth trajectory, since the tail unit contributes to the rotation of the axis of this capsule. The sight itself is framed and consists of a front sight and a movable rear sight, which hinges on the sight frame. To achieve greater stability of the flamethrower, a bipod is provided; it is located in the front part of the launcher. At the end of the 1980s. The Lynx flamethrower was replaced with the Shmel RPOA, which featured a more advanced device.

The main characteristics of the flamethrower are the following parameters: the length in the firing position reaches 1440 mm, the mass in the firing position is 7.5 kg, and the mass of the starting device is 3.5 kg, the content of the fire mixture reaches 4 liters, sighting range The firing range is 190 m, and the maximum firing distance is 400 m; transferring to a firing position takes 60 s.

Flamethrower T-148

Weapons designed in Italy. The main purpose was to provide support that was needed on the battlefield. The advantages of the flamethrower are reliability in use and simplicity of design; it was these qualities of the flamethrower that the Italian developers focused on. For this reason, the flamethrower’s operation scheme was quite simple.

Cylinders intended for fire mixtures are filled with napalm 2/3 by volume. After this action, air is pumped into the check valve, the pressure of which is 28-30 kg/cm2. A special indicator located on the valve shows whether the operating pressure has been reached or not. After start-up, the pressure causes the fire mixture to flow into the check valve through the hose, after which it is ignited by electricity and thrown out to the target.

The electronic device that allows you to ignite the fire mixture is powered by nickel-cadmium batteries. The device remains sealed and operates even if water gets into the flamethrower. But besides the advantages, there are also disadvantages. One of them is low pressure in the system itself, which decreases during startup. But in this property you can also find positive features. Firstly, this makes the flamethrower lighter, and secondly, its maintenance is greatly simplified, since it can also be charged with air from combat compressor equipment. Diesel fuel can serve as a substitute for the fire mixture.

The main characteristics of the flamethrower are the following parameters: the length of the launcher is 380 mm, the volume of the cylinders reaches 15 liters, the weight of the unloaded flamethrower is 13.8 kg, and the weight of the equipped flamethrower is 25.5 kg. The launch duration is 2-3 s, the launch range at the maximum distance reaches 60 m.

Flamethrower TPO-50

A heavy infantry flamethrower, the action of which is based on the ejection of a fire mixture. The ejection of the fire mixture is facilitated by the pressure of the powder gases; they are formed when combustion occurs powder charge. This process works as follows. The gas presses on the liquid, which, in turn, enters through a piston-obturator, designed to separate liquid and gas in the barrel of the flamethrower. After this, the fire mixture, flying out of the nozzle, is ignited by a special mechanism.

The flamethrower consists of three barrels and a carriage, which replace each other. The replaceable barrel consists of a body and a head, which are connected by a union nut, a powder chamber, a nozzle, a piston-obturator, as well as a mechanical fuse and an electrical contact. The body contains a fire mixture and there is pressure inside it. The body also has sight frame pads and a triple clamp stop. The bottom of the body is presented in the shape of a sphere; it implies the presence of an ear for attaching the barrel to the gun carriage. The barrel is carried by a special handle attached to the ear holes. One of the main parts of the barrel is the head. It is designed to accommodate the working components of a flamethrower.

The head shape is sphere, made from sheet steel. The head has a ring that connects it to the body. The head includes a siphon bushing, a powder chamber bowl and a safety valve bushing. The siphon sleeve gradually transforms into the siphon pipe, which is designed to eject the fire mixture from the barrel. The siphon pipe implies the presence of a bell, due to which a smoother exit of the fire mixture is achieved. The lower part of the pipe and the piston-obturator bushing have a special hole to allow residual gases to escape.

The purpose of the shutter piston is to uniformly distribute the pressure of the powder gases on the fire mixture and its exit from the barrel when fired. The powder chamber contains an ignition device, a powder charge, a grate, a gas nozzle, as well as other parts that ensure the formation of a shot. The powder chamber is located on the head cup. There are holes in its cover intended for a flare tube of capsule contact, as well as for a mechanical fuse. The flare tube is used to provide an outlet for the incendiary star, which ignites the flamethrower jet.

If the flamethrower is activated by mechanical action, then the ROKS-3 ignition cartridge is used. The mechanical fuse must be placed in the sleeve of the powder chamber cover, after which it is secured with a union nut. Before a shot is fired, the mechanical fuse must be cocked. If the flamethrower is activated by operations involving electrical signals, then from the current source, that is, from the battery, there is a conductor connected to an electrical contact. In this case, the PP-9 squib cartridge is used. The entire sequence of shot formation consists of several stages.

First, the ROKS-3 cartridge is ignited using a mechanical fuse, after which the flame passes from the incendiary star to the powder charge. Then the gases in the powder chamber enter the gas region of the barrel through the nozzle. Due to the action of gases, the pressure reaches 60 kgf/cm2, and the piston-obturator releases the fire mixture through the siphon pipe. The nozzle membrane is cut off and the fire mixture is thrown onto the target. The fire mixture in the barrel develops a speed of 3 to 36 m/s, this is explained by the fact that there is a large difference in the dimensions of the barrel and siphon pipe, which are 200 mm and 5 mm, respectively.

When the fire mixture flies directly out of the nozzle, its speed reaches 106 m/s, which is explained by the conical narrowing of the siphon pipe. After the fire mixture has flown out of the barrel, it is ignited using an incendiary star. A nozzle with a diameter of 32 mm forms and directs the jet to the target. The nozzle includes a body and a shut-off device. The shut-off device is designed to ensure that a working pressure of 60 kgf/cm2 is achieved in the working housing.

The nozzle body consists of two parts - conical and cylindrical. The cone angle is 10 and the length of the cylindrical part is 96 mm. The head has a safety valve, its diameter is 25 mm. The valve is designed to prevent pressure from increasing above 120 kgf/cm3. The sight device includes elements such as a sighting frame, clamps and front sights. There are numbers written on the clamps that determine the throwing range with a direct shot, where the height is 1.5 m. That is, 1, 1.2 and 1.4 indicate ranges equal to 100, 120 and 140 m.

The flamethrower is transported using a carriage. It is designed so that it can be either on wheels or on skis. The carriage is also used if there is a need to change the barrel and change its elevation angles. The carriage includes a frame with openers, handles for moving, a bracket with clamps, which are designed to install replaceable barrels.

Equipment and weapons 2002 12 Magazine “Equipment and weapons”

Infantry flamethrowers - flamethrowers

Infantry flamethrowers - flamethrowers

Jet flamethrowers

A flamethrower is a device that emits a stream of burning liquid. A flamethrower in the form of a cauldron with wooden pipes was used 2500 years ago. However, it was only at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries that the development of technology made it possible to create flamethrowing devices that provided sufficient range, safety and reliability in operation.

Flamethrowers are intended for destruction in defense with the aim of causing direct losses in manpower to the attacking enemy or during the offensive to destroy the defending enemy, especially those entrenched in long-term defensive structures, as well as for moral influence on the enemy and setting fire to various flammable objects and creating a fire in the area. WITH great success flamethrowers are used in special combat conditions (in populated areas, in the mountains, in the fight for river barriers, etc.), as well as to clear captured trenches from the presence of remaining enemy fighters in them. The flamethrower is perhaps the most effective melee weapon.

World War I backpack flamethrower:

a - steel tank; 6 - tap; c - handle; g - flexible hose; d - metal fire hose; e - automatic ignition

Flamethrowers are the first new incendiary weapons developed in the industrial 20th century. Interestingly, they did not originally appear as military weapons, but as a police weapon - to disperse violent crowds of demonstrators and other unauthorized gatherings (a rather strange idea, I must say, to pacify restless citizens - to burn them to the ground). And only the beginning of the First World War forced the world powers to urgently look for new weapons of war. And this is where jet flamethrowers came in handy. And although they were quite simple in design (even compared to their contemporary, the tank), they immediately proved their enormous effectiveness on the battlefield. The only limitation is the flamethrowing range. After all, when shooting at hundreds of meters, enormous pressure in the device is required, and a freely flying and burning jet of fire mixture may not reach the target - it may well burn out completely in the air. And only on short distances- tens of meters away - the jet flamethrower has no equal. And the huge fiery and smoky plume of the burning jet makes an indelible impression on both the enemy and “friends”; it puts the enemy into a state of shock and inspires “friends”.

The use of flamethrowers is based primarily on the fact that they are a means of close support for infantry and are intended to destroy targets that infantry cannot destroy or suppress with conventional fire. However, given the huge psychological impact flamethrowers, military experts recommend using them massively against targets such as tanks, infantry in trenches and in combat vehicles. To combat individual firing points and large defensive structures, as a rule, one or more flamethrowers are allocated. To support the combat operations of flamethrower units, it is recommended to use artillery and mortar fire. If necessary, flamethrowers can be attached to infantry (motorized infantry) units.

Regardless of the type and design of flamethrowers, the principle of their operation is the same. Flamethrowers (or flamethrowers, as they used to say) are devices that emit jets of highly flammable liquid over a distance of 15 to 200 meters. Ejection from the tank through a special fire nozzle is carried out by the force of compressed air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen or powder gases. The liquid is ignited when it exits the fire nozzle (the metal tip of the ejection arm or hose) by an automatically operating igniter. Combustible liquids used for flamethrowing are mixtures of various flammable liquids: a mixture of oil, gasoline and kerosene, a mixture of light coal oil with benzene, a solution of phosphorus in carbon disulfide, etc. The working effect is determined by the range of ejection of the hot jet and its burning time. The range of the jet is determined by the initial speed of the flowing liquid and the angle of inclination of the tip.

Tactics modern combat It also demanded that the infantry flamethrower not be tied only to the ground, but also rise into the air (German paratroopers with fire) and, descending, act on reinforced concrete pillboxes (Belgium, Liege).

Siphons, which spewed a burning mixture at the enemy, were used in antiquity, being, in essence, jet flamethrowers. And the legendary “Greek fire” was used precisely in these flamethrowers, which were still very simple in design.

Heavy flamethrower from the First World War:

a - iron tank; b - arcuate pipe; c - tap; g - crane handle; d - staples; k - canvas hose; l - fire hose; m - control handle; n - igniter; o - lifting device; p - metal pin

High explosive flamethrower from the First World War:

a - iron cylinder; b - piston; c - nozzle; g - grating incendiary cartridge; d - charger; e - powder ejecting cartridge; g - electric fuse; h - electric drive; and - source electric current; k - pin

High explosive flamethrower device

In 1775, the French engineer Dupre invented a flame-throwing apparatus and mixture, which, by order of Louis XVI, were tested in Marseille and in some other French harbors to repel enemy landings. The king was horrified by the new weapon and ordered that all papers relating to it be destroyed. Soon, under unclear circumstances, the inventor himself died. Rulers at all times have been able to reliably keep their secrets and remove their bearers...

The armies of the 17th–19th centuries were armed with artillery incendiary bombs (brandskugels, frames), which were equipped with mixtures consisting of saltpeter and sulfur with the addition of gunpowder pulp, black powder, resin or lard.

Finally, in 1861–1864. In America, an unknown inventor proposed releasing a self-igniting mixture of carbon disulfide and phosphorus (solution) from special devices under pressure, but due to the imperfection of this apparatus and the lack of devices for creating pressure, this proposal was not used. And only in late XIX and the beginning of the 20th century, when technology reached significant perfection, it turned out to be possible to produce complex flamethrowing devices (flamethrowers) capable of withstanding high pressure having precisely calculated pipelines, nozzles and taps.

First world war incendiary means have received especially great development.

The creator of the backpack fire device is the famous Russian inventor Sieger-Korn (1893). In 1898, the inventor proposed a new original weapon to the Minister of War. The flamethrower was created according to the same principles on which modern flamethrowers operate. The device was very complex and dangerous to use and was not accepted for service under the pretext of “unrealism.” An exact description of its design has not been preserved. But nevertheless, the creation of the “flamethrower” can begin in 1893.

Three years later, the German inventor Fiedler created a flamethrower of a similar design, which was adopted without hesitation. As a result, Germany managed to significantly outstrip other countries in the development and creation of new types of these weapons. For the first time in large quantities flamethrowers (or flamethrowers, as they said then) of Fiedler's design were used on the battlefield by German troops in 1915 during the First World War. The German army was then armed with three types of flamethrowers: the small backpack "Weke", the medium backpack "Kleif" and the large transportable "Grof", and used them in battle with great success. In the early morning of July 30 (according to other sources - 29), 1915, the British troops were stunned by an unprecedented spectacle: huge flames suddenly burst out from the German trenches and, with a hiss and whistle, lashed towards the British. Here is what one of the eyewitnesses said about the first major German flamethrower attack against British troops on July 29, 1915:

“Completely unexpectedly, the first lines of troops at the front were engulfed in flames. It was not visible where the fire came from. The soldiers only saw that they seemed to be surrounded by a furiously spinning flame, which was accompanied by a loud roar and thick clouds of black smoke; here and there drops of boiling oil fell into the trenches or trenches. Screams and howls shook the air as individual soldiers rose in the trenches, trying to advance into the open, feeling the force of the fire. The only salvation, it seemed, was to run back, and this is what the surviving defenders resorted to. Over a wide area, the flames pursued them, and the retreat turned into... defeat.”

It seemed that everything around was on fire and nothing living could escape in this raging sea of ​​fire. Fear gripped the British. Throwing down their weapons, the English infantry fled in panic to the rear, leaving their positions without firing a single shot, although they had almost no casualties from the fire. This is how flamethrowers entered the battlefield, first used by the Germans in large numbers against the British army.

The fact is that after the first successful gas-balloon “chemical” attacks launched by the Germans in April-May 1915, the use of poisonous gases was no longer successful, since the British and French troops quickly acquired means of protection against them - gas masks, as well as the Allies' response to the Germans - chemical warfare gases. In an effort to maintain the initiative, the Germans used new weapons - flamethrowers, hoping to achieve success by the surprise of their use and the strong moral impact on the enemy.

On the Russian front, the Germans first used flamethrowers on November 9, 1916 in a battle north of the city of Baranovichi. However, here they were unable to achieve success. Russian soldiers of the 217th and 322nd regiments, unexpectedly exposed to weapons that were new to them, were not at a loss and stubbornly defended their positions. The German infantry, rising under the cover of flamethrowers to attack, encountered strong rifle and machine-gun fire and suffered big losses. The attack was thwarted. The Russian commission, which investigated the results of the enemy’s first flamethrower attack, came to the following conclusion: “The use of flamethrowers with success is possible only to complete the defeat of a shocked and upset enemy.”

In the First World War, two types of flamethrowers appeared, backpack (small and medium, used in offensive operations) and heavy (half-trench, trench and fortress, used in defense). Between the world wars, a third type of flamethrower appeared - the high-explosive one.

Of course, fire can be brought to the target, for example, by aircraft incendiary bombs, artillery incendiary shells and mines. But airplanes, howitzers, guns and mortars are long-range weapons. Fire is transported over long distances, figuratively speaking, in a “packaged” form: a ready-to-use incendiary composition is “hidden” inside a bomb, shell or mine. A flamethrower is a melee weapon.

Subsequently, flamethrowers were adopted by all warring armies and were used to enhance infantry fire and suppress the enemy where the effect of rifle and machine-gun fire was insufficient. By the beginning of 1914, the armies of Germany, France, and Italy had flamethrower units. In the Russian, French, English and other armies they also found wide application light (backpack) and heavy (trench and half-trench) flamethrowers.

Russian hand flamethrower from the First World War of the Sieger-Korn system

Attack with a backpack flamethrower of a long-term firing point

Attacking a pillbox embrasure from its roof (dead zone of fire) using an L-shaped nozzle on a flamethrower nozzle

The design of flamethrowers in Russia began only in the spring of 1915 (that is, even before their use by German troops - the idea, apparently, was already in the air). In 1916, a backpack flamethrower designed by Tavarnitsky was adopted by the Russian army. In the same year, Russian engineers Stranden, Povarin, and Stolitsa invented a high-explosive piston flamethrower, from which the combustible mixture was ejected by the pressure of powder gases. In its design, it was superior to foreign flamethrowers, in which the fire mixture was expelled using compressed air. It weighed 32.5 kg when loaded. The flamethrowing range was 35–50 meters. At the beginning of 1917, the flamethrower was tested and entered mass production under the name SPS. The SPS flamethrower was successfully used by the Red Army during the Civil War.

For the purposes of offensive combat and smoking out enemy forces from bunkers, the flamethrower's fire nozzle was redesigned and lengthened, where instead of the usual conical nozzle it was replaced by an L-shaped, curved one. This form allows the flamethrower to effectively operate through embrasures from behind cover, standing on the side of the embrasure in the “dead”, non-shootable zone, or on top of the pillbox, from its roof.

After the end of the First World War, flamethrowers and incendiaries, as one of the types tactical weapons, continued to develop intensively and by the beginning of World War II took an important place in common system weapons of the armies of many countries of the world.

In 1936, in the mountains and forests of Abyssinia, where the operations of flamethrower tanks were difficult, Italian troops used backpack flamethrowers. During the intervention in Spain in 1936–1939. The Italian Expeditionary Force used backpack and trench flamethrowers in the battles of Madrid, Guadalajara and Catalonia. The Spanish Republicans also used backpack flamethrowers during the siege of the Alcazar fortress, during the battles in Toledo.

Let's look at the basic designs of flamethrowers using the example of models from the period between the great wars, when flamethrower weapons developed especially rapidly.

The backpack flamethrower was an oval or cylindrical steel tank with a capacity of 15–20 liters. Through the tap, the tank is filled 3/4 with flammable liquid and 1/4 with compressed gas. In some systems, pressure is created by releasing compressed gas from a special small cartridge inserted into the reservoir before operation; in this case, the drummer of the can comes out through the tank lid. The tank is designed for pressure up to 50 atmospheres, operating pressure - 12–20 atmospheres.

When the tap is opened using the handle, the liquid is thrown out through a flexible rubber hose and a metal nozzle and activates the automatic ignitor. The igniter is a box with a handle. In the front part, a stand with a cover is mounted on hinges. On the underside of the lid there is a hook-shaped striker riveted, which serves to break the ampoule with sulfuric acid.

When exiting the fire nozzle, a jet of liquid hits the igniter stand, which overturns and carries the lid along with it; The impact of the lid breaks the ampoule with sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid, acting on tow dipped in gasoline and sprinkled with incendiary powder, gives fire, and the flowing liquid, ignited, forms a fiery stream. The backpack flamethrower is carried using straps over the shoulders. The direction of the liquid stream is determined using a control handle attached to the fire hose. You can control the stream by holding your hands directly to the fire nozzle. For this purpose, in some systems there is an outlet valve on the fire hose itself. The weight of an empty backpack flamethrower (with a hose, tap and fire hose) is 11–14 kg, loaded - 20–25 kg.

Incendiary ampoule AZh-2

Soviet ampulomet from the period of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War:

1 - sight; 2 - ampoule with a self-igniting mixture; 3 - ampulomet body; 4 - powder cartridge; 5 - striker; 6 - trigger; 7 - knob for turning and aiming; 8 - spring; 9 - tripod

The heavy flamethrower was an iron tank with an arc-shaped outlet pipe, a tap, a tap handle and brackets for manual carrying. Its height is 1 meter, diameter is 0.5 meters, total capacity is 200 liters, useful capacity is 160 liters. The compressed gas is in a special bottle and, using a rubber connecting tube, a tee and a pressure gauge, is supplied to the tank during the entire duration of the flamethrower’s operation, i.e. a constant pressure is maintained in the tank (10–13 atmospheres). A thick tarpaulin hose 8.5 meters long is attached to the tap. The fire hose with the control handle and igniter is movably mounted in a metal pin using a lifting device. The igniter in a heavy flamethrower can be the same device as in a backpack one, or ignition is carried out by electric current. The weight of an empty heavy flamethrower (without a hose and lifting device) is about 95 kg, when loaded it is about 192 kg. The flight range of the jet is 40–60 meters, the sector of destruction is 130–180°. Continuous action time is about 1 minute, with breaks - up to 3 minutes. Serviced by a crew of seven people. A shot from a flamethrower hits an area of ​​300 to 500 m2. When flanking or obliquely aiming flamethrowing at an attacking enemy, one shot can incapacitate a platoon of infantry. A tank caught under a flamethrower stops and in most cases catches fire.

Due to the high operating pressure (one and a half to two times higher than that of backpack flamethrowers), the jet of fire mixture ejected by heavy flamethrowers has a high impact force. This allows you to suppress enemy fire installations by throwing flames at the embrasure walls. Fire can be thrown from positions located outside the field of view and fire of the suppressed structure. A stream of burning fire mixture, hitting the slope of its embankment, ricochets and is thrown into the embrasure, destroying or hitting the entire combat crew.

When fighting in locality, adapted for defense, flamethrowing from a flamethrower allows you to set fire to a building occupied by the enemy with one shot into a loophole, window, door or breach.

The high-explosive flamethrower differed in design and principle of operation from backpack flamethrowers. A high-explosive flamethrower does not have a cylinder with compressed gas, and the fire mixture is ejected from the tank by the pressure of gases formed during the combustion of the powder charge. There are two types of high-explosive flamethrowers: piston and pistonless. A high explosive flamethrower consists of an iron cylinder and a piston. A grating incendiary cartridge is placed on the nozzle, and a powder ejection cartridge with an electric fuse is inserted into the charger. An electric or special sapper wire is connected to the fuse, stretched at a distance of 1.5–2 kilometers to a source of electric current. Using a pin, the high-explosive flamethrower is fixed in the ground. The weight of an empty high-explosive flamethrower is about 16 kg, when loaded it is about 32.5 kg. Powder gases resulting from the combustion of the ejecting cartridge push the piston and throw the liquid out. Action time is 1–2 seconds. The jet's flight range is 35–50 meters. High-explosive flamethrowers are installed on the ground in groups of 3 to 10 pieces.

These are flamethrower designs from the 20s and 30s. The fire weapons created later moved far from these first samples, but their classification was generally preserved.

The first Soviet backpack flamethrower ROKS-1 was created in 1940. In July 1941, FOM high-explosive flamethrowers were also field tested. They were a cylinder with 25 liters of flammable mixture. Flame throwing at 80-100 meters occurred due to the pressure inside the cylinder of powder gases when the charge was fired. FOM is a single action flamethrower. After the shot, the device was sent to a reloading point. During the war, their modifications appeared - ROKS-2, ROKS-3, FOG-2. ROKS-2, with a loaded device weighing 23 kg (a back-mounted metal tank with a flammable mixture, a flexible hose and a gun that fired and ignited the charge), “threw fire” at 30–35 meters. The tank capacity was enough for 6–8 starts. ROKS-3 was equipped with 10 liters of viscous fire mixture and could fire 6–8 short or 1–2 long fire shots at a distance of 35–40 meters using compressed air.

Basic data on flamethrowers of various armies of the interwar period

State	Flamethrower type	Flamethrower name	Flamethrower weight, kg		Working pressure, atm	Jet flight range, m	Flammable liquid	Gas exerting pressure on liquid
			Empty	Curb
Germany	Backpack	"Veke"	10,5	21,5	23	25	A mixture of coal tar with light and heavy hydrocarbons, coal oil and carbon sulphide	Carbon dioxide
Germany	Backpack	"Cleif"	14,0	30,0	23	22
Germany	Heavy	"Goof"	35,0	135,0	15	35-40
France	Backpack	"No. 1 encore"	-	23,0	50	18-30	A mixture of coal tar and benzene	Compressed air
France	Heavy	"No. 1 and 3 bis"	-	30,0	-	-
France	Heavy	"Flamethrower No. 1"	-	125,0	140	30
England	Backpack	"Lawrence"	17,6	28,0	15	30-35	A mixture of phosphorus, carbon disulfide and turpentine	Carbon dioxide
England	Heavy	"Vincent"	OK. 1000	OK. 1500	15-81	60-80	Oil, gasoline and kerosene	Compressed air
England	Heavy	"Fortress Livens"	OK. 2500	3700	24	Up to 200
Italy	Backpack (6l)	"DLF"	~	-	-	25	-	-
USA	Heavy (16l)	"Boyd A193"		-	15	35	-	Hydrogen

Infantry flamethrower of the Red Army ROKS-3:

1 - reservoir; 2 - compressed air cylinder; 3 - gearbox; 4 - flexible sleeve; 5 - hose gun

High-explosive flamethrowers FOG-2 were installed at a firing position stationary in the ground and, without reloading, could fire only one shot, ejecting 25 liters of burning fire mixture under the action of powder gases from an expelling powder charge at a distance of 25 to 110 meters.

During the war years our industry established mass release flamethrowers, which made it possible to create entire flamethrowing units and units. Flamethrower units and units were used in the most important directions, both offensively and defensively, in small groups and en masse. They were used to consolidate captured lines, repel enemy counterattacks, cover tank-dangerous areas, protect the flanks and joints of units, and to solve other problems.

In Stalingrad in November 1942, flamethrowers were part of the assault groups. With backpack devices on their backs, they crawled up to Nazi positions and brought down a barrage of fire on the embrasures. The suppression of the points was completed by grenade throwing.

Far from it full list losses that the enemy suffered from Soviet backpack flamethrowers: manpower - 34,000 people, tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers - 120, pillboxes, bunkers and other firing points - 3,000, vehicles - 145... The main area of ​​application of this combat weapon is clearly visible here - destruction of field forts.

Literally on the eve of the war, the high-explosive flamethrower of the B.C. brothers was patented. and D.S. Bogoslovskikh, who did not turn advancing tanks into piles of charred metal, but only “incapacitated the crews” (as stated in the description of the invention). In addition, it was much cheaper than anti-tank mines and was quite safe to use. Before the battle, a metal or rubber tank with a long tube filled with a self-igniting liquid was buried in the ground or snow so that only its front curved end with an outlet hole stuck out. When an enemy tank drove onto a barely noticeable hill, it was immediately doused by a powerful stream of flammable mixture bursting out of the ground. A field mined with such flamethrowers, when an enemy tank unit passed, dozens of fiery fountains spewed out, splashing in all directions. But the facts of application of this weapon The author did not find them on the battlefield.

At the beginning of the war, our troops as incendiary In close combat, an “ampulomet” was used, a kind of mortar with a slightly modified device. It consisted of a trunk on a tripod. The expelling charge - a 12-gauge hunting cartridge - threw an AZh-2 ampoule or a thermite ball at a distance of 240-250 meters -

ditch The AZh-2 ampoule was a glass or thin-walled metal sphere with a diameter of 120 mm and a capacity of 2 liters, with a hole for pouring the mixture, which was hermetically sealed with a tightly screwed cap and gasket. The ampoules were filled with CS or BGS liquid. Upon impact with an obstacle, the shell was destroyed and the liquid spontaneously ignited in air. The weight of the ampulomet was 28 kg, the rate of fire was up to 8 rounds/min, the crew was Zchel.

Ampoule guns were used against enemy tanks, pillboxes, bunkers, and dugouts to “smoke out” and “burn out” the enemy.

From the book Tank "Sherman" by Ford Roger

Flamethrowers The M4, armed with a flamethrower, was first used in combat on July 22, 1944 on the island of Guam. These were six M4A2 tanks of the Corps Marine Corps, which had E5 flamethrowers installed instead of bow machine guns. They were powered by gas as a fire mixture

From the book Armor Collection 1996 No. 04 (7) Armored vehicles UK 1939-1945 author Baryatinsky Mikhail

Infantry tanks Infantry Tank Mark I (A11) Matilda ITank for direct infantry support. Its development began in 1936 at Vickers under the leadership of J. Carden. From 1937 to 1940, 139 combat vehicles of this type were manufactured. Serial modification: - body riveted from straight

Chinese military training with jet backpack flamethrower ().

How many meters does he hit? It seemed to me that the armies of the world now only have jet (manual or mechanized) flamethrowers in service. Are there really backpack flamethrowers still in service?

A little history:

The backpack fire device was first proposed to the Russian Minister of War in 1898 by the Russian inventor Sieger-Korn. The device was found difficult and dangerous to use and was not accepted for service under the pretext of “unrealism.”

Three years later, the German inventor Fiedler created a flamethrower of a similar design, which was adopted without hesitation by the Reuter. As a result, Germany managed to significantly outstrip other countries in the development and creation of new weapons. The use of poisonous gases no longer achieved their goals - the enemy now had gas masks. In an effort to maintain the initiative, the Germans used a new weapon - flamethrowers. On January 18, 1915, a volunteer sapper squad was formed to test new weapons. The flamethrower was used at Verdun against the French and British. In both cases, he caused panic in the ranks of the enemy infantry, and the Germans managed to take enemy positions with few losses. No one could remain in the trench when a stream of fire burst through the parapet.

On the Russian front, the Germans first used flamethrowers on November 9, 1916 in the battle near Baranovichi. However, here they were unable to achieve success. The Russian soldiers suffered losses, but did not lose their heads and stubbornly defended themselves. The German infantry, rising under the cover of flamethrowers to attack, encountered strong rifle and machine-gun fire. The attack was thwarted.

The German monopoly on flamethrowers did not last long - by the beginning of 1916, all warring armies, including Russia, were armed with various systems this weapon.

The construction of flamethrowers in Russia began in the spring of 1915, even before their use by German troops, and a year later a backpack flamethrower designed by Tavarnitsky was adopted for service. At the same time, Russian engineers Stranden, Povarin, and Stolitsa invented a high-explosive piston flamethrower: from it the flammable mixture was ejected not by compressed gas, but by a powder charge. At the beginning of 1917, a flamethrower called SPS had already entered mass production.

How they work

Regardless of the type and design, the principle of operation of flamethrowers is the same. Flamethrowers (or flamethrowers, as they used to say) are devices that emit jets of highly flammable liquid at a distance of 15 to 200 m. The liquid is thrown out of the tank through a special fire nozzle by the force of compressed air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen or powder gases and ignites when it exits fire hose with a special igniter.

In World War I, two types of flamethrowers were used: backpack flamethrowers for offensive operations, heavy ones for defense. Between the world wars, a third type of flamethrower appeared - high-explosive.

A backpack flamethrower is a steel tank with a capacity of 15-20 liters, filled with flammable liquid and compressed gas. When the tap is opened, the liquid is thrown out through a flexible rubber hose and a metal fire nozzle and ignited by an igniter.

The heavy flamethrower consists of an iron tank with a capacity of about 200 liters with an outlet pipe, a tap and brackets for manual carrying. A fire hose with a control handle and an igniter is movably mounted on a carriage. The flight range of the jet is 40-60 m, the sector of destruction is 130-1800. A shot from a flamethrower hits an area of ​​300-500 m2. One shot can knock out up to a platoon of infantry.

A high-explosive flamethrower differs in design and principle of operation from backpack flamethrowers - the fire mixture is ejected from the tank by the pressure of gases formed during the combustion of a powder charge. An incendiary cartridge is placed on the nozzle, and a powder ejection cartridge with an electric fuse is inserted into the charger. Powder gases eject liquid at a distance of 35-50 m.

The main disadvantage of the jet flamethrower is its short range. When shooting at long distances, the system pressure needs to increase, but this is not easy to do - the fire mixture is simply pulverized (sprayed). This can only be combated by increasing the viscosity (thickening the mixture). But at the same time, a freely flying burning jet of fire mixture may not reach the target, completely burning out in the air.

Flamethrower ROKS-3

Cocktail

All the terrifying power of flamethrower-incendiary weapons lies in incendiary substances. Their combustion temperature is 800−1000C or more (up to 3500C) with a very stable flame. Fire mixtures do not contain oxidizing agents and burn due to oxygen in the air. Incendiaries are mixtures of various flammable liquids: oil, gasoline and kerosene, light coal oil with benzene, a solution of phosphorus in carbon disulfide, etc. Fire mixtures based on petroleum products can be either liquid or viscous. The first ones consist of a mixture of gasoline with heavy motor fuel and lubricating oil. In this case, a wide swirling jet of intense flame is formed, flying 20-25 meters. The burning mixture is capable of flowing into the cracks and holes of target objects, but a significant part of it burns out in flight. The same main drawback liquid mixtures is that they do not stick to objects.

Napalms, that is, thickened mixtures, are a different matter. They can stick to objects and thereby increase the affected area. Liquid petroleum products are used as their fuel base - gasoline, jet fuel, benzene, kerosene and a mixture of gasoline with heavy motor fuel. Polystyrene or polybutadiene are most often used as thickeners.

Napalm is highly flammable and sticks even to wet surfaces. It is impossible to extinguish it with water, so it floats on the surface, continuing to burn. The burning temperature of napalm is 800−11000C. Metallized incendiary mixtures (pyrogels) have a higher combustion temperature - 1400−16000C. They are made by adding powders of certain metals (magnesium, sodium), heavy petroleum products (asphalt, fuel oil) and some types of flammable polymers - isobutyl methacrylate, polybutadiene - to ordinary napalm.

Lighter people

The army profession of a flamethrower was extremely dangerous - as a rule, you had to get within a few tens of meters to the enemy with a huge piece of iron behind your back. According to an unwritten rule, soldiers of all armies of World War II did not take flamethrowers and snipers prisoner; they were shot on the spot.

For every flamethrower there was at least one and a half flamethrowers. The fact is that high-explosive flamethrowers were disposable (after operation, a factory reload was required), and the work of a flamethrower with such weapons was akin to sapper work. High-explosive flamethrowers were dug in front of their own trenches and fortifications at a distance of several tens of meters, leaving only a camouflaged nozzle on the surface. When the enemy approached within firing distance (from 10 to 100 m), the flamethrowers were activated (“exploded”).

The battle for the Shchuchinkovsky bridgehead is indicative. The battalion was able to fire its first fire salvo only an hour after the start of the attack, having already lost 10% of its personnel and all its artillery. 23 flamethrowers were blown up, destroying 3 tanks and 60 infantrymen. Having come under fire, the Germans retreated 200-300 m and began to shoot Soviet positions from tank guns with impunity. Our fighters moved to reserve camouflaged positions, and the situation repeated itself. As a result, the battalion, having used up almost the entire supply of flamethrowers and having lost more than half of its strength, destroyed by the evening six more tanks, one self-propelled gun and 260 fascists, barely holding the bridgehead. This classic fight shows the advantages and disadvantages of flamethrowers - they are useless beyond 100m and are terrifyingly effective when used unexpectedly at point-blank range.

Soviet flamethrowers managed to use high-explosive flamethrowers on the offensive. For example, in one section of the Western Front, before a night attack, 42 ​​(!) high-explosive flamethrowers were buried at a distance of only 30-40 m from a German wooden-earth defensive embankment with machine gun and artillery embrasures. At dawn, the flamethrowers were blown up in one salvo, completely destroying a kilometer of the enemy’s first line of defense. In this episode, one admires the fantastic courage of the flamethrowers - to bury a 32-kg cylinder 30 m from a machine-gun embrasure!

No less heroic were the actions of flamethrowers with ROKS backpack flamethrowers. A fighter with an additional 23 kg on his back needed to run to the trenches under deadly enemy fire, get within 20-30 m of a fortified machine-gun nest, and only then fire a salvo. Far from it full list German losses from Soviet backpack flamethrowers: 34,000 people, 120 tanks, self-propelled guns and armored personnel carriers, more than 3,000 bunkers, bunkers and other firing points, 145 vehicles.

Costumed Burners

The German Wehrmacht in 1939-1940 used a portable flamethrower mod. 1935, reminiscent of flamethrowers from the First World War. To protect the flamethrowers themselves from burns, special leather suits were developed: jacket, trousers and gloves. Lightweight "small improved flamethrower" mod. 1940 could be served on the battlefield by only one fighter.

The Germans used flamethrowers extremely effectively when capturing Belgian border forts. The paratroopers landed directly on the combat surface of the casemates and silenced the firing points with flamethrower shots into the embrasures. In this case, a new product was used: an L-shaped tip on the fire hose, which allowed the flamethrower to stand on the side of the embrasure or act from above when firing.

The battles in the winter of 1941 showed that at low temperatures German flamethrowers were unsuitable due to unreliable ignition of flammable liquids. The Wehrmacht adopted a flamethrower mod. 1941, which took into account the experience of combat use of German and Soviet flamethrowers. According to the Soviet model, ignition cartridges were used in the flammable liquid ignition system. In 1944 for parachute units The FmW 46 disposable flamethrower was created, resembling a giant syringe weighing 3.6 kg, 600 mm long and 70 mm in diameter. It provided flamethrowing at 30 m.

At the end of the war, 232 backpack flamethrowers were transferred to units fire department Reich. With their help, they burned the corpses of civilians who died in air-raid shelters during air raids on German cities.

In the post-war period, the LPO-50 light infantry flamethrower was adopted in the USSR, providing three fire shots. It is now produced in China under the name Type 74 and is in service with many countries around the world, former members of the Warsaw Pact and some countries in Southeast Asia.

Jet flamethrowers have replaced jet flamethrowers, where the fire mixture, enclosed in a sealed capsule, is delivered by a jet projectile hundreds and thousands of meters. But that is another story.

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