List of flamethrowers
Encyclopedia
Man-portable
| Name/ designation |
Year of intro |
Country of origin |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flamethrower, Portable, No 2 Flamethrower, Portable, No 2 The Flamethrower, Portable, No 2 , also known as the Ack Pack, was a British design of flamethrower for infantry use in the Second World War... |
1943 |  United Kingdom |
The Flamethrower, Portable, No 2 (nicknamed Lifebuoy from the shape of its fuel tank), also known as the Ack Pack, was a British design of flamethrower for infantry use in the Second World War. It was a near copy of the German Wechselapparat ("Wex") from 1917.. |
| Flammenwerfer 35 Flammenwerfer 35 The Flammenwerfer 35, or FmW 35 was the one-man German flamethrower used during World War II used to clear out trenches and buildings. This was a deadly weapon that was extremely effective at close range... |
1935 |  Nazi Germany |
The FmW 35 was the one-man German flamethrower used during World War II used to clear out trenches and buildings. This was a deadly weapon that was extremely effective at close range. It could project fuel up to 25m from the user. This weapon was also known as the "skinsteal", because using this weapon at close range would usually result in severe skin loss, and the burning liquid compound used produced fumes very similar to lachrymatory agents. |
| Flammenwerfer M.16. Flammenwerfer M.16. The Flammenwerfer M.16. was a flamethrower used by German infantry during World War I for clearing trenches and killing riflemen. It was used in 1918 in the battle of Argonne Forest in France against Allied forces. The Flammenwerfer M.16 was the first flamethrower ever. The Nazis in the 1940s... |
 German Empire |
The Flammenwerfer M.16. was a flamethrower used by German infantry during World War I for clearing trenches and killing riflemen. It was used in 1918 in the battle of Argonne Forest in France against Allied forces. The Flammenwerfer M.16 was the first flamethrower ever. The Nazis in the 1940s created the sequel, the Flammenwerfer 35. German riflemen would usually be behind flamethrower carrying infantry. The flamethrowers would kill enemy infantry, helping the riflemen move in. | |
| Handflammpatrone Handflammpatrone The Handflammpatrone DM34 was a single-shot, disposable incendiary weapon issued to the German Armed Forces from 1965 to 2001. It fired a red phosphorus round that would explode after 8 m on hard contact, or after 1.3 seconds by fuse. The fuel spreads across an area approximately 15 m wide and 50... |
1965 |  West Germany |
The Handflammpatrone DM34 was a single-shot, disposable incendiary weapon issued to the German Armed Forces from 1965 to 2001. It fired a red phosphorus round that would explode after 8 m on hard contact, or after 1.3 seconds by fuse. The fuel spreads across an area approximately 15 m wide and 50 m long and burns at 1,300° C. Max range 90 m. |
| Kleinflammenwerfer Kleinflammenwerfer The first German man-portable flamethrower was called the Kleinflammenwerfer or "Kleif". Fuel was stored in a large vertical, cylindrical backpack container. High-pressure propellant was stored in another, smaller container attached to the fuel tank. A long hose connected the fuel tank to a lance... |
German Empire |
The first German man-portable flamethrower. Fuel was stored in a large vertical, cylindrical backpack container. High-pressure propellant was stored in another, smaller container attached to the fuel tank. A long hose connected the fuel tank to a lance tube with an igniting device at the nozzle. The propellant forced the fuel through the hose and out of the nozzle at high speed when a valve was opened. The igniting device at the nozzle set fire to the fuel as it sprayed out. The flamethrower was operated by two soldiers, one carrying the fuel and propellant tanks, another wielding the lance | |
| K pattern flamethrower K pattern flamethrower The K pattern was a man-portable backpack flamethrower, produced in occupied Poland during World War II for the underground Home Army... |
1944 |  Poland |
The K pattern (Polish: wzór K) was a man-portable backpack flamethrower, produced in occupied Poland during World War II for the underground Home Army. These flamethrowers were used in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. |
| LPO-50 | 1950 |  Soviet Union |
Soviet Army flamethrowers had three backpack fuel tanks side by side. Its user could fire three shots, each emptying one of the tanks. The mechanism used to empty the tank was not a pressurized gas cylinder but a black powder cartridge on each fuel cylinder. This type is used in two versions, the "Light Infantry Flamethrower" (Легкий Пехотный Огнемёт) LPO-50 (ЛПО-50), and the "Heavy Infantry Flamethrower" (Тяжёлый Пехотный Огнемёт) TPO-70 (ТПО-70); a heavier, wheeled version was remotely triggered. |
| M1A1 Flamethrower M1A1 Flamethrower The M1 and M1A1 were portable flamethrowers developed by the United States of America during World War II. M1 weighed 72 lb, had a range of 15 meters, and had a fuel tank capacity of 5 gallons... |
1940 |  United States |
The M1 and M1A1 were portable flamethrowers developed by the United States during World War II. M1 weighed 72 lb, had a range of 15 meters, and had a fuel tank capacity of 5 gallons. The improved M1A1 weighed less at 65 lb, had a much longer range of 45 meters, had the same fuel tank capacity, and fired thickened fuel (napalm). |
| M2 flamethrower M2 flamethrower The M2 flamethrower was an American man-portable backpack flamethrower that was used in World War II. It was the successor to the M1 and M1A1 flamethrowers. Although its actual "burn time" was around 47 seconds and the flame was only effective out to around 20 metres , it was still a functional... |
1943 | United States |
The M2 flamethrower (M2-2) was an American man-portable backpack flamethrower that was used in World War II. It was the successor to the M1 and M1A1 flamethrowers. |
| M9 flamethrower | 1960s | United States |
The M9 flamethrower was an American man-portable backpack flamethrower that was used in the Vietnam War Vietnam War The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of... . It was lighter and easier to pack than the M1 and M2 series flamethrowers. |
| ROKS flamethrowers ROKS flamethrowers The ROKS-2 and ROKS-3 were man-portable flamethrowers used by the USSR in the Second World War. The ROKS-2 was designed not to draw attention so the fuel tank was square and resembled a regular backpack, and the nozzle looked like a service rifle. The propellant tank was a small bottle underneath... |
1935 | Soviet Union |
The ROKS-2 and ROKS-3 were man-portable flamethrowers used by the USSR in the Second World War. The ROKS-2 was designed not to draw attention so the fuel tank was square and resembled a regular backpack, and the nozzle looked like a service rifle. The propellant tank was a small bottle underneath the backpack fuel tank. ROKS-3 was a simplified design and had a regular cylindrical fuel tank. The Finnish designation for captured ROKS-2 units was m/41-r. |
| Type 93 and 100 flamethrowers Type 93 and 100 flamethrowers The were flamethrowers used by the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy's SNLF during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.-History and development:... |
1933 |  Empire of Japan |
The Type 93 and Type 100 Flamethrowers (九三式/一〇〇式火炎放射器, Kyūsan-shiki/Hyaku-shiki kaenhōshaki?) were flamethrowers used by the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy's SNLF during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. |
| Wechselapparat Wechselapparat The Germans introduced another small flamethrower design in 1917 to replace the earlier Kleif. The Wechselapparat had a doughnut-shaped backpack fuel container with a spherical propellant container in the middle. This design was updated during the Second World War to become flamethrower model 40... |
1917 | German Empire |
The Germans introduced another small flamethrower design in 1917 to replace the earlier Kleif. The Wechselapparat ("Wex") had a doughnut-shaped backpack fuel container with a spherical propellant container in the middle. This design was updated during the Second World War to become flamethrower model 40. However, model 40 was considered too fragile so it was soon replaced by model 41, a simpler construction with smaller, horizontal, cylindrical backpack containers. The doughnut-shaped container design was copied by the British during World War II. |
Static
| Name/ designation |
Year of intro |
Country of origin |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abwehrflammenwerfer 42 Abwehrflammenwerfer 42 The Abwehrflammenwerfer 42 was a German static defensive flamethrower, flame fougasse or flame mine used during the Second World War. The design was copied from Russian FOG-1 mines that were encountered in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa. These were usually buried at intervals of covering road... |
1942 | Nazi Germany |
The Abwehrflammenwerfer 42 was a German static defensive flamethrower, flame fougasse or flame mine used during the Second World War. The design was copied from Russian FOG-1 mines that were encountered in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa. These were usually buried at intervals of 12 to 30 yards (11 to 27 m) covering road blocks, landing beaches, harbor walls and other obstacles. They were normally mixed in with other mines or emplaced behind barbed wire and could be command detonated or triggered by tripwires or other devices. |
| Grossflammenwerfer Grossflammenwerfer In addition to man-portable units, the Germans designed heavy flamethrowers before and during the First World War. The large flamethrower was designed to be used from the trenches. The fuel and propellant containers were too large and heavy for mobility, but the hose could be long enough to be... |
German Empire |
In addition to man-portable units, the Germans designed heavy flamethrowers before and during the First World War. The large flamethrower (Grossflammenwerfer or "Grof") was designed to be used from the trenches. The fuel and propellant containers were too large and heavy for mobility, but the hose could be long enough to be carried out of the trenches closer to the enemy. Multiple propellant and fuel containers could be connected together to improve range and usage time. | |
Vehicle mounted
| Name/ designation |
Year of intro |
Country of origin |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaster Blaster (flamethrower) The Blaster was a 1998 invention by South African inventor Charl Fourie designed to provide a defence against carjackings.... |
1998 |  South Africa |
The Blaster (AKA the "BMW Flamethrower" hence the production video) was a 1998 invention by South African inventor Charl Fourie to provide a defence to carjackings. The invention came at a time when crime rates were rising and armed assault and carjackings became a serious public concern in South Africa. The Blaster was liquified petroleum gas flamethrower installed along the sides of the vehicle under the doors. Should a carjacker approach, the driver could raise his hands, faking surrender, then activate a pedal or switch and violent flames would erupt from underneath both front doors, "neutralizing" the assailant. The inventor claims it is unlikely to kill but would "definitely blind" the assailant. In South Africa, it is legal to use lethal force in self-defense if in fear of one's life, and ownership of flamethrowers is unrestricted. |
| M132 Armored Flamethrower M132 Armored Flamethrower The M132 was a United States built flamethrower armed variant of the M113 and M113A1 armored personnel carriers developed in the early 1960s. Approximately 350 were accepted into service.... |
1962 | United States |
The M132 was a United States built flamethrower armed variant of the M113 and M113A1 armored personnel carriers developed in the early 1960s. Approximately 350 were accepted into service. The first prototype of the vehicle was produced in August 1962 when a flamethrower was mounted on a M113. This prototype was only used in combat situations four times that year. |
| Ronson flamethrower | 1940 | United Kingdom |
The Ronson system was a flamethrower developed by the British in World War II and used by the United States Marine Corps during World War II. |