The ROKS-1 backpack flamethrower was developed in the early 1930s by designers Klyuev and Sergeev (Klyuev Sergeev's Backpack Flamethrower - R.O.K.S). The knapsack flamethrower consists of a tank with a fire mixture, made in the form of a knapsack, a compressed gas cylinder, a hose gun connected to the tank with a flexible hose and equipped with an automatically operating igniter, a belt suspension. By the beginning of the 40th year, a modernized version of the ROKS-2 backpack flamethrower was put into service. The ROKS-2 tank contained 10–11 liters of fire mixture, the range of flame throwing with a viscous mixture reached 30–35 m, with a liquid mixture up to 15 m.

By the beginning of World War II, the troops of the Red Army, as part of the rifle regiments, had flamethrower teams, consisting of two squads, armed with 20 knapsack flamethrowers ROKS-1 and ROKS-2. The practice of combat use of knapsack flamethrowers revealed a number of shortcomings, and above all, the imperfection of the incendiary device. In 1942, it was upgraded and named ROKS-3. It had an improved incendiary device, an improved percussion mechanism and valve sealing, and a shortened 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 a working level of 17 atm. Under this pressure, air passed through the tube through the check valve into the tank with the mixture. Under the pressure of compressed air, the fire mixture through the intake tube located inside the tank and the flexible hose entered the valve box. When the trigger was pressed, the valve opened, and the fire mixture rushed out through the barrel. On the way, she passed through a damper, which extinguished the helical vortices that arose in the fire mixture. Simultaneously the drummer, 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 hose gun and ignited the jet of fire mixture when it flew out of the tip. In June 1942, eleven separate companies of knapsack flamethrowers (ORRO) are formed. According to the state, they were armed with 120 flamethrowers each.
In offensive operations in 1944, the troops of the Red Army had to break through only positional-type enemy defenses, but also fortified areas where units armed with knapsack flamethrowers could operate successfully. Therefore, along with the existence of separate companies of knapsack flamethrowers in May 1944, separate battalions of knapsack flamethrowers (OBRO) were created and included in the assault engineering brigades. The battalion in the state had 240 ROKS-3 flamethrowers (two companies of 120 flamethrowers each).
Knapsack flamethrowers were successfully used to defeat enemy manpower, located in trenches, communication passages and other defensive structures. Flamethrowers were also used to repel tank and infantry counterattacks. The ROKS operated with great efficiency in the destruction of enemy garrisons in long-term structures during the breakthrough of fortified areas.
Typically, a company of knapsack flamethrowers was attached to a rifle regiment or operated as part of an assault engineer-sapper battalion. The regiment commander (commander of the assault engineering battalion), in turn, reassigned flamethrower platoons to squads and groups of 3–5 people as part of rifle platoons and assault groups.

The weight of the equipped 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)

Knapsack flamethrower ROKS-3: 1. Reservoir. 2. Equipment for carrying. 3.Tube. 4. Cylinder valve. 5. Reducer. 6. Cylinder for compressed air. 7.Return valve. 8. Calm. 9. Barrel. 10. Shotgun hose. 11. Valve. 12.Spring.13.Butt. 14. Trigger. 15.Crawler. 16.Valve box. 17. Spring. 18. Drummer. 19. Flexible sleeve

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Today we will analyze in more detail some types of flamethrowers in service with various armies of the world. Despite their "not long-range" flamethrowers are quite powerful and terrible weapons in terms of their damaging factor.

Flamethrower LC TI M1

Flamethrower, which is used in the army of Brazil. This is a more modern form that replaced the American flamethrowers used during World War II. The flamethrower consists of two cylinders designed for fire mixture and compressed air separately, they are connected together, a supply hose and a launcher are also included. After the flamethrower is launched, the gas under high pressure goes through the reducer and the solenoid valve into two cylinders at once.

The flamethrower starter consists of eight 1.5 V batteries, a voltage converter with a switch, a check valve, and an incendiary spark device. After the trigger is pressed, current is applied to the electromagnetic valve, after which high-pressure air enters the fire mixture cylinders. The fire mixture goes through the hose to the launcher, after which it is thrown at the target with the help of 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. It also implies the use of thickened fire mixtures. The disadvantages of the flamethrower is 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, the flamethrower weighs 34 kg in the equipped state, 21 kg in the unloaded state, the distance at which the thickened fire mixture is launched, is 70 m.

Flamethrower LPO-50

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

Flamethrower production belongs to China. The design includes the following elements: three cylinders that are filled with fire mixture, while they are connected, also includes a supply hose and a launcher 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, as well as 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 launcher. The starting device has an electric block. It is in front of the handle. The electric block consists of four batteries and contacts. On the left side there is a fuse, and in the muzzle there are 3 squibs designed to ignite the fire mixture. When the fire mixture is started, the fuse is pressed to the “fire” position, after which the trigger is pressed. The direction of the current goes from the batteries, then to the squib, which fires 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 began to burn from the charge of the squib, then it will be ejected from the weapon barrel directly to the target. In time, the duration of each launch varies within 2-3 s. If you press the trigger again, the next squib will begin to operate. The launcher has a buttstock and also a mechanical sight, consisting of a front sight and a rear sight. A modification of this flamethrower is the Type 74, in its design it does not differ from the LPO-50, made 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 mass of the flamethrower, which contains the fire mixture, is 23 kg, and the mass of the flamethrower without fire mixture is 15 kg. The maximum starting distance for a non-thickened mixture is 20 m, and for a thickened mixture - 70 m.

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

Backpack flamethrower

Flamethrower mounted on the back. Throws a burning mixture up to 40 m using compressed air. The charge is designed for 6-8 shots. The main structural element of a knapsack 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 ejected through a flexible rubber hose into a metal hose, at the outlet of the hose it is ignited by an igniter. The exit of the mixture from the tank is made after opening a special valve-cock. Used for offensive purposes. The backpack flamethrower is most effective in a combat situation with a narrow corridor. The main inconvenience in using a knapsack flamethrower is its short range. To protect flamethrowers from burns, special fireproof suits are used.

jet flamethrower

A flamethrower, the 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 such a flamethrower is hundreds and thousands of meters. The disadvantage of the "classic" flamethrower is a small firing range, which is 50-200 m. And even in the event of high pressure, this problem remains unresolved, since the fire mixture burns in flight and only a small part of it reaches the target. Accordingly, the greater the distance, the less fire mixture will fly.

The problem can be solved by increasing the amount of fire mixture and increasing the pressure, but sooner or later such an operation also has a limit. With the advent of a 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 jet flamethrower is the Soviet RPOA, also called Shmel. Modern jet flamethrowers provide for the use of thermobaric compounds that replace the fire mixture. If such a mixture reaches the target, then it is sprayed, and after a certain time - an explosion. Both the temperature and the pressure increase in the area of ​​the explosion.

Flamethrower "Lynx"

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

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

If you connect the launcher and the container, then this connection will be fixed 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 goes through a tube that conducts fire, the jet engine ignites, and its charge burns out. After that, the body is separated from the capsule itself.

The capsule has a tail, which allows it to fly on a residually even trajectory, since the tail contributes to the rotation of the axis of this capsule. The sight itself is a frame sight, it includes a front sight and a movable rear sight, which leans back on the sight frame. To achieve greater stability of the flamethrower, a bipod is provided, it is located in front of the launcher. In the late 1980s the flamethrower "Lynx" was replaced with the RPOA "Bumblebee", which was distinguished by a more advanced device.

The main characteristics of the flamethrower are the following parameters: the length in the combat position reaches 1440 mm, the mass in the combat position is 7.5 kg, and the mass of the launcher is 3.5 kg, the content of the fire mixture reaches 4 liters, the effective firing range is 190 m, and the maximum firing distance - 400 m, transfer to a combat position in time 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 scheme of the flamethrower was quite simple.

Cylinders intended for fire mixture are filled with napalm by volume by 2/3 parts. 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 starting, the pressure causes the fire mixture to go to 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 maintains tightness and functions even if water gets into the flamethrower. But besides the advantages, there are also disadvantages. One of them is the low pressure in the system itself, which decreases during start-up. But in this property, you can find positive features. Firstly, this makes the flamethrower easier, and secondly, its maintenance is greatly simplified, since it can also be charged with air from combat compressor equipment. Diesel fuel can act as a substitute for fire mixture.

The main characteristics of the flamethrower are the following parameters: the launcher is 380 mm long, the volume of the cylinders reaches 15 liters, the mass of the unloaded flamethrower is 13.8 kg, and the mass 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

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

The composition of the flamethrower includes three barrels and a gun carriage, which replace each other. The interchangeable 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, there is pressure inside it. The body also has sight frame pads and a triple clamp stop. The bottom of the case is presented in the form 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 trunk is the head. It is designed to mount the working units of the flamethrower into it.

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

The purpose of the obturator piston is to evenly 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, and other parts that provide the formation of a shot. The powder chamber is located on the glass of the head. Holes are made in its cover, designed for a capsular contact flare tube, as well as for a mechanical fuse. The flare tube is used to provide an exit for the incendiary star, which ignites the flamethrower jet.

If the flamethrower is actuated by mechanical action, then the ROKS-3 igniter cartridge is used. The fuse of mechanical action must be placed in the sleeve of the powder chamber cover, after which it is fixed with a union nut. Before a shot is fired, the mechanical fuse must be cocked. If the flamethrower is activated by operations associated with electrical signals, then a conductor connected to an electrical contact comes from a current source, that is, from a battery. In this case, the PP-9 squib is used. The whole sequence of formation of a shot 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 there is the flow of gases in the powder chamber into the gas area of ​​the barrel through the nozzle. Due to the action of gases, the pressure reaches 60 kgf / cm2, and the obturator piston 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 due to the fact that there is a large difference in the dimensions of the barrel and the siphon pipe, which are respectively 200 mm and 5 mm.

When the fire mixture flies directly from 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 set on fire with the help of an incendiary star. Forms and directs the jet to the target nozzle, which is 32 mm in diameter. The composition of the nozzle includes a body and a locking device. The locking device is designed to ensure that a working pressure of 60 kgf / cm2 is reached in the working body.

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 increase over 120 kgf/cm3. The structure of the sight device includes such elements as an aiming frame, clamps and front sights. Numbers are written on the collars 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 a range of 100, 120 and 140 m.

Transportation of a flamethrower is carried out using a gun carriage. It is designed so that it can be both on wheels and 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 interchangeable barrels.

Equipment and armament 2002 12 Equipment and armament magazine

Infantry flamethrowers - flamethrowers

Infantry flamethrowers - flamethrowers

jet flamethrowers

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

Flamethrowers are designed to engage in defense in order to inflict direct losses in manpower to the attacking enemy or during an offensive to destroy the defending enemy, especially those who have settled in long-term defensive structures, as well as to morally influence the enemy and set fire to various combustible objects and create a fire on the ground. With great success, flamethrowers are used in special combat conditions (in populated areas, in the mountains, in the struggle for river barriers, etc.), as well as to clear trenches taken from the presence of the remaining enemy fighters in them. The flamethrower is perhaps the most effective melee weapon.

Knapsack flamethrower of the First World War:

a - steel tank; 6 - crane; c - handle; g - flexible hose; d - metal hose; e - automatic igniter

Flamethrowers are the first new incendiary weapons developed in the industrial 20th century. It is interesting that initially they appeared not as military weapons, but as police weapons - 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 combat means. And then, most opportunely, jet flamethrowers came up. 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 in the range of flamethrowing. Indeed, when shooting at hundreds of meters, a huge pressure is required in the device, and a freely flying and burning jet of fire mixture may not reach the target - it may well completely burn out in the air. And only at short distances - tens of meters - the jet flamethrower has no equal. Yes, and a huge fiery-smoky plume of a burning jet makes an indelible impression both on the enemy and on “friends”, it brings the enemy into a state of shock, 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 of flamethrower weapons, 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 throw jets of flammable liquid at a distance of 15 to 200 meters. Ejection from the tank through a special hose is carried out by the force of compressed air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen or powder gases. The liquid is ignited when it exits the hose (metal tip of the ejection sleeve, hose) by an automatically operating igniter. Combustible liquids used for flame throwing 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 action is determined by the range of ejection of a hot jet and its burning time. The range of the jet is determined by the initial velocity of the outflowing liquid and the angle of inclination of the tip.

The tactics of modern combat also required that the infantry flamethrower was not only tied to the ground, but also rose into the air (German paratroopers with fire) and, descending, acted on reinforced concrete pillboxes (Belgium, Liege).

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

Heavy flamethrower of the First World War:

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

High-explosive flamethrower of the First World War period:

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 of electric current; k - pin

High-explosive flamethrower device

In 1775, the French engineer Dupré 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. The rulers at all times knew how to reliably keep their secrets and remove their carriers ...

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 powder pulp, black powder, resin or lard.

Finally, in 1861-1864. in America, an unknown inventor proposed to throw out a self-igniting mixture of carbon disulfide and phosphorus (solution) from special pressure devices, but due to the imperfection of this apparatus and the lack of devices for creating pressure, this proposal was not used. And only at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, when technology had reached significant perfection, it turned out to be possible to produce complex devices for flame throwing (flame throwers) capable of withstanding high pressure, having precisely calculated pipelines, nozzles and taps.

During the First World War, incendiary weapons were especially developed.

The famous Russian inventor Sieger-Korn (1893) is the creator of the knapsack fire device. In 1898, the inventor offered a new original weapon to the Minister of War. The flamethrower was created according to the same principles that modern flamethrowers operate on. The device was very complex and dangerous to use and was not accepted for service under the pretext of "unreality". An exact description of its design has not been preserved. But nevertheless, the creation of a "flamethrower" can be counted from 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 outpace other countries in the development and creation of new models of these weapons. For the first time in large numbers, flamethrowers (or flamethrowers, as they said then) designed by Fiedler 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 "Veke", 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) July 1915, the British troops were stunned by an unprecedented spectacle: huge flames suddenly burst out from the German trenches and whipped towards the British with a hiss and whistle. Here is what one of the eyewitnesses of the first major flamethrower attack of the Germans against the British troops on July 29, 1915 said:

“Quite unexpectedly, the first lines of troops at the front were engulfed in flames. It was not clear where the fire had come from. The soldiers only saw that they were surrounded, as it were, by a furiously swirling flame, which was accompanied by a loud roar and thick clouds of black smoke; here and there drops of boiling oil fell into trenches or trenches. Shouts and howls shook the air as individual soldiers climbed up in the trenches, trying to advance into the open, feeling the force of the fire. The only escape seemed to be to run back, which was 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 be saved in this raging sea of ​​\u200b\u200bfire. Fear gripped the English. Throwing down their weapons, the English infantry fled in panic to the rear, leaving their positions without a single shot, although they had almost no casualties from the fire. Thus, flamethrowers entered the battlefields, first used by the Germans in mass quantities against the British army.

The fact is that after the first successful gas-balloon, "chemical" attacks undertaken by the Germans in April-May 1915, the use of poison gases was no longer successful, since the British and French troops quickly appeared means of protection against them - gas masks, as well as the Allied response to the Germans - military poison gases. In an effort to maintain the initiative, the Germans used a new weapon - flamethrowers, hoping to achieve success by the surprise of their use and a 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, they were not successful here. The Russian soldiers of the 217th and 322nd regiments, unexpectedly exposed to a new weapon for them, did not lose their heads and stubbornly defended their positions. The German infantry, which rose under the cover of flamethrowers to attack, ran into strong rifle and machine-gun fire and suffered heavy losses. The attack was thwarted. The Russian commission, investigating the results of the enemy's first flamethrower attack, concluded the following: "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, knapsack (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 - high-explosive.

Of course, fire can be delivered to the target, for example, by aviation incendiary bombs, artillery incendiary shells and mines. But planes, howitzers, cannons and mortars are long-range weapons. Fire is transported over long distances, figuratively speaking, in a “packed” form: an incendiary composition ready for action is “hidden” inside a bomb, projectile or mine. A flamethrower is a melee weapon.

Subsequently, flamethrowers were adopted by all the belligerent armies and were used to enhance infantry fire and suppress the enemy where the effect of rifle and machine-gun fire turned out to be insufficient. The armies of Germany, France, Italy by the beginning of 1914 had flamethrower units. In the Russian, French, English and other armies, light (knapsack) and heavy (trench and half-trench) flamethrowers also found wide use.

World War I Russian manual flamethrower of the Sieger-Korn system

Attack with a backpack flamethrower of a long-term emplacement

Attack of the embrasure of a bunker 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 they were used by the German troops - the idea, apparently, was already in the air). In 1916, a knapsack flamethrower designed by Tavarnitsky was adopted by the Russian army. In the same year, Russian engineers Stranden, Povarin, 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 ejected using compressed air. He weighed 32.5 kg in running order. The flame throwing range was 35–50 meters. At the beginning of 1917, the flamethrower was tested and under the name SPS entered mass production. The SPS flamethrower was successfully used by the Red Army during the Civil War.

For the purposes of offensive combat and the elimination of enemy forces from pillboxes, the flamethrower hose was redesigned and lengthened, where instead of the usual conical nozzle it is replaced by an L-shaped, curved one. This form allows the flamethrower to effectively operate on loopholes from behind shelters, standing on the side of the loophole in the “dead”, non-shooting zone or on top of the pillbox, from its roof.

After the end of World War I, flamethrower-incendiary weapons, as one of the types of tactical weapons, continued to develop intensively and by the beginning of World War II, they occupied an important place in the general armament system of the armies of many countries of the world.

In 1936, in the mountains and forests of Abyssinia, where the actions of flamethrower tanks were difficult, Italian troops used knapsack flamethrowers. During the intervention in Spain in 1936-1939. the Italian expeditionary force used knapsack and trench flamethrowers in battles near Madrid, Guadalajara and in Catalonia. The Spanish Republicans also used knapsack flamethrowers during the siege of the Alcazar fortress, during the battles in Toledo.

Let's consider the main designs of flamethrowers on the example of models of the period between the great wars, when flamethrowing weapons developed especially rapidly.

The knapsack 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 a reservoir before operation; in this case, the impactor of the cartridge comes out through the tank cap. The tank is designed for pressure up to 50 atmospheres, working 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 hose and activates an automatic igniter. The igniter is a box with a handle. In the front part, a rack with a lid is fixed on hinges. A hook-shaped striker knife is riveted to the underside of the lid, which serves to break the ampoule with sulfuric acid.

When exiting the hose, a jet of liquid hits the incendiary strut, which overturns and drags the cover along with it; the striker of the lid breaks the ampoule with sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid, acting on a tow soaked in gasoline and sprinkled with incendiary powder, gives fire, and the flowing liquid, ignited, forms a fiery stream. The backpack flamethrower is carried with the help of straps behind the shoulders. The direction of the liquid jet is given by the control handle attached to the hose. You can control the jet by holding your hands directly on the hose. To do this, in some systems, the outlet cock is located on the hose itself. The weight of an empty knapsack flamethrower (with a hose, a crane and a hose) is 11-14 kg, equipped - 20-25 kg.

Incendiary ampoule AZH-2

Soviet ampulomet of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War:

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

The heavy flamethrower was an iron tank with an arcuate outlet pipe, a faucet, a faucet handle and brackets for carrying by hand. Its height is 1 meter, diameter - 0.5 meters, total capacity is 200 liters, useful - 160 liters. Compressed gas is located in a special bottle and, using a rubber connecting tube, a tee and a pressure gauge, is fed into the tank during the entire duration of the flamethrower, that is, a constant pressure is maintained in the tank (10–13 atmospheres). A thick tarpaulin hose 8.5 meters long is attached to the tap. A hose with a control handle and an igniter is movably mounted in a metal pin with the help of a lifting device. The igniter in a heavy flamethrower can be the same device as in a knapsack, or the ignition is done by electric current. The weight of an empty heavy flamethrower (without a hose and a lifting device) is about 95 kg, equipped - about 192 kg. The range of the jet is 40–60 meters, the sector of destruction is 130–180 °. The time of continuous action is about 1 minute, with interruptions - up to 3 minutes. Served by a crew of seven. A shot from a flamethrower affects an area from 300 to 500 m 2. With flank or oblique flamethrowing at an attacking enemy, one shot can disable up to an infantry platoon. A tank hit by a flamethrower jet stops and in most cases catches fire.

Due to the high working pressure (one and a half to two times higher than that of knapsack flamethrowers), the jet of fire mixture emitted by heavy flamethrowers has a large impact force. This makes it possible to suppress the enemy's firing structures by flamethrowing along the embrasure walls. Throwing fire can be carried out from positions located outside the field of view and shelling of the suppressed structure. A jet of burning fire mixture, hitting the slope of its sprinkling, ricochets and is thrown into the embrasure, destroying or hitting the entire combat crew.

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

The high-explosive flamethrower differed from the knapsack ones in terms of design and principle of operation. In a high-explosive flamethrower there is no cylinder with compressed gas, and the fire mixture from the tank is ejected by the pressure of the 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 put on the nozzle, and a powder ejection cartridge with an electric fuse is inserted into the charger. An electric or special sapper wire is attached to the fuse, stretched at a distance of 1.5-2 kilometers to the source of electric current. With the help of a pin, a high-explosive flamethrower is strengthened in the ground. The weight of an empty high-explosive flamethrower is about 16 kg, equipped - about 32.5 kg. The powder gases resulting from the combustion of the ejecting cartridge push the piston and throw the liquid out. Action time 1-2 seconds. The range of the jet is 35–50 meters. High-explosive flamethrowers are installed on the ground in groups of 3 to 10 pieces.

These are the designs of flamethrowers of the 20-30s. The fire weapons created later have gone far from these first samples, but their classification as a whole has been preserved.

The first Soviet knapsack flamethrower ROKS-1 was created in 1940. In July 1941, FOM high-explosive flamethrowers also passed field tests. They were a cylinder with 25 liters of combustible mixture. Flame throwing at 80-100 meters was due to the pressure inside the powder gas cylinder when the charge was triggered. FOM - a one-time flamethrower. After the shot, the device was sent to the reloading point. During the war, their modifications appeared - ROKS-2, ROKS-3, FOG-2. ROKS-2, with a weight of an equipped device of 23 kg (a dorsal metal tank with a combustible 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 launches. ROKS-3 was equipped with 10 liters of viscous fire mixture and could produce 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

Infantry flamethrower of the Red Army ROKS-3:

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

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

During the war years, our industry set up the mass production of flamethrowers, which made it possible to create entire flamethrowing units and units. Flamethrower units and units were used in the most important areas, both in the offensive and in defense, in small groups and massively. They were used to secure captured lines, repel enemy counterattacks, cover dangerous areas for tanks, protect flanks and junctions of units, and to solve other problems.

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

Here is a far from complete list of losses that the enemy suffered from Soviet knapsack flamethrowers: manpower - 34,000 people, tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers - 120, pillboxes, bunkers and other firing points - 3,000, vehicles - 145 ... Here you can clearly see the main the scope of this combat weapon is the destruction of field fortifications.

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 the advancing tanks into piles of charred metal, but only "disabled 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 handle. Before the battle, a metal or rubber tank filled with a self-igniting liquid with a long tube was buried in the ground or snow so that only its front curved end with an outlet was sticking out. When an enemy tank ran into a barely noticeable mound, it was immediately doused with a powerful jet of a combustible mixture escaping from the ground. The field, mined with such flamethrowers, spewed dozens of fiery fountains spraying in all directions during the passage of the enemy tank unit. But the facts of the use of this weapon on the battlefield were not found by the author.

At the beginning of the war, our troops used the “ampoulet”, a kind of mortar with a slightly modified device, as an incendiary means of close combat. It consisted of a barrel on a tripod. The expelling charge - a 12-caliber hunting cartridge - threw out an AZh-2 ampoule or a thermite ball at a distance of 150-250 meters at a distance of 240–250 meters.

ditch. Ampoule АЖ-2 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 stopper with a gasket. The ampoules were filled with KS or BGS liquid. Upon impact with an obstacle, the shell was destroyed and the liquid spontaneously ignited in air. The weight of the ampoule was 28 kg, the rate of fire was up to 8 rds / min, the calculation was Zchel.

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

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