Flamethrower

Flamethrower, military weapon used to project flame at the enemy. A flamethrower consists of a fuel container filled with oil, a cylinder containing a gas propellant (usually carbon dioxide) under high pressure, and a discharge tube with an adjustable nozzle and an ignition device. During World War I two styles of flamethrowers were used: a heavy one mounted on a tank and a light, portable, hand-carried one.

The flamethrower had great psychological impact during World War I because it succeeded in frightening the enemy. As a weapon, however, it was limited by its short range, uncertain aim, and high consumption of fuel. By World War II the nozzle design had been improved, allowing for greater range, and, because a thickened fuel, napalm, was used, almost 90 per cent of the fuel reached the target. The standard United States Army portable flamethrower could project an 18-m (60-ft) flame for about nine seconds. Pack flamethrowers were most often used in combat and were important in the Pacific theatres of war because they effectively drove troops from caves and pillboxes.