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
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
.
Description
It was a near copy of the German
Wechselapparat ("Wex") from 1917.
The Mark 1 was used as a training weapon, while the improved Mark 2 was used in action.
Over 7,000 units were produced from 1943 to 1944. They were ready for service during
Operation Overlord (the
Allied invasion of Normandy).
The Ack Pack was a harness carrying a
doughnut-shaped fuel container with a capacity of 4 Imperial
gallon
The gallon is a unit of volume in imperial units and United States customary units. Three different versions are in current use:
*the imperial gallon (imp gal), defined as , which is or was used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Austr ...
s (18
litre
The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3 ...
s) of fuel on the operator's back. In the middle of the "doughnut" was a spherical container holding nitrogen gas as a propellant, which was pressurized to 2,000 lbf/in² (140
Bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
). This was sufficient to propel the burning fuel 120 feet (36 metres). A hose from the fuel tank passed to the nozzle assembly which had two pistol grips to hold and aim the spray. The back grip had the trigger.
In some versions the nozzle was fitted with a 10-chambered cylinder which contained the ignition cartridges. These could be fired once, each giving the operator 10 bursts of flame. In practice this gave 10 one-second bursts. It was also possible to spray fuel without igniting it to ensure there was plenty splashed around the target, then fire an ignited burst to light up the whole lot.
At some the flamethrower was considered heavy.
Pictures
File:The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H37977.jpg, The Lifebuoy man-portable flamethrower being demonstrated to men of 1st Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Denmead, Hampshire, 29 April 1944.
File:Flamethrower-portable-no-2-batey-haosef-1.jpg, A Flamethrower Portable, No 2 in the Israel Defense Forces History Museum
The Israel Defense Forces History Museum ( he, בתי האוסף, Batei HaOsef, ''lit.'' The Collection Houses) is a museum dedicated to the history of Israel's military, from the underground organizations active during the British Mandate for P ...
, Tel Aviv, Israel (September 2015)
File:Flamethrowers in Action, August 1944 TR2318.jpg, A Life Buoy flamethrower in action. August 1944.
See also
*
List of flamethrowers
This page is a list of flamethrowers of all forms from all around the world.Small arms illustrated, 2010
Human portable
Vehicle mounted
Static
See also
* List of pistols
* List of revolvers
* List of assault rifles
* List of sniper rifle ...
References
*
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
World War II infantry weapons of the United Kingdom
Flamethrowers of the United Kingdom
World War II infantry weapons of Australia
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1943