The ''Flammenwerfer'' 35, or FmW 35 (flame thrower) was a one-man German
flamethrower
A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World ...
used during
World War II
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
to clear out trenches and buildings. It could project fuel up to 25 meters from the user.
Description
It weighed , and held of flaming oil, (Flammöl 19), petrol mixed with tar to make it heavier and to give it better range, which was ignited by a hydrogen torch providing about 10 seconds of continuous use. The firing device is activated at the same time with the ''
Selbstschlussventil'' and is inside the protective pipe. The ''Flammenwerfer'' 35 was produced until 1941, when the lighter, slightly redesigned
Flammenwerfer 41
The Flammenwerfer 41, or ''FmW 41'' (literally, "flame thrower") was the standard German flamethrower beginning in 1941 and an upgraded version of the earlier Flammenwerfer 35, whose main issue was its excessive weight of 36kg, with the Flammenwer ...
began replacing it.
Use
This flamethrower, like all flamethrowers employed by the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
, was exclusively used by sturmpionieres (
assault pioneers
An Assault Pioneer is an infantry soldier who is responsible for:
* The construction of tools for infantry soldiers to cross natural and man-made obstacles as well as breaching of enemy fortifications;
* Supervising the construction of field defe ...
); specialist
pioneers who were to assist the infantry in an assault, by overcoming natural and man made obstacles for the infantry, clearing enemy fortifications with flamethrowers and then destroying them with demolition charges.
The sturmpionieres that exclusively used these flamethrowers played an important part in overcoming French fortifications blocking the German advance during the
Battle of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wor ...
.
More specifically the
Battle of Sedan (1940)
The Battle of Sedan or Second Battle of Sedan (12–15 May 1940)Frieser 2005, p. 196. took place in the Second World War during the Battle of France in 1940. It was part of the German ''Wehrmacht''s operational plan codenamed ''Fall Gelb'' (Ca ...
.
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
External links
*
World War II infantry weapons of Germany
Flamethrowers
Military equipment introduced in the 1930s
{{weapon-stub