The Flammenwerfer 41, or ''FmW 41'', was the standard 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 W ...

beginning in 1941 and an upgraded version of the earlier

Flammenwerfer 35 The ''Flammenwerfer'' 35, or FmW 35 (flame thrower) was a one-man German flamethrower used during World War II to clear out trenches and buildings. It could project fuel up to 25 meters from the user. Description It weighed , and held of flami ...

, whose main issue was its excessive weight of , double that of the FmW 41 that was . It performed a similar role of other flamethrowers of the time, namely clearing enemy trenches and buildings in highly fortified areas. From 1942 to April 1945, 64,284 examples were produced. After 1945, flamethrowers steadily decreased in usage globally, with the

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

not using any. Similar to many other designs of the time, the ''FmW 41'' used a hydrogen torch to ignite a tar and petrol mixture which was fired from a hand-held torch attached to a tank. The petrol and propellant were carried in separate tanks carried on the back which held 11.8 litres (2.6 imp gal; 3.1 US gal) of tar and petrol mixture called ''Flammöl 19''. The ''FmW 41'' proved to be more reliable and easier to operate than its predecessor, it had an increased range of 32 metres (105 ft). and was lighter weighing in at 28.7 kilograms (63 lb). Problems surfaced against Soviet troops during the winter of 1941 as its lighting mechanism was unable to cope with the cold weather conditions. Later versions of the weapon replaced the hydrogen torch with a cartridge based system which proved more effective.

References

{{WWIIGermanInfWeapons World War II infantry weapons of Germany Flamethrowers of Germany Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1941

See also

References