Editing Flamethrower (section)

== Military use ==
[[File:German Brennkommando-firing Warsaw 1944.jpg|thumb|German ''[[Brandkommando]]'' (burning detachment) destroying [[Warsaw]] during the planned destruction of the city]]

Modern flamethrowers were first used during the [[trench warfare]] conditions of [[World War I]] and their use greatly increased in [[World War II]]. They can be vehicle-mounted, as on a tank, or man-portable.

The man-portable flamethrower consists of two elements—the backpack and the gun. The backpack element usually consists of two or three cylinders. In a two-cylinder system, one cylinder holds compressed, inert propellant gas (usually [[nitrogen]]), and the other holds flammable liquid, typically some form of petrochemical. A three-cylinder system often has two outer cylinders of flammable liquid and a central cylinder of propellant gas to maintain the balance of the soldier carrying it. The gas propels the liquid fuel out of the cylinder through a flexible pipe and then into the gun element of the flamethrower system. The gun consists of a small reservoir, a spring-loaded valve, and an ignition system; depressing a trigger opens the valve, allowing pressurized flammable liquid to flow and pass over the [[spark plug|igniter]] and out of the gun nozzle. The igniter can be one of several ignition systems: A simple type is an electrically heated wire coil; another used a small [[pilot flame]], fueled with pressurized gas from the system.

Flamethrowers were primarily used against battlefield fortifications, [[military bunkers|bunkers]], and other protected emplacements. A flamethrower projects a stream of flammable liquid, rather than flame, which allows bouncing the stream off walls and ceilings to project the fire into unseen spaces, such as inside bunkers or [[Pillbox (military)|pillboxes]]. Typically, popular visual media depict the flamethrower as short-ranged and only effective for a few metres (due to the common use of [[propane]] gas as the fuel in flamethrowers in movies, for the safety of the actors). Contemporary flamethrowers can incinerate a target some {{convert|50|–|100|m|ft}} from the operator; moreover, an unignited stream of flammable liquid can be fired and afterwards ignited, possibly by a lamp or other flame inside the bunker.

Flamethrowers pose many risks to the operator. The first disadvantage is the weapon's weight and length, which impairs the soldier's mobility. The weapon is limited to only a few seconds of burn time, since it uses fuel very quickly, requiring the operator to be precise and conservative. Flamethrowers using a [[Flame fougasse|fougasse-style]] explosive propellant system also have a limited number of shots. The weapon is very visible on the battlefield, which causes operators to become immediately singled out as prominent targets, especially for [[sniper]]s and [[designated marksmen]]. Flamethrower operators were rarely taken prisoner, especially when their target survived an attack by the weapon; captured flamethrower users were in some cases [[Summary execution|summarily executed]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyweapons/a/flamethrower.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703030909/http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyweapons/a/flamethrower.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 3, 2010|title=Why Has the US Military Discontinued Use of Flamethrowers?}}</ref>

The flamethrower's effective range is short in comparison with that of other battlefield weapons of similar size. To be effective, flamethrower soldiers must approach their target, risking exposure to enemy fire. Vehicular flamethrowers also have this problem; they may have considerably greater range than a man-portable flamethrower, but their range is still short compared with that of other infantry weapons.

[[File:Flame-thrower-new-orleans-show.jpg|thumb|Army War Show November 27, 1942]]
The risk of a flamethrower operator being caught in the explosion of their weapon due to enemy hits on the tanks is exaggerated in films.<ref name="canadiansoldiers.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/mediawiki-1.5.5/index.php? |title=Flamethrower|publisher=canadiansoldiers.com |access-date=2007-05-26 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070518171421/http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/mediawiki-1.5.5/index.php?title=Flamethrower |archive-date = 2007-05-18}}</ref> In some cases, the pressure tanks have exploded and killed the operator when hit by bullets or grenade shrapnel.  In the documentary ''[[Vietnam in HD]]'', platoon sergeant Charles Brown tells of how one of his men was killed when his flamethrower was hit by grenade shrapnel during the battle for [[Hill 875]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Vietnam in HD |date=2024-07-11 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_in_HD |access-date=2024-10-21 |language=en}}</ref>

The pressurizer is filled with a non-flammable gas that is under high pressure. If this tank ruptures, it might knock the operator forward as it was expended in the same way a pressurized [[aerosol can]] bursts outward when punctured. The fuel mixture in the containers is difficult to light, which is why magnesium-filled igniters are required when the weapon is fired. When pierced by a bullet, a metal can filled with diesel or napalm will merely leak unless the round is an incendiary type that may ignite the mixture inside.<ref>Gordon, David. ''Weapons of the WWII Tommy''</ref>

The best way to minimize the disadvantages of flame weapons was to mount them on armoured vehicles. The Commonwealth and the United States were the most prolific users of vehicle-mounted flame weapons; the British and Canadians fielded "Wasps" ([[Universal Carrier]]s fitted with flamethrowers) at infantry battalion level, beginning in mid-1944, and eventually incorporating them into infantry battalions. Early tank-mounted flamethrower vehicles included the "Badger" (a converted [[Ram tank]]) and the "Oke", used first at [[Dieppe Raid|Dieppe]].<ref name="canadiansoldiers.com"/>