The Flamethrower

The focus of this book is a weapon that has literally placed the power
of fire in human hands – the man-portable flamethrower. This formidable
weapon first saw battlefield use in the hands of German troops during
World War I, and went on to arm the forces of many countries in World
War II and beyond. Capable of inflicting horrific injuries – or of using
up the oxygen supply inside a building, causing the occupants to
suffocate – it projected a stream of flammable liquid, which could be
'bounced' off the interior surfaces of tunnels, buildings and other
defended structures to reach deep inside a fortification. From its
combat debut to its deployment in Vietnam, Chechnya and elsewhere, the
flamethrower has proven to be devastatingly effective, not least because
of its huge psychological impact on enemy troops. Yet despite this, the
weapon and its operators have always been vulnerable, suffering from a
very particular set of limitations, all of which are explored here.
Featuring expert analysis, first-hand accounts and a startling array of
illustrations and photographs, this is the definitive guide to an
extraordinary chapter in the history of military technology.