Table of Contents
What are the advantages of flamethrower?
The greatest advantage of the flamethrower is its ability to penetrate small openings and fill fortified positions with both fire and smoke. Thus, the enemy either burns or asphyxiates due to the lack of oxygen available to breathe.
Is a flamethrower an effective weapon?
The Flammenwerfer—or, in English, the flamethrower. Carried by specially trained assault teams, German flamethrowers were highly effective weapons that would either drive men from their defensive positions … or simply incinerate them.
Why are flamethrowers no longer used?
There are two reasons why the flamethrower is no longer used by the U.S. military. Reason 1 – Social Politics. No one wants to see images of a U.S. soldier burning a human being alive. Also, with changes in modern warfare, the enemy hides within the civilian population.
What was the life expectancy of a flamethrower in ww2?
The average life expectancy of a Marine with a flamethrower on any given battlefield is about five minutes, according to Medal of Honor recipient and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Herschel “Woody” Williams. Those tanks made tempting targets – and they weren’t bulletproof. Woody Williams was one such flamethrower.
Are flamethrowers outlawed by the Geneva Convention?
Now, weaponry is governed by the Geneva Convention, which has outlawed scores of weapons because they cause unnecessary suffering. Though flamethrowers aren’t entirely banned, you can’t use them to fry your enemies, according to Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
What were the advantages and disadvantages of the flamethrower in WW1?
What were the advantages and disadvantages of the flamethrower in world war 1? The advantages were that they were useful when facing enemy pillboxes. If you couldn’t get a grenade in there you could just blast them with fire, killing anyone inside.
What are some good uses for a flamethrower?
Here are five good uses for a flamethrower: World War I marked the debut of the modern flamethrower when soldiers used them in trench warfare. The weapon also figured prominently in World War II. The U.S. Marines used them to deadly effect against Japanese bunkers in the jungles of the Pacific islands.
Were flamethrowers ever used in the Civil War?
Although flamethrowers were never used in the American Civil War, the use of Greek fire was threatened, and flamethrowers have been in use in most modern conflicts ever since. The English word flamethrower is a loan-translation of the German word Flammenwerfer, since the modern flamethrower was invented in Germany.
What was the purpose of the flame thrower?
This was the group of portable flame weapons used by the U.S. Army in World War II. They were frequently ineffective and faulty, particularly in hands of troops ill trained in matters of operations and tactics.