The Beginning of the flamethrower
History
Flamethrowers were a very new weapon introduced in World War I. A flamethrower spreads fire by launching fuel toward an enemy. Flamethrowers consist of three parts; the tank filled with burring fuel and oil, another tank filled with air, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen, and the nozzle which the fire comes out of. The pressure builds up in the tank behind the soldier's back and then it launches forth a stream of fire and burning oil. The flamethrower was introduced to World War I between 1914-1915. Germany was the first country to make and introduce the flamethrower to the world. The first flamethrower was invented by Richard Fielder in the early 1900s. He developed two different flamethrowers or Flammenwerfers as they are called in Germany. The first flamethrower was called the Kleinflammenwerfer and it was a small flamethrower designed for portable use by a single man. This weapon could shoot up to 18 meters in distance of burning oil and fire. The other flamethrower that Fielder created was called the Grossflammenwerfer. This weapon was very large and could not be transported by a single man, but it sustains flames longer and can launch fire and oil up to 36 meters in distance. The German army decides that they will use this weapon and it became available in 1911.
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Why was the Flamethrower invented and its destructionRichard Fielder's inventions were put into use in 1914 when the Germans declared an attack on the French in the south-eastern section of the Western Front. Because of the first use of the flamethrower, the French and the British did not know what to do. This brought terror amongst the British and French soldiers. After this attack, Germany launched the Hooge attack. This was a surprise attack and the British lost 31 officers and 751 other ranks due to the flamethrower. The flamethrower was also used in the Battle of Somme in which many British soldiers lost their lives. After all these attack, the French and British started to make their own flamethrowers. The flamethrower soon became a very popular weapon and important to the war. Flamethrowers were invented to clear out trenches quickly and efficiently. Also, they were great weapons for short distances and eventually were used on tanks at the end of the war. The flamethrower was new invention that brought terror amongst the Allies and became very destructive to trench warfare.
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Map of the Hooge Attack
The Hooge Attack was located in Ypres, Belgium. This is when the soldiers on both side of the war finally realized how destructive the flamethrower could be. The British army lost over 880 men just in two days of this attack. After this attack, everyone wanted this weapon so, Germany started to make improvements on the flamethrower and the Allies started making their own flamethrowers. The flamethrower started to become a very popular and a very destructive weapon for world War I.
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Impact and Consequences of the Flamethrower
Positive and Negative Consequences of the Flamethrower
Positive Effects
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Negative Effects
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Connections to Today
A modern flamethrower is the Russian LPO-50. This flamethrower was designed by the Soviet Union around 1968 to replace the World War II flamethrowers. The new and improved weapon has a range of at least 70 yards in distance which is about 40 meters farther than the first flamethrower. The Russian LPO-50 uses the most flammable, thick diesel fuel for more flames and destruction. The LPO- 50 burns its targets at a temperature of around 1500 degrees Fahrenheit and its explosion radius is 920 meters. This new weapon is much more efficient than the Flammenwerfers because now they have much more explosion, a wider range, can sustain flames much longer, and can be transported easier. The Russian LPO-50 is banned in the United States, but it is much more powerful and destructive than the flamethrowers in World War I.
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The Russian LPO-50 was used by the Soviet Union in the Cold War against the United States. It was developed in 1967-1968. This weapon is still used today by Russia and other middle eastern countries.
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