The German Flamethrower in WWI
The Flammenwerfer in the Trenches of the First World War
Sep 16, 2008
In February of 1915 the German Army introduced yet another new weapon: the Flammenwerfer. The weapon was first employed on the Western Front where it proved extremely effective in the trenches when combined with the speed and ferocity of Stormtrooper units. Streams of burning oil followed by the relentless attack of German’s most aggressive troops helped to break through many defensive positions.
The Development of the Flammenwerfer
Design and development of the German flamethrower had begun several years before the outbreak of the First World War. Richard Fiedler created the first functioning and practical flamethrower. He was assisted in his work by Herman Reddeman – who would hold the rank of major in a flamethrower unit in the German Army during the war – and who had, at one time, been the fire chief of the German city of Leipzig.
Fielder’s invention came in to basic military forms, the two-man team and the stationary unit. The stationary unit, called the Grosses Flammenwerfer, shot burning fuel oil up to a distance of 40m. The two-man unit, called the Kleines Flammenwerfer, consisted of two sections: the firing tube and the fuel tank.
The Kleines Flammenwerfer worked by one man carrying the tank on his back. This tank was filled with fuel oil, which used compressed nitrogen as an expeller. The nitrogen forced the fuel oil through a hose which connected to the firing tube. The fuel oil was ignited as it left the tube, and the crew-member with the hose controlled the direction of the flame.
The Flamethrower in Combat
The flamethrowers were field tested against French elements at Verdun in February of 1915. The flamethrowers were operated by an all volunteer unit of Pioneers, the unit itself having been formed in January of 1915. The Pioneers themselves were an integral part of Stormtrooper operations, solving combat engineer problems during attacks.
The Pioneer units operating the flamethrowers became key elements in breaking through weak sections of enemy lines. Once a segment of trench had been identified as a suitable target, Pioneers and Stormtrooper officers would scout and gather intelligence on the target, looking for areas which might offer resistance. These spots could be well-entrenched machineguns, dugouts, bunkers, and pillboxes.
These various trouble spots could be dealt with either via the flamethrower or with hand-grenades. The grenades, while effective, did not instill the terror which the flamethrower did. The idea of burning alive was enough to make men abandon their posts. Those who did were met by Stormtroopers heavily armed with a variety of weapons designed for maximum performance in trench combat.
The flamethrower, then, was not only an effective physical weapon, but a psychological weapon as well. The flamethrower’s effectiveness would be apparent in the Second World War also as United States Marines used them in their fight against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Pacific Campaign.
Sources
Drury, Ian. German Stormtrooper, 1914-1918. London: Osprey, 1996.
