drn@pinet.aip.org (donald_newcomb) (02/08/91)
From: drn@pinet.aip.org (donald_newcomb) I could find no direct reference to this rather grim subject in the newsgroup from mid December so, I will open it up. With troops planing to assault fortified positions, would flame- throwers be used by either side? _Brassey's Infantry Weapons of the World_ discusses the flamethrower from Richard Fiedler's 1901 <flammenwerfer> to the Mark VII Churchill (Crocodile) flame throwing tank of WWII. The discussion concludes, "in urban areas, smaller flamethrowers will be extremely valuable to attacker and defender alike. They will remain useful weapons for some time to come and it is a pity that development of them in the forces of the Western World has been so reduced." The only flamethrowers listed as current issue are the Soviet ROKS-2 & 3 and LPO-50. The US M-7 is pictured but the caption des- cribes it as obsolete. No data is given for the M-7. Are flamethrowers in the arsenals of either the US or Iraq? If not, why not? What use of flamethrowers can we expect to see? Please reply directly to this address. I will post a synopsis of responses. Reference: _Brassey's Infantry Weapons of the World 1950-1975_; Owen, J.I.H., Maj. Gen., Editor; 1975; Bonanza Books, NY (US Edition). Donald Newcomb drn@pinet.aip.org (601) 688-5998