Incendiary Weapons

A Flamethrower is a device which projects a jet of fire. While the Flamethrowers have other applications such as defoliation the most well known is as a weapon. Flamethrowers can be very destructive against wooden structures and flood rooms with a lethal inferno. Even so, one of the biggest factors about flamethrowers is psychological. People have a well established aversion to being consumed by fire, both by instinct and because being burned to death is a horrible way to go.

Historic Use

The basic mechanisms of a Flamethrower are pretty simple. All you need is a cistern for fuel, a pump, a nozzle and a pilot light. Most famously the Byzantines used simple Flamethrowers as naval weapons. The forces of the Song Dynasty also built flamethrowers. In either case, they likely used some sort of petroleum derived compound.

Even so, it was in the 20th century in which Flamethrowers really came into their own. It started with the Germans who worked out that they could be used to clear out trenches.

Modern Use

At present, flamethrowers in a military context are mainly used against bunkers, pillboxes, and other fortified positions. Since they're throwing flaming liquid, and that liquid can pass around corners, through narrow passages, and over barriers.

There are also valid civilian uses, most notably for starting control fires and melting snow and ice, which is why some variants are actually sold to the general public (and only regulated as fire hazards). Such commercial flamethrowers typically do not have the range of military ones; a WW2 M2 flamethrower has an effective range of about 65ft, well in excess of any civilian application.

Flamethrowers in Fantasy

In Discworld flamethrowers show up on occasion including the Klatchian Fire Engine in Men At Arms and the Deep Downers have some in Thud!

See Also

• Flamer

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Medieval Weaponry
Melee Weapons:	Battleaxe - Dagger - Lance - Mace - Club Pole-arm - Spear - Sword - Warhammer
Ranged Weapons:	Blowgun - Bows and Arrows - Cannon Crossbow - Firearm - Rocket - Shuriken - Sling - Incendiary Weapons - Artillery
Armor:	Armor - Fantasy Armor - Helmet - Pauldron - Shield