Flammenwerfer 35 (FmW.35) - German portable knapsack flamethrower of the 1934 model, adopted for service in 1935 (in Soviet sources - “Flammenwerfer 34”).
| Flammenwerfer 35 | |
|---|---|
 German soldier with Flammenwerfer 35 | |
| Type of | knapsack flamethrower |
| A country |  Germany |
| Service History | |
| Years of operation | 1935 - 1945 |
| Adopted | |
| In service | Wehrmacht , SS troops |
| Wars and conflicts | The Second World War |
| Production history | |
| Designed by | 1934 |
| Years of production | 1934 - 1940 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight kg | 36 |
| Crew (calculation), people | one |
| Sighting range , m | thirty |
| Maximum range, m | 40 |
| Type of ammunition | 1 fuel bottle 1 gas cylinder (nitrogen) |
| Aim | not |
Unlike the bulky knapsack flamethrowers that were previously in service with the Reichswehr , serviced by a calculation of two to three specially trained soldiers, the Flammenwerfer 35 flamethrower, whose curb weight did not exceed 36 kg, could be carried and used by just one person.
Content
Design
The flamethrower consisted of a machine tool (tubular frame) with two shoulder straps, to which two metal tanks were vertically attached: a large one contained 11.8 liters of Flammöl Nr.19 combustible mixture, and small - compressed nitrogen located to its left.
The large tank was connected by a flexible reinforced hose with a hose equipped with a battery-powered igniter, and the small tank by means of a hose with a valve connected to a large one.
Principle of Operation
To use the weapon, the flamethrower , directing the hose to the side of the target, turned on the igniter located at the end of the barrel, opened the nitrogen supply valve, and then the supply of the combustible mixture.
After passing through the hose, the combustible mixture pushed out by the force of the compressed gas ignited and reached a target at a distance of up to 45 m.
Electric ignition, first used in the design of a flamethrower, made it possible to arbitrarily adjust the duration of the shots and allowed to produce about 35 shots. The duration of flamethrowing during continuous supply of the combustible mixture was 45 seconds.
Combat use
The flamethrowers were in service with the sapper units: each sapper company had three Flammenwerfer 35 knapsack flamethrowers, which could be combined into flamethrower sections used as part of the assault groups.
Despite the possibility of using the flamethrower by one person, in battle he was always accompanied by one or two soldiers, covering the actions of the flamethrower with small arms, giving him the opportunity to imperceptibly approach the target at a distance of 25-30 m.
The initial stage of World War II revealed a number of shortcomings that significantly reduced the possibility of using this effective weapon. The main of them (in addition to the fact that a flamethrower appeared on the battlefield became the primary target of snipers and enemy shooters) was a rather significant mass of flamethrower, reducing maneuverability and increasing the vulnerability of infantry units armed with it.
As a solution to this problem, since 1940 the FmW.35 model was replaced by the lightweight Flammenwerfer 40 klein ( German klein - small ) with a reduced volume of the combustible mixture and the placement of a small (gas) tank inside a large one, and in 1942 - the Flammenwerfer 41 with horizontal the location of the tanks. However, the Flammenwerfer 35 samples already in the army were not withdrawn from service and also continued to be used.