User:Gaius Cornelius/Harvey flamethrower
| Harvey flamethrower | |
|---|---|
 Harvey Flame Thrower use diagram. | |
| Type | Flamethrower |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1940-1945 |
| Used by | British Army and Home Guard |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1940 |
| Specifications | |
| Crew | 2 |
| Rate of fire | 12 seconds duration[1] |
| Effective firing range | 50 to 60 yards (46 to 55 m)[1] |
| Feed system | 22 imperial gallons (100 L) creosote |
| Sights | None |
The Harvey flamethrower (officially known as the Flame-Thrower, Transportable, No. 1 Mk I[1]) was a simple flamethrower weapon extemporised in Britain during the invasion crisis of 1940-1941.
The Harvey flamethrower was introduced in August 1940, it was made mostly made from readily available parts such as wheels from agricultural equipment manufacturers and commercially available compressed air cylinders.[2] It comprised a welded steel cylinder containing 22 gallons (100 l) of creosote and a standard bottle of compressed nitrogen at 1,800 pounds per square inch (120 bar) mounted on a sack truck of the type that a railway station porter might use. 25 feet (7.6 metres) of armoured hose provided the connection to a four-foot-long (1.2 m) lance with a nozzle and some paraffin soaked cotton waste that was set alight to provide a source of ignition. In operation, the pressure in the fuel container was raised to about 100 psi (6.9 bar) causing a cork in the nozzle to be ejected followed by a jet of fuel lasting about 10 seconds at a range of up to 60 ft (18 m).[3] Like the Home Guard Flame Thrower, it was intended as an ambush weapon, but in this case the operator was able to direct the flames by moving the lance which would be pushed through a hole in otherwise bullet proof cover such as a brick wall.[4][2][5][6]
The first Harveys were issued to regular troops defending the United Kingdom, but it was not long before the Home Guard got them as well.[1] It was cheap and easy to produce, but the weapon was cumbersome and not greatly liked.[1]
Late in the war, some Harveys were sent to the Middle East where they were used for smoke production.[1] They were never used operationally in a flame role.[1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g Bishop 1998, p. 273.
- ^ a b Bishop 2002, p. 273.
- ^ War Office. Military Training Manual No 42, Amendment No. 1, Appendix E: Instructions for the Use of the F.E./14-Unit Harvey Flame Thrower. 27 June 1941.
- ^ Longmate 1974, p. 80.
- ^ Formation of the Homeguard, Thornton, Bradford (1939–1945) (video including Harvey flamethrower exercise). Yorkshire Film Archive. 11:18 minutes in. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
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- General references
- Bishop, Chris (1998). Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War Two. Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0-7607-1022-8.
- Longmate, Norman (1974). The real Dad's Army: the story of the Home Guard. Arrow. ISBN 0-09-909830-X.
- MGH 6799 – Petroleum Warfare (Film). Imperial War Museum. 1941. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
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- Official documents
- Instructions For The Use Of The F.E./14-Unit Harvey Flame Thrower. Tank Hunting and Destruction, Military Training Manual No 42, Appendix E. War Office. 1941.
- Collections
- "The National Archives". Repository of UK government records. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
- "The Imperial War Museum collection". Repository of documents and artefacts covering all aspects of twentieth and twenty-first century conflict involving Britain, the Commonwealth and other former empire countries. Retrieved 2 August 2010.