How effective are flamethrowers in combat? Short range of about 20~40 metres combined with a risk to the user (people focusing their fire on the guy spraying molten death on their colleagues) makes me doubt their portrayal as unethical and terrifying weapons. Might sound 'video gamey' but I assume these would be legitamite concerns.
>>30531333
They were useful for the reason they were conceived in the first place.
To clear bunkers.
>>30531333
Forgot to put this in, are flamethrowers even used in combat? Or just for burning enemy emplacements, destroying caches, clearing shrubbery, etc.
You know there's a reason they're not used anymore.
>>30531333
They were good for one thing that very little other weapons could or still can do; destroy fortifications. Guys hiding in a bunker? Flamethrower. Foxhole or Viet-Cong style tunnel? Flamethrower? City? Flamethrower that bitch, and pretty soon you have a city-sized bonfire. Best part is that the burning oxygen means that even if the flames don't come near the enemy, they have a large risk of suffocating.
Modern thermoberics do the same thing without the range restriction, but they are sadly not only underrepresented but also underused. I guess the mud-brick buildings in the ME don't burn so well.
>>30531480
flamethrowers killed people in bunkers etc from carbon monoxide poisoning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts55TNp1Fq4
very informative video everyone with an interest in flamethrowers should watch, there are a few others on the channel that are good too, this old guy really knows his snakes from dildos
>>30531379
Politcs.
>>30531333
Because a tube of red phosphorous does the job better.
>>30531333
Not so much in open field, but for jungles and urban combat they'll do a mess of damage. Bit like a shotgun in a lot of cases, fair bit of utility but some glaring vulnerabilities as well.
Hardest part would be finding people crazy enough to have anything to do with them, then go through the specialist training to maintain and use it. I don't have a personal problem with killing people in combat, but setting people on fire is a particularly gruesome and nasty method to go about it. Enough hatred might do it though!
when you can buy an x15 unregulated and have a Homemade or pre napalm mix with gasoline and finger fuck that geneva convention shit will stick to anything and nearly impossible to extinguish.
Cost is around 1300 after bulk order of napalm mix and containers for fuel storage etc. I recommend wearing nomex flame retardant materials or flame resistant combat shirt pants gloves etc. wear gask mask for ultimate intimidation. BE AWARE YOU ARE THE EQUIVALENT OF A MICRO IED AND FLARE TO ALL THOSE AROUND YOU. But for crowd control and SWAT teams there's nothing better. Kevlar is fire resistant but the napalm gets EVERYWHERE. just be aware of your backdrop, and what can be set on fire will be.
>>30531480
thermobarics are phenomenal at leveling buildings though
>>30531596
I had my mouse cursor over the N in nasty while I was reading that.
>A particularly gruesome and tasty method to go about it
Chicken sandwich was still great.
>>30531480
Thermobaric weapons kill with overpressure waves and to a lesser extent heat. They are not for setting shit on fire. Thermobaric weapons in confines spaces are mucho El deadlo. That's Spanish for deadly, hombre.