This flame-throwing vehicle is employed in association with more heavily armored panzer units. It is an adaptation of the medium armored personnel carrier on which have been mounted the various items of equipment required.
There are two large projectors mounted well back on either side of the vehicle in V-shaped shields. Each of these has a nozzle .55 inch in diameter, and a traverse of 160 degrees. The third flamethrower takes the form of the cartridge ignition projector used in the small portable flamethrower Model 42, on the end of 33 feet of hose, connecting it to the propulsion unit and fuel tank through the back of the vehicle. The nozzle of this projector is .28 inch in diameter.
Fuel propulsion is by a pump driven by a small gasoline engine supplied by a 5 1/2-gallon tank which will run the engine for two hours. One hundred and fifty-four gallons of fuel for the flamethrowers is carried. This allows about eighty bursts of one or two seconds’ duration each.
The effective range of the large flamethrowers is about 40 yards; that of the portable unit about 30 yards.
1,850 gallons of fuel are carried in the three 3-ton lorries of platoon transport. This is sufficient for two refuels for all six flamethrower vehicles of the flamethrower platoon.
The crew of the vehicle consists of one vehicle loader who also acts as wireless operator and machine gunner, two flamethrower operators, and a driver.
SPECIFICATIONS
Weight (approx.) | 8 tons | |
Trailer load capacity | 3.3 tons | |
Length | 19 ft. | |
Width | 7 ft. | |
Height | 7 ft. | |
Ground clearance | 12 ins. | |
Tread centers | 5 ft., 3 ins. | |
Ground contact | 5 ft., 11 ins. | |
Track width | 11 ins. | |
Track links | 55 | |
Fuel tank | 42.5 gals. | |
Fuel consumption | 5 miles per gal. | |
Fording depth | 20 ins. | |
Speed | 30 m.p.h. | |
Engine | Maybach, NL 42 TUKRR, 100 hp. | |
Bore and stroke | 90 x 110 mm | |
Ignition | Magneto | |
Battery | 12 volt | |
Transmission | 4 speeds forward, 1 reverse. High and low range. | |
Steering | Front wheel and track epicyclic | |
Crew | 4 | |
Armor | ||
Radiator cover | 7.5 mm at 81 degrees | |
Sides | 8.5 mm at 55-60 degrees | |
Front plate | 15 mm at 55 degrees | |
Armament | 2 large flamethrowers | |
1 portable flamethrower | ||
2 7.92 mm M.G. 34’s |
German: p. 46.1 (April 1, 1945)