Flammenwerfer 41

The Flammenwerfer 41, or FmW 41 (literally, "flame thrower") was a German flamethrower that was produced and used in 1941 during late World War II used to clear out trenches and buildings and was the upgraded version of the earlier Flammenwerfer 35. It could project fuel up to 32m from the user and had a weight of 28.7 kilograms (63 lb), and held 11.8 litres (2.6 imp gal; 3.1 US gal) of a mixture of tar and petrol called Flammöl 19 that was ignited by a hydrogen torch providing about 10 seconds of continuous use. Tar was used in the fuel to give the weapon better range by making it heavier. The firing device is activated at the same time with the Selbstschlussventil and is found inside the protective pipe. During the earlier stages of its service life, the trigger and muzzle section of the Flammenwerfer were dressed up to look like a standard infantry rifle in an attempt to disguise operators and keep them from being singled out by enemy snipers.

The Flammenwerfer 41 was the first weapon noted to be illegal in the United States.