The Flamethrower, Portable, No 2 (nicknamed Lifebuoy from the shape of its fuel tank), also known as the Ack Pack, was a British design of flamethrower for infantry use in the Second World War.
Flamethrower, Portable, No 2
A soldier of the King's Own Scottish Borderers demonstrates the Lifebuoy flamethrower, Denmead, Hampshire, 29 April 1944.
It was a near copy of the German Wechselapparat ("Wex") from 1917.
The Mark 1 was used as a training weapon, while the improved Mark 2 was used in action. Over 7,000 units were produced from 1943 to 1944. They were ready for service during Operation Overlord (the Allied invasion of Normandy).
The Ack Pack was a harness carrying a doughnut-shaped fuel container with a capacity of 4 Imperial gallons (18 litres) of fuel on the operator's back. In the middle of the "doughnut" was a spherical container holding nitrogen gas as a propellant, which was pressurized to 2,000 lbf/in2 (140 Bar). This was sufficient to propel the burning fuel 120 feet (36 metres). A hose from the fuel tank passed to the nozzle assembly which had two pistol grips to hold and aim the spray. The back grip had the trigger.
In some versions the nozzle was fitted with a 10-chambered cylinder which contained the ignition cartridges. These could be fired once, each giving the operator 10 bursts of flame. In practice this gave 10 one-second bursts. It was also possible to spray fuel without igniting it to ensure there was plenty splashed around the target, then fire an ignited burst to light up the whole lot.
At some 64 pounds (29 kg) the flamethrower was considered heavy.
Galleryedit
The Lifebuoy man-portable flamethrower being demonstrated to men of 1st Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Denmead, Hampshire, 29 April 1944.
Bishop, Chris (2002). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,500 Weapons Systems, Including Tanks, Small Arms, Warplanes, Artillery, Ships and Submarines. New York: Metrobooks. ISBN978-1-58663-762-0.
External linksedit
Media related to Flamethrower, Portable, No 2 at Wikimedia Commons
January 01, 1970
flamethrower, portable, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, apr. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Flamethrower Portable No 2 news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2009 Learn how and when to remove this message The Flamethrower Portable No 2 nicknamed Lifebuoy from the shape of its fuel tank also known as the Ack Pack was a British design of flamethrower for infantry use in the Second World War Flamethrower Portable No 2A soldier of the King s Own Scottish Borderers demonstrates the Lifebuoy flamethrower Denmead Hampshire 29 April 1944 TypeFlamethrowerPlace of originUnited KingdomService historyUsed byBritish Army Canadian ForcesWarsSecond World WarProduction historyProduced1943 1944No built7 000SpecificationsMass64 lb 29 kg Actioncordite igniterRate of fire10 igniters onlyMaximum firing range120 ft Contents 1 Description 2 Gallery 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksDescription editIt was a near copy of the German Wechselapparat Wex from 1917 The Mark 1 was used as a training weapon while the improved Mark 2 was used in action Over 7 000 units were produced from 1943 to 1944 They were ready for service during Operation Overlord the Allied invasion of Normandy The Ack Pack was a harness carrying a doughnut shaped fuel container with a capacity of 4 Imperial gallons 18 litres of fuel on the operator s back In the middle of the doughnut was a spherical container holding nitrogen gas as a propellant which was pressurized to 2 000 lbf in2 140 Bar This was sufficient to propel the burning fuel 120 feet 36 metres A hose from the fuel tank passed to the nozzle assembly which had two pistol grips to hold and aim the spray The back grip had the trigger In some versions the nozzle was fitted with a 10 chambered cylinder which contained the ignition cartridges These could be fired once each giving the operator 10 bursts of flame In practice this gave 10 one second bursts It was also possible to spray fuel without igniting it to ensure there was plenty splashed around the target then fire an ignited burst to light up the whole lot At some 64 pounds 29 kg the flamethrower was considered heavy Gallery edit nbsp The Lifebuoy man portable flamethrower being demonstrated to men of 1st Battalion King s Own Scottish Borderers Denmead Hampshire 29 April 1944 nbsp A Flamethrower Portable No 2 in the Israel Defense Forces History Museum Tel Aviv Israel September 2015 nbsp A Life Buoy flamethrower in action August 1944 See also editList of flamethrowersReferences editBishop Chris 2002 The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1 500 Weapons Systems Including Tanks Small Arms Warplanes Artillery Ships and Submarines New York Metrobooks ISBN 978 1 58663 762 0 External links edit nbsp Media related to Flamethrower Portable No 2 at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Flamethrower Portable No 2 amp oldid 1218859824, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
