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Vehicle mounted flamethrowers

Cockatrice

Reginald P. Fraser of London University's Imperial College, who was also a director of the Lagonda car company, a maker of luxury cars based in Stains. He developed an annular flamethrower that threw petrol with an outer layer of thickened fuel. He thought that this would reduce the risk of fire working backwards to the fuel tank, however, because oxygen would not be present here, this could not happen. Fraser had an experimental vehicle put together by Lagonda on a Commer lorry chassis that was fitted with a flame–thrower turret.^[1]

From his Lagonda prototype Fraser designed what came to be known as the Cockatrice. This used Carbon Monoxide as a propellant and had a rotating weapon mount with elevation to 90 degrees and it had a range of about 100 yards (91 m). This was based on an armoured Bedford QL vehicle with flame–projector, 60 of which were ordered for the protection of Royal Naval Air Stations. This design became known as the Light Cockatrice. A variant for the RAF airfield defence called the Heavy Cockatrice was based on the larger AEC Matador 6x6 chassis already in RAF service as a fuel bowser. Other than having a larger fuel tank the Heavy Cockatrice was essentially identical to its light sibling; only six were built.^[1] The Admiralty also ordered a version of Cockatrice that could taken from a lorry and mounted on a landing craft to make a Landing Craft Assault (Flame Thrower) or LCA(FT).^[1] The LCA(FT) does not appear to have ever been used in action ^[2]. The War Office showed little interest in Cockatrice and it never went into mass production.^[1]

See Secret War p. 45

See Great Tank Scandal 128-130.

Flame Over Britain 67, 75, 79.

Basilisk

Another vehicle mounted flamethrower was developed by AEC (Associated Equipment Company).^[3] G. J. Rackham, an ex-Tank Corp officer who was a bus designer at AEC, developed a flamethrower using a Mather and Platt pump powered by a Napier Lion engine.^[4] Projecting liquid at 750 imperial gallons (3,400 L) per minute,^[4] it produced an awe-inspiring jet of flame.^[1] This flamethrower was mounted on a AEC 6x6 chassis and known as the Heavy Pump Unit, there was also a small projector on a two-wheeled carriage that could be towed and then manhandled by the crew as far as the hose would stretch.^[1]

In response to a requirement that armoured cars should be fitted with flamethrowers, Rackham designed the Basilisk based on the AEC Mark I Armoured Car chassis.^[1] The resulting vehicle had a large body and small, one-man turret mounting the flame projector and a BESA machine gun. The commander occupied the turret and there was a driver and observer in the main body.^[1] The flamethrower had a capacity of 300 imperial gallons (1,400 L) and the fuel was propelled by compressed air to a range of up to 120–130 yards (110–120 m) although the effective range may have been closer to 75 yards (69 m).^[1] The project was abandoned when it was decided not to include flamethrowers in armoured car regiments.^[1]

Wasp

On 5 August 1941, an order was issued for 17 Canadian-built Universal Carriers to be adapted to carry a flamethrower for use by Canadian forces. The new design, named the Ronson, was developed by Lagonda, Fraser's company, and based on his earlier Commer design. Two containers filled with 60 gallons of fuel were attached to the rear of the Carrier, and a small fuel-line attached to the left-hand side of the containers transferred fuel to a projector at the front of the vehicle. The propellant for the fuel mixture was a CO2 cylinder placed in the Carrier's front compartment, and the weapon had an estimated range of 50 yards with enough fuel for around 40 short uses.^[5] Several amphibious Duplex Drive Ronson carriers were also planned and developed by Nicholas Straussler and tested on bodies of water in the New Forest and Solent, but the project never moved into mass production. Although a number of demonstrations were put on with Ronson carriers by Canadian forces, and 1, 300 Ronson kits being ordered by the Canadian government, no Ronson ever saw active service.^[6]

In early 1942 official intentions moved towards the creation of a tank-mounted flamethrower, with Fraser developing a tank-based design featuring two Ronson units attached to the rear of a Churchill Mark II.^[7] Several months later, however, the War Office reversed its policy decision with a declaration that only man-portable and Carrier-based flamethrowers were to be developed. Two more adapted Carrier designs followed in quick succession, both developed by Fraser. The first was known as the Hornet and had begun development in March 1942 as a long-range version of the Ronson, with 75 Ronson Carriers being redeveloped as Hornets. However, the Hornet prototype was destroyed in a fire in June, and Fraser moved on to his second Carrier design, an improved version of the Hornet known as the Wasp.^[8] The Mark I Wasp, or the Flame-Thrower, Transportable, No. 2 Mark I as it was titled by the War Office,

Like the Ronson carrier, the Wasp flamethrower kit was designed to be attached to a Carrier, ensuring that relatively few Carriers had to be tied up during the development of the