page_title: Flamethrower
section_title: Soviet Union
hierarchical_section_title: Flamethrower / History / World War II / Allies / Soviet Union
caption_attribution_description: Suomi: Liekinheitin, jollaisia vihollinen jätti taistelupaikalle kokonaista 13 kappaletta. Rukajärvi 1943.06.30English: A captured Soviet ROKS-3flamethrower
context_page_description: A flamethrower is a mechanical incendiary device designed to project a controllable stream of fire. First deployed by the Greeks in the 1st century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World War II.
  Most military flamethrowers use liquid fuel, typically either gasoline or diesel, but commercial flamethrowers are generally gas torches using fuels such as propane; gases are safer in peacetime applications, because their flames dissipate faster and often are easier to extinguish when necessary.
  The military use of flamethrowers are restricted through the Protocol on Incendiary Weapons.
  Apart from the military applications, flamethrowers have peacetime applications where there is a need for controlled burning, such as in sugarcane harvesting and other land-management tasks. Various forms are designed for an operator to carry, while others are mounted on vehicles.
context_section_description: The FOG-1 and 2 flamethrowers were stationary devices used in defense. They could also be categorized as a projecting incendiary mine. The FOG had only one cylinder of fuel, which was compressed using an explosive charge and projected through a nozzle. The November 1944 issue of the US War Department Intelligence Bulletin refers to these 'Fougasse flame throwers' being used in the Soviet defense of Stalingrad. The FOG-1 was directly copied by the Germans as the Abwehrflammenwerfer 42.
  Unlike the flamethrowers of the other powers during World War II, the Soviets were the only ones to consciously attempt to camouflage their infantry flamethrowers. With the ROKS-2 flamethrower this was done by disguising the flame projector as a standard issue rifle, such as the Mosin–Nagant, and the fuel tanks as a standard infantryman's rucksack. This was to try to stop the flamethrower operator from being specifically targeted by enemy fire. This "rifle" had a working action which was used to cycle blank igniter cartridges.
caption: A Finnish soldier with a captured Soviet ROKS-3 flamethrower, June 1943. Note the flame projector has been designed to resemble a standard infantry rifle
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