User:Gaius Cornelius/Harvey flamethrower

The Harvey flamethrower (officially known as the Flame-Thrower, Transportable, No. 1 Mk I) was a simple flamethrower weapon extemporised in Britain during the invasion crisis of 1940-1941.

The Harvey flamethrower was introduced in August 1940, it was made mostly made from readily available parts such as wheels from agricultural equipment manufacturers and commercially available compressed air cylinders. It comprised a welded steel cylinder containing 22 gallons (100 l) of creosote and a standard bottle of compressed nitrogen at 1,800 psi mounted on a sack truck of the type that a railway station porter might use. 25 ft of armoured hose provided the connection to a 4 ft lance with a nozzle and some paraffin soaked cotton waste that was set alight to provide a source of ignition. In operation, the pressure in the fuel container was raised to about 100 psi causing a cork in the nozzle to be ejected followed by a jet of fuel lasting about 10 seconds at a range of up to 60 ft. Like the Home Guard Flame Thrower, it was intended as an ambush weapon, but in this case the operator was able to direct the flames by moving the lance which would be pushed through a hole in otherwise bullet proof cover such as a brick wall.

The first Harveys were issued to regular troops defending the United Kingdom, but it was not long before the Home Guard got them as well. It was cheap and easy to produce, but the weapon was cumbersome and not greatly liked.

Late in the war, some Harveys were sent to the Middle East where they were used for smoke production. They were never used operationally in a flame role.