Rui’s Renditions
A pioneer of Posensche Pionier-Bataillon Nr 29 displays a French Schilt Number 3 flamethrower. May 6, 1916.
The Posen Pioneer Battalion No. 29 was a fortress pioneer battalion specialized in the taking of fortresses. Established in April 1913, its peacetime location was Posen in the Prussian province of the same name.
The French Schilt portable flamethrower was developed and used from 1915 onward. It was ignited with 10-second fuses attached to the nozzles. After the fuse burned out, the flamethrower sappers had to throw incendiary grenades and squirt the oil on them. It wasn’t until late 1917 that the French invented a nine-minute fuse that allowed the weapon to fire intermittent jets of flame. Automatic igniters were standard on German flamethrowers since 1912.*
Flamethrower pioneers were highly trained assault troops who happened to be armed with flamethrowers. Once their weapons ran out of oil–they carried only 10 seconds’ worth–they fought with hand grenades, pistols, carbines, sharpened spades, and daggers.*
* Compiled from a series of interesting posts on a thread from 2012 at the ‘greatwarforum.org’ by Tom W. (Would Tom W. be Thomas Wictor, author of “Flamethrower Troops of World War I: The Central and Allied Powers”?
B&w original property of Bert Butterworth (Drakegoodman)