The basic idea of a flame-thrower is to spread fire by launching burning fuel.

The flame-thrower was developed at the turn of the 20th century. The German army tested two models of flame-thrower - or Flammenwerfer in German - in the early 1900s, one large and one small, both developed by Richard Fiedler.

The smaller, lighter Flammenwerfer (the Kleinflammenwerfer) was designed for portable use carried by a single man. Using pressurized air and carbon dioxide or nitrogen it belched a stream of burning oil for as much as 54 feet.

Fielder's second, larger model the Grossflammenwerfer. Worked along the same lines but was not made for transport by a single person, but whose maximum range was twice that of the smaller model. it could also sustain flames for an impressive forty seconds, although it was decidedly expensive in its use of fuel.

The machine gun, usually positioned on a flat tripod, would require a gun crew of four to six operators. In theory they could fire 400-600 small-calibre rounds per minute, a

The effects of chlorine gas were severe. Within seconds of inhaling its vapour it destroyed the victim's respiratory organs, bringing on choking attacks.

Britain's most famous bomber, the Handley-Page O/400, could carry a bomb load of 900kg (2000 lb) at a top speed of 156 km/h (97mph) for flights lasting eight hours. It was powered by two 360 hp engines.

Each of the nations which participated in World War One from 1914-18 used propaganda posters not only as a means of justifying involvement to their own populace, but also as a means of procuring men, money and resources to sustain the military campaign.

When Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated on the 28th of June 1914, it was just over a decade since the Wright brothers first twelve second flight at Kittyhawk.

When war broke out the number of aircraft on all sides and all fronts was very small. France, for example, had less than 140 aircraft at the start of the war. By the end of the war she fielded 4,500 aircraft, more than any other protagonist. While this may seem an impressive increase, it does not give a true indication of the amount of aircraft involved. During the war France produced no less than 68,000 aircraft. 52,000 of them were lost in battle, a horrendous loss rate of 77%.

Some topics in this essay:
Flammenwerfer Kleinflammenwerfer, World War, Turkey Libya, Western Front, French Algerian, Sopwith Camel, Handley-Page O/400, Archduke Ferdinand, France Germany, Germany Italy, german army, machine guns, world war, machine gun, water cooled, top speed, propaganda posters, water cooled machine, pistons rotated, chlorine gas, air cooled, cooled machine guns,