Flame tank is a military term for a tank equipped with a flamethrower.

The flame tank concept is designed to supplement a combined arms attack against fortifications or other obstacles. They only reached significant use in World War II, where the USA, USSR, Germany and the UK all produced flamethrower-equipped tanks.

A number of methods of production were used. Typically they were modifications (either field or factory) of existing tank chassis. Flamethrowers were either modified versions of existing infantry flame weapons (Flammpanzer I and II) or specially designed (Flammpanzer III). They were mounted externally (Flammpanzer II), replaced existing machine gun mounts, or replaced the tank's main armament (Flammpanzer III). Ammunition for the flame weapon was either carried inside the tank, in armoured external storage, or in some cases in a special tow-truck behind the tank (Churchill Crocodile).

Flame tanks were of great use attacking infantry in short range assault or urban environments. They overcame the extreme vulnerability of infantry flamethrowers. However, on an open battlefield flame tanks were virtually useless because of the very short range of flamethrower weapons.

Experience of combat use of flamethrower tanks was mixed. German flamethrower variants of Panzer II and Panzer III were both discontinued due to unsatisfactory performance and converted into assault guns or tank destroyers. The Panzer IV was never converted into a flame variant, despite being used for just about every purpose imaginable on the battlefield.

The mixed results were in part due to the development of infantry anti-tank weapons. At the start of the War most infantry units had weapons with some effectiveness against armoured targets ar ranges of 30 to 50 metres, like anti-tank rifles. Towards the end of the War, more powerful anti-tank weapons like the bazooka, Panzerschreck and PIAT were introduced which were fatal to tanks at ranges longer than the tank's flamethrower could reach.

One of the most extensively used flame tanks was a M4 Sherman tank variant, the M4A3R3 Flamethrower, during the Second World War.

External links

• Flame tanks on Iwo Jima http://www.treefort.org/~cbdoten/m48tanks/zipphist.shtml
• picture of M4A3R3 Flamethrower in action http://www.usmc.mil/images.nsf/0/f540fa32dc0d612b8525661c005eadca?OpenDocument