Flamethrower: sorry lost the original question

Beyond the burn: Studies on the physiological effects of flamethrowers during World War II | Military Medical Research | Full Text


...any single one or combination of the following mechanisms contributed to rapid fatality from a flamethrower attack: 1) the inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO), 2) hypoxia, 3) the inhalation of vaporized gasoline or intermediary combustion products, 4) the inhalation of superheated air, or 5) the burning of the surface of the body. Subsequent testing, therefore, was designed primarily to evaluate these factors [10].



Flamethrower - Wikipedia

Flamethrowers were primarily used against battlefield fortifications, bunkers, and other protected emplacements. A flamethrower projects a stream of flammable liquid, rather than flame, which allows bouncing the stream off walls and ceilings to project the fire into unseen spaces, such as inside bunkers or pillboxes. Typically, popular visual media depict the flamethrower as short-ranged and only effective for a few meters (due to the common use of propane gas as the fuel in flamethrowers in movies, for the safety of the actors). Contemporary flamethrowers can incinerate a target some 50–100 meters (160–330 ft) from the gunner; moreover, an unignited stream of flammable liquid can be fired and afterwards ignited, possibly by a lamp or other flame inside the bunker.