Flammpanzer II and III by Kirikax
Germany was one of the first nations in the Second World War to produce flame-throwing tanks. These tanks were the ultimate anti-infantry weapons. With their conventional guns replaced by high-powered flamethrowers, striking a primal fear into anyone on the receiving end of the weapon.
The first of the Wehrmacht’s steel dragons was a simple improvisation based on the Panzer I called the ‘Flammpanzer I’. It was used briefly in North Africa. This was followed by the Panzer II Flamm, also known as the ‘Flamingo’, these had a brief service on the Russian Front.
The Panzer II variant was not overly successful due to its thin armor. Most surviving vehicles were recalled and reportedly turned into chassis for Marder II tank destroyers. This left the Wehrmacht in need of a flame-throwing tank that was reliable, had thicker armor, and good mobility.
So, the Flammpanzer II was deployed in the USSR. One hundred and fifty-five Flamm vehicles were built from January 1940 through March 1942. The survivors were soon withdrawn for conversion to Marder II tank destroyers, in December 1941.
For the Flammpanzer III, the specific model chosen for conversion into the Flammpanzer was the Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. M. This model had the additional ‘Vorpanzer’ armor and was usually armed with 5cm KwK 39 gun.
One-hundred of Ausf. Ms were constructed by the Miag company in Braunschweig between January and February 1943 and were set aside for the conversion program. They were then sent to the firm of Wegmann in Kassel for their conversion into flame tanks. The planned production timetable of 1943 was 20 in January, 45 in February, and 35 in March. After a month’s delay, 65 vehicles were ready for inspection in February. This was followed by 34 more in March, with the last, and 100th vehicle finished in April.
During the production phase, the tanks were simply designated as ‘Flammpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz.141)’. They were later designated as ‘Pz.Kpfw III (fl) (Sd.Kfz.141/3)’. It is also sometimes known as the Flammpanzer III Ausf. M or, simply, Flammpanzer III.
The Flammpanzer III saw action in both the Russian and Italian campaigns starting in 1943. Previously, Flammpanzers were attached to autonomous battalions which were in turn attached to higher headquarters for combat assignments. This changed in 1943, with the arrival of this new Panzer III(fl). Platoons of these vehicles were incorporated into standard Panzer-Abteilung Stabskompanie. These were officially known as Panzer-Flamm-Zug. All 100 Flammpanzers were placed in service in the following numbers:
Division ‘Grossdeutschland’: 28 (13 of these were transferred to 11. Panzer Division in Spring 1943)
1. Panzer Division: 14 (7 of these were transferred to the ‘Ersatzheer’ Reserve Army in Autumn 1943)
6. Panzer Division: 15
14. Panzer Division: 7
16. Panzer Division: 7
24. Panzer Division: 14
26: Panzer Division: 14
Schule Wundsdorf: 1
Features Flammpanzer II (same as the pz2j plus the flamethrower):
Speed: 38 Km / h
Crew: 3 (6)
Armor (mm) front sides rear top
Body 30 15 15 8
Turret 30 15 15 8
Armament
Cannon 22mm KwK 30
Range 10 30 70 100
Penetration (mm) 57 40 19 12
Recharge time: 2 s
Coaxial flamethrower
Features Flammpanzer III (same as the pz3j plus the flamethrower):
Speed: 30 Km / h
Crew: 4 (8)
Armor (mm) front sides rear top
Body 50 30 50 22
Turret 50 30 30 10
Armament
Cannon 50mm KwK 39
Range 10 30 70 120
Penetration (mm) 80 74 56 32
Recharge time: 4 s
Coaxial flamethrower
Machine gun
Hull MG 34
Credits:
This is a tank developed by Kirikax from the pz2j and pz3j of the game.
The copyright of the model is property of Kirikax. Do not use it for commercial purposes. If you use it in a mod, name it in the credits.
If you like this model, please give us a praise or encouragement 😀
26/08/2019
