armour hit by flamethrower

[rjinwootton]

can any armour (even kingtiger) withstand a direct hit from a flame tank or flamethrower?...in my opinion nothing should be able to withstand a direct hit as the crew would at least panic and proberly bail out.......even if the tank is not damaged

any thoughts on this?[:D]

[Voriax]

Well, early war tanks often had vision slits and openings so some flames might reach inside fighting compartment and cause trouble. As the war continued tank designs were altered, so for example molotovs weren't that effective anymore as the fluid just burned on top of the tank unable to reach the innards.

Also what comes to mind is that afaik during the early 50's or so many believed that Napalm bombs will be the death of tanks. Perhaps not surprising idea if you think about large areas engulfed with burning jellied gasoline... However if a tank was properly sealed up it usually wasn't harmed...

Even though with some flamethrowers it is possible to spray uningnited fuel first and the light it up one hit from a flamethrower is normally 1-2 second 'brush' from flame. It'll ignite whatever flammable material is on top of the tank but doesn't cause any serious damage. Additional bursts or say a 15 second burn are then another matter.

These are just my thoughts of the idea, never tried this so...

Voriax

[Sturmpionier]

A pal of mine is a tanker in the US Army and we SPWAW each other alot. This subject came up one time and I asked him how susceptible the Abrams was to flame attacks. He said that the modern tanks were much less vulnerable due to the fact that armies had changed the way that the engine compartments were exposed to the outside and also the way that they intake air. He said that alot of the tank casualties due to flame was either because 1) burning fuel seeped down onto the engine and fuel compartments; or, 2) the air intake sucked in a lethal amount of flames into the engine. Either way, KABOOM!

As far as a King Tiger goes, you are probably NOT going to burn through the front armor of any tank, but if the big beast sucks in too much fire its going to brew up. That said, I do not know if they had started modifying that particular line of tanks to resist flame attacks. Other tankheads will have to contribute that precious piece of data. Now, as for how SP models it, flame weapons are given a rediculously high PEN value (200?) and actually simulate burnign through the armor of a tank. That raises the specter of "engine limitations," on which I will not comment.

[rjinwootton]

i certainly would not want to be in a tank hit by a flame from a british crocodile....certainly panic the crew me thinks

[Warhorse]

Having witnessed a handheld, and a vehicle flamethrower in use, then talking to a few vets at a show, it seems that most of the flamethrowers effect on armor was the swift evacuation of any oxygen, no air, no breathe, very dead crew fast!!! The other was psychological, I was over 75 feet away from the flamers, and the heat, and lack of oxygen at that distance alone was unbelievable!! The average flamer would not be able to sustain a long burst, but any tank, having taken a hit, and the crew NOT having suffocated, would either beatfoot it the hell out of there in the tank, or, if disabled, surrender or bail!!

Warhorse

[Belisarius]

The engine deck is definitely the most vulnerable part of the tank when it comes to flamethrowers/fire. That's how molotovs take out tanks, smash it on the air intakes on the back and up goes the tank.

[Karnaaj]

The other thing to look at would be the wonderful loss of visibility you get from from burning gas/etc. all over the front of your track. Just got into playing Battlefield 1942 (which is an FPS with vehicles, verus SPWAW, a *wargame* <G>; altho the Forgotten Hope mod makes for significantly more realism and historical accuracy), and it's a real pain to try and fight (or even just *drive*) a vehicle when the engine compartment is spewing black smoke. (Yes, even rear-engine tanks; it's kinda nice to discourage backshooting infantry from upping "black smoke" to "flaming wreckage", donchaknow...) If you're already flaming and can't see, you'll probably attract a few more FT or Molotov hits unless someone wakes up and starts covering you properly...

[mine_field]

In a few instances, didn't the US forces put a bar through the outer hatch doors of a German APC, effectively sealing the troops inside? Then they set a fire underneath... and well you can guess the rest.
This brings up the point of just the build up of heat. Then again, I don't know enough about tank construction, and the main issues of oxygen and intake are probably the main points.

[Frank W.]

IMHO FT´s are to deadly against armor in the game..