|
:: ''For the large flamethrower see Livens Large Gallery Flame Projectors'' The Livens Projector was a simple mortar-like weapon that could throw large drums filled with flammable or toxic chemicals. In the First World War, the Livens Projector became the British Army's standard means of delivering gas attacks and it remained in its arsenal until the early years of the Second World War.〔''The Use Of Gas In The Field'', 1940〕 == History == It was created by the British army officer Captain William H. Livens of the Royal Engineers.〔Palazzo, 2002, p103.〕 Later, in World War II he worked on petroleum warfare weapons such as the flame fougasse and various other flame throwing weapons.〔LeFebure, 1926, p60〕〔Banks, 1946, p33〕 A large calibre flame thrower, designed to engulf German trenches in burning oil, was deployed at the Somme in 1916. (One of these weapons was partially excavated recently by a British TV programme, having been buried as the tunnel in which it was being built took a direct hit from a German shell.) Prior to the invention of the Livens Projector, chemical weapons had been delivered either by "cloud attacks" or chemical-filled shells fired from howitzers. Cloud attacks at first were made by burying gas-filled cylinder tanks just beyond the parapet of the attacker's trenches and then opening valves on the tanks when the wind was right. (Later British practice was to bring up flatcars with gas cylinders on a line parallel to the front to be attacked, and open the cylinders without removing them from the rail car.〔Ian V. Hogg, ''Gas'', New York: Ballantine, 1975〕) This allowed a useful amount of gas to be released but there was danger that the wind would change and the gas would drift back over the attacking troops. Chemical shells were much easier to direct at the enemy but could not deliver nearly as much gas as a cylinder tank. Livens was in command of Z company, the unit charged with developing and using flame and chemical weapons. Flame throwers and various means of dispensing chemicals had proven frustratingly limited in effect. One day, during an attack on the Somme, Z company encountered a party of Germans who were well dug in. Grenades did not succeed in shifting them, so Livens improvised a sort of giant Molotov cocktail using two 5 gallon oil drums. When these were thrown into the German positions they were so effective that Livens's comrade Harry Strange wondered whether it would be better to use containers to carry the flame to the enemy rather than relying on a complex flame thrower.〔Croddy, 2001, p138.〕〔Awards to Inventors, 1922, p20〕 Reflecting on the incident, Livens and Strange considered how a really large shell filled with fuel might be thrown by a mortar.〔Awards to Inventors, 1922, p30〕 Livens went on to develop a large, simple mortar that could throw a three gallon drum of oil which would burst when it landed, spreading burning oil over the target.〔 Livens came to the attention of General Hubert Gough who was impressed by his ideas and "wangled" everything that Livens needed for his large projector.〔Awards to Inventors, 1922, p51–62〕 On 25 July 1916 at Ovillers-la-Boisselle during the Battle of the Somme, Z Company used 80 projectors when the Australians were due to attack Pozières. The early versions had a short range and it was necessary to place the projectors 200 yards out in no-man's-land. The resulting barrage was highly successful in neutralising the German machine-gun posts. Z Company rapidly developed the Livens Projector, increasing its range to 350 yards and eventually an electrically triggered version with a range of 1,300 yards. This version was successfully used at Messines Ridge in June 1917.〔 The Livens Projector was then modified to fire canisters of poison gas rather than oil. This system was tested in secret, at Thiepval in September 1916 and Beaumont-Hamel in November.〔 The Livens Projector was able to deliver a high concentration of gas a considerable distance. Each canister delivered as much gas as several chemical warfare artillery shells. Without the need to reload a barrage could be launched quickly, catching the enemy by surprise. Although each projector could be fired just once during an attack, the weapon was sufficiently inexpensive to be deployed in hundreds or even thousands. The Livens Projector was also used to fire other substances. At one time or another the drums contained high explosive, oil and cotton-waste pellets, thermite, white phosphorus and "stinks". Used as giant stink bombs to trick the enemy, "stinks" were malodorous but harmless substances such as bone oil and amyl acetate used to simulate a poison gas attack, thereby compelling the enemy to put on their cumbersome masks (which reduced the efficiency of German troops) on occasions when gas could not be safely employed.〔Foulkes 1934, p. 169.〕 Alternatively, "stinks" could be used to artificially prolong the scale, discomfort and duration of genuine gas-attacks i.e. alternating projectiles containing "stinks" with phosgene, adamsite or chloropicrin. There was even a design for ammunition containing a dozen Mills bombs in the manner of a cluster bomb.〔Rawson 2006, p. 272.〕 The Livens Projector remained in the arsenal of the British Army until the early years of the Second World War.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Livens Projector」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|