What are Oil Projectors?

[Terry Carter]

Oil Projectors

I have copies of the War Diary of the Special Brigade R.E. Special Sections (WO 95/122 ). These are the guys who dealt in Chemical Warfare.

I think part of their job was to come up with different ideas and utilise whatever was lying around in trying to send burning projectiles over to the enemy lines. On August 19, 1916, the Special Sections set up a demonstration in Toutencourt Wood for the G.O.C. Reserve Army, D.G.S. the O.C. Special Brigade and many other General and Staff Officers.

The programme included

a. The working and firing of a Livens Projector

b. Experimental demonstration of semi portable projectors in a communiation trench firing over a sand-bag barricade.

c. Experiment to show the effect of covering a Mills Bomb with a half filled sandbag. This experiment was requested by the GOC Reserve Army. The result showed that the bomb did not fly about when covered with a half-filled sand bag.

d. Flight of oil drums from trench mortars which themselves were larger sized oil drums. Range about 250 yards. Charge of oil ignited by 'flaming tail' of sacking.

e. Flight of oil drums charged with 30lbs of Ammonal for the purpose of cutting barbed wire, and fired as in (d). Shots grouped well and shots accurately ranged to 10 yards.

f. Firing two crates (i) 4' 9" x 4' 9" (ii) 3' 7" x 3' 7" from shafts 20 foot long and inclined at 45 degrees to horizontal. Crated packed with petrol tins containing distillate oil. It is difficult to construct a crate of this size of sufficient strength to withstand the shock of discharge and yet contain a large volume of oil. In this experiment ignition was too early especially in the larger one.

g. Firing a gas cylinder from a trench mortar consisting of 9 inch steel tubing.

Charge of gunpowder 2lbs. 4' 3" long, one end being blanked. Range 400 yards.

Hope this is of interest.

Cheers

Terry

[robbie]

Oil Projectors

I have copies of the War Diary of the Special Brigade R.E. Special Sections (WO 95/122 ). These are the guys who dealt in Chemical Warfare.

Livens projectors

The below information is taken from the AWM site and is a description of a photo that is NOT ONLINE.

17 June 1918 France

Date made:

Black & white photo

The fragments of a gas cylinder after bursting and releasing the gas at Mont de Merris. Projected into the enemy lines at favourable intervals, they formed a deadly prelude to many of the harassing attacks made by the Australians of the 1st Division in this sector during June and July 1918. The officer shown is Lieutenant L. G. Riches MC of the 11th Battalion. Note by Sergeant A. Brooksbank, Gas Non-commissioned Officer, 10th Infantry Brigade: Projector drum, the missile from Livens projectors. Note the drum is merely split open giving little fragmentation; it would have been filled with gas in liquid form and provided with a small bursting charge to open it as shown.

Robbie

ANyone live in Canberra who can visit the AWM?

Robbie

[egbert]

To help clarify the discussion I'd like to reveal my interest in the oil projectors. It is founded in the following quoted Brit account. My GGUncle Lt. Kurt Thielicke (I posted about him on this forum this 1 Oct.) was killed near Gueudecourt on 1st of October 1916, most likely at/in Bayonet Trench, opposed partly by Brit Gird Trench;

"Sunday 1 October

Temperature 64 F; sunny day

XV Corps

12th Division relieved the 21st division. the bombardment started at 7 a.m., increasing in ferocity until zero hour at 3.15 p.m.. special Brigade, RE had installed 36 oil projectors in gird trench. Thirty of these fired, enveloping the German line opposite the New Zealand troops in red flame and heavy black smoke."

[Max Poilu]

The 'oil' used was highly flammable Persian oil distallate in a ratio of 1 part light to 1 part heavy. This was used in Flammenwerfers as well as the Livens drum mortars.

The somewhat basic (but effective) flash ignited oily rags were later replaced by time fuses as the mortar underwent continual refinement.

Just to clarify some of the above points; Livens was highly inventive but there were three main seperate weapons;

1. A semi portable flamethrower operated by two men, not a one man backpack type, these were trialled but unsucessfully.

2. The 'Flammenwerfer' large static flamethrower - a huge contraption, effectively a battery of smaller linked flamethrowers dug into the trench system as described and pictured by Terry above.

3. The Livens Drum projector - the oil firing mortar as I described and pictured in posts above. This was later developed to deliver poison gas as well as inflammable liquid.

This is the weapon utilised in egbert's text.

[Guest bonza]

Hey Pat,

Stills earching AWM site but to keep things sailing long i thought i'd post this little pic.F ound this interesting make-shift underground kitchen - don't they have these sorts of thingys in Lightning Ridge?

Robbie

Good luck with the search. 2 million images isn't it.

Mate don't get sucked in. Can't you see the similarities between your pic & Terry's

Livens Large Gallery Job. It's the AIF equivalent, suitably camoflaged, right down to the bush bed & beer barrel fridge.