dah Posted 12 January , 2005 Share Posted 12 January , 2005 I've come across references in several books to the use of oil drums (projected onto targets) as a weapon. Most notably the Messines offensive, I seem to remember that the woods in and around Croonaert/Bois Quarante/Bayernwald were subjected to approx 1000 oil drums being fired into each of them in the immediate run-up to 7th June, 1917. I've also read of their use in 3rd Ypres. Has anyone got pictures or further details of these weapons? How big was the oil drum...how were they fired or projected onto target...did they contain an igniting impact charge......what was the range...were they 'allowable' under the Geneva convention etc, etc Grateful for further info. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 12 January , 2005 Share Posted 12 January , 2005 You can not imagine it are real oil drums. It were Livens projector projectiles. Just like the gas drums, but filled with an primitive sort of "napalm" oil + soapflocks + phosfor (this is what i am told by DOVO, the dismantle unit of the Belgian army). The Gremans used simular weapons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkristof Posted 12 January , 2005 Share Posted 12 January , 2005 o yes, the range is about 400 yards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Poilu Posted 12 January , 2005 Share Posted 12 January , 2005 Hi David, The weapon you refer to was a 'Livens Drum Mortar'. There was a comprehensive discussion on this and it's variants a few months ago which should be helpful to you. The link below will take you there for plenty of pictures and background info: http://1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?showt...21152&hl=livens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J T Gray Posted 12 January , 2005 Share Posted 12 January , 2005 There's an entire chapter dedicated to the Livens projector in Anthony Saunders' "Weapons of the Trench War" (ISBN: 0750918187). Interestingly, there are very few pictures - lots more on the thread above so they obviously survive. He is, however, absolutely spot on in his description of the Large Gallery Projector as looking like sea monster! Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KONDOA Posted 12 January , 2005 Share Posted 12 January , 2005 See previous topic : Oil Projectors Roop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 12 January , 2005 Share Posted 12 January , 2005 There is some information about various oil drum attacks in this thread: http://1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?showt...9697&hl=quesnoy Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 12 January , 2005 Share Posted 12 January , 2005 Additional information from Foulkes' account of the Special Brigade: 'It had become evident that the local effect produced by the large [flame] projectors did not justify the great expenditure of labour and effort involved in bringing them into action, and still less the construction of special saps in which to install them in order to bring them within range of their objectives. Livens, who by this time had his whole company under canvas at Toutencourt, thereupon set out to meet this difficulty. It was necessary to get a longer range for the burning oil, and he did this by throwing it out of extemporised mortars which consisted of the ordinary steel containers in which his oil was received, other oil-drums of slightly less diameter and wrapped in sand-bags being employed as projectiles. The mortars were buried in the ground in rows, almost touching each other and with only the muzzles visible above the surface, and in this manner they were set in the required direction, while pieces of metal from any that burst - of which there were quite a number! - were prevented from flying about. The drums were filled up with oil and cotton-waste [presumably referring to the explosive gun-cotton], and they were opened up and their contents were lighted and scattered by charges of gun-cotton fixed to the surface and detonated through lengths of time fuze which were lighted by the flash from the black powder propellant charge. The mortars were fired in groups of half a dozen or more by fuze, a "junction box" being used to ensure a simultaneous shoot, a method which soon gave way to electric discharge by means of a service exploder. Such was the origin of the "Livens projector"...[;] the original oil-can mortars were gradually replaced by lengths of welded steel tube of various diameters, with one end closed, which were procured either locally or from home.' Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harribobs Posted 12 January , 2005 Share Posted 12 January , 2005 Here a less technical way of delivering burning barrels (the war illus 10 vol5) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dah Posted 13 January , 2005 Author Share Posted 13 January , 2005 Many thanks to all for the excellent responses. Very satisfying to have one of my many WW1 'itches' ticked off. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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