French flamethrower attack

[Robert Dunlop]

Following the recent thread on flamethrowers in 'Other theatres', I was interested to read Crown Prince Wilhelm's reference to an attack 'at the village of Vacquois, continually the scene of severe fighting, [where] the French, after severe artillery preparation, attempted on the 6th June, an attack with flame-throwers, which turned out a complete failure.'

Robert

[Robert Dunlop]

In the same book, Wilhelm wrote about an attack by the German 6th Reserve Corps 'on 26th February [1915], achieved a noteworthy success in the wood of Malancourt, north-east of Avocourt, Reddemann flamethrowers being used for the first time.'

Robert

[Simon Jones]

The flame attack at Vauquois was carried out by a unit formed from the Paris Fire Brigade. The incendiary liquid poured into the trench and set it alight, burning for several days. The Sapeur Pompiers still lay a wreath at a memorial on the Butte in memory of their comrades.

[Robert Dunlop]

Thanks Simon.

Robert

[Papineau]

I also thought flame throwers were used at Camp des Romains in September 1914?

[Hoplophile]

The French flamethrower units - the so-called 'Compagnies Schilt' (after their founder, Captain Schilt) - were formed in immitation of their German counterparts. They used both portable flamethrowers (carried on the back of one man) and large flamethrowers that had to be installed in a trench prior to use. (I'll post some pictures in a few minutes.)

[Hoplophile]

Here is a picture of a French flamethrower, as used by the 'Compagnies Schilt'.

[Hoplophile]

As for the German attack on Fort Camp des Romains, the German account that I have seen mentions Brandrohren ('fire tubes'), but does not explain what these were.

German pioneer battalions were provided with flamethrowers of a sort at the start of the war. I have, however, found very little evidence of their use before the formation, early in 1915, of Bernhard Reddemann's special unit. (The one piece of evidence that I have is a memorandum belonging to a German pioneer company that shows the assignments of various members of that unit. A small number of men - two or three, if memory serves - are assigned to the Flammenwerfer ('flamethrower').

[bob lembke]

As for the German attack on Fort Camp des Romains, the German account that I have seen mentions Brandrohren ('fire tubes'), but does not explain what these were.

German pioneer battalions were provided with flamethrowers of a sort at the start of the war. I have, however, found very little evidence of their use before the formation, early in 1915, of Bernhard Reddemann's special unit. (The one piece of evidence that I have is a memorandum belonging to a German pioneer company that shows the assignments of various members of that unit. A small number of men - two or three, if memory serves - are assigned to the Flammenwerfer ('flamethrower').

Fascinating thread. I will comment on several posts, possibly in several posts myself.

Brandrohren or fire tubes were a different German pioneer incindinary weapon whose use was mistaken for the use of Flammenwerfer several times during the war. A notable example was on the first day of the actual attack on Fort Vaux itself, on June 2, 1916. German Pioniere, having reached the roof of the fort, lowered Brandrohren on ropes below them and directed their stream of fire into the firing slots of the fort, driving the defenders away from them and their MGs. Several French writers mistook this attack for a FW attack. The official histories of the Reichsarchiv and the records of the Garde=Reserve=Pionier=Regiment (Flammenwerfer) clearly indicate that Reddemann's FW first arrived at the fort itself on June 4, 1916, by which time the Germans were already inside part of the fort. However, on June 2, 1916 the Germans were already using FW nearby, such as in an assault on fortlet R1. (There is a slight chance that the first Pioniere brought their own pre-war FW and used it on June 2, before Reddemann's Flamm=Pioniere arrived, but it is very unlikely, although one French source is somewhat detailed. At least some of the French accounts come from French translations of German accounts (quite possibly scrambled in the process), which I have not been able to find in the original. Any info on this would be valuable.)

My father fought with the FW at Verdun, but he only arrived there several months after this battle.

I do not know their precise dimensions, but "fire tubes" seem to have come in two sizes, roughly about 3-4 feet long and 5" in diameter. I guess that one end was capped and that, when ignited, the flame, smoke, and hot gasses jetted out the other end, the flames supposedly about two meters. I think that they were available to the Pioniere for some time before WW I started. I do not know the method of ignition, but I would guess it was something more reliable than a match.

As Bruce stated, some early FW were distributed to Pioniere a year or two before the war, but there is little evidence of their use, and when Major Dr. Reddemann's unit was formed they seem to have been collected from ordinary Pionier units and made available to him, as it was recognized that, as an assault weapon, they were a very special weapon that required special tactics and specially trained men, perhaps more than in siege warfare. Some of these were utilized in Reddemann's first one or two flame attacks. There is evidence of a very odd use of these early in the war by a Pionier=Bataillon, so unusual that I do not want to mention it before I properly study it with some reference that I have to order from Germany. It is possible that there were several abortive attempts to use the weapon that prompted the collection of the existing FW from these units and the formation of Abteilung Reddemann.

Any leads on the early use of FW by Pioniere gratefully received.

Bob Lembke

[bob lembke]

Robert;

I was interested that you found several references to FW in the writings of KP Wilhelm. I have read some of his available writings, and have not noticed a single reference to the FW. He was very involved in the adoption of the weapon, even, seemingly, bankrolling Reddemann's unit out of his private purse at first, when the OHL was initially cool to the weapon. My father told me that the Kronprinz often dropped in on my father's company's barracks, and Pop said that he was able to cage cigarettes from the KP on several occasions, this also being mentioned in one of his Feldpost from Stenay. Once or twice I have posted an amusing incident touching on FW when Wilhelm dragged his father, "Big Willy", to the barracks, perhaps recently in the FW thread on sub-forum "Other".

I speculate that this may have been in part due to the threat that the Allies may have pressed that the KP be prosecuted as a war criminal. In fact he was threatened with this, based on his WW I service, by the French in 1946! The French, who had the second largest FW effort in the war, was extremely secretive about their effort, and this may be one reason for this.

Robert, could you cite which of his books the passages were found? I have at least one of his books, but have not read it all the way through. (I got it before I reached my current moderate level of proficiency in reading German.)

I don't know much at all about the early French FW attacks. Later in the war, when their program matured, they seemed to use the FW more as a mopping-up tool, behind the assaulting infantry, rather than a shock weapon in advance of the infantry.

Does anyone even know the first name of Captaine Schildt? This sort of mirrors the Reddemann situation, where US Military Intelligence (and hence, briefly, myself) had Major Dr. Reddemann's first name wrong. Does anyone know anything about the Leutnant Reddemann in Reddemann's flame regiment? Reddemann's son?

I have obtained a 70 page secret French FW document from 1921; and when I publish based on it, I might translate it, and (probably privately) publish it in a facing page French and English edition. It will hardly be a big seller, but will make this excessively scarce material available to us WW I nuts.

Bob Lembke

[Robert Dunlop]

Bob, the reference is:

'My War Experiences' by Crown Prince William of Germany, published in 1923.

You may have it in the original:

'Meine Erinnerungen aus Deutschlands Heldenkampf' by Kronprinz Wilhelm.

Robert