Did Flamethrowers From WW2 Explode When Shot?

[BobM]

A good interesting indepth article about WWII flamethrowers, debunking the more or less the myth of them exploding when hit by conventional ammunition:

Good Question: Did Flamethrowers From WW2 Explode When Shot?

The flame-thrower came of age during World War One where it was pioneered by the German Army. Though regarded as a very inhumane and cruel weapon, it was

www.warhistoryonline.com

 

[Old_Me]

sorta like the Myth Busters shooting at a car's gas tank.......nothing but holes and leaks.

 

[TacticalPirate]

Just saw a documentary that touched on this, incendiary rounds caused explosion, non-incendiary rounds just holes.

Similarly, tracers were not simply so pilots could see where they were shooting as commonly believed, but so that bullets that punctured the gas tanks of enemy aircraft would explode.