The Liekinheitin M/44 was an underbarrel flamethrower used by the Finnish army near the end of World War II.
| Liekinheitin M/44 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Flamethrower |
| Place of origin | Finland |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1944-1970 |
| Used by | Finnish Army |
| Wars | World War II Continuation War Lapland War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Sergeant M. Kuusinen |
| Designed | 1944 |
| Specifications | |
| Effective firing range | 12 - 15 metres |
History
editDuring the Winter War and the Continuation War, the Finnish Army used Italian Model 40 (designated as the Liekinheitin M/40 by the finns) flamethrowers and captured Soviet flamethrowers.[1] The Liekinheitin M/44 was designed by Sergeant M. Kuusinen in 1944. He attached the flame tube of a flamethrower to the under barrel of a Suomi KP/-31, Finland's standard issue submachine gun.[2] This turned the Suomi into a combination weapon that could act as both a submachine gun and a flamethrower so the operator wouldn't have to rely for assistance of other soldiers so much for covering fire.[3] Since the M/44 was designed to be attached to the under barrel of a regular Suomi KP/-31, it was less costly to produce and it did not require any changes to other existing equipment.[3] One is example is on display at the Finnish Military Museum in Helsinki.[4]
Performance
editA prototype of the M/44 was approved for further development after successful presentation to the Finnish Armed Forces in April 1944. A small series was produced for troop trials with positive feedback, although its limited range was criticized.[5] The Finnish Army initially ordered 100 M/44s, but only around 40 were completed by the delivery date of July 15, 1944. A few units were kept for training purposes by border guards until the 1970s.[5]
References
edit- ^ "LIEKINHEITIN M/40 - Quartermaster Section". www.quartermastersection.com.
- ^ Combat Guns: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Firearms, Osprey, 1987 ISBN 9780600551782.
- ^ a b "FINNISH ARMY 1918-1945: WEAPONS FINNISH ARMY ALMOST HAD IN WORLD WAR 2, PART 3". www.jaegerplatoon.net.
- ^ McCollum, Ian (October 14, 2014). "Suomi m/31 and Underbarrel Flamethrower". www.forgottenweapons.com.
- ^ a b "Flames in Ice and Snow: Flamethrowers of the Finnish Army - Small Arms Review". June 6, 2023.