Re: Vehicular Flamethrowers for SG2

Thomas Barclay wrote:

> > Some figures for real-world flamethrowers:

> > UK WW2 Cockatrice 300 feet UP in AA mode (!)
> 
> Who in heck came up with the FT as an AA weapon? Very unorthodox
> (might work against helicopters though).

The Cockatrice was designed and built in the dark days of 1940. One
threat was large scale drops of Paratroops onto airfields... And the
defence had to be quick, easily made, out of non-weapons.

The Cockatrice was therefore a large truck, with armour plate bolted on,
and a turret with a flamethrower on. The idea was that when the Ju-52s
came over, after all the Spitfires had been KO'd, one of these would
motor onto the runway, and as the Fallschirmjaeger came down on the
airstrip, would motor on past, casually crisping them (or at least
giving them something to think about while trying to undo their
harnesses). As the Germans dropped their weapons in separate canisters
rather than with them, this was actually a good idea.

To discourage gliders and low-flying drops, it could be aimed straight
up too.

-- 
aebrain@dynamite.com.au     <> <>    How doth the little Crocodile
| Alan & Carmel Brain|	    xxxxx	Improve his shining tail?
| Canberra Australia |	xxxxxHxHxxxxxx _MMMMMMMMM_MMMMMMMMM
 abrain@cs.adfa.oz.au  o OO*O^^^^O*OO o oo     oo oo	 oo  
		    By pulling MAERKLIN Wagons, in 1/220 Scale