Flamethrowers:
Their Psychological Effects in Warfare
Weapons have been around since the beginning of mankind. Over thousands of years, human technology has increased to unimaginable heights, and with this advancement, humans have learned the art of warfare. Weapons are the tools of warfare. However there are some weapons which are superior over others. One of those weapons is fire. Being one of the oldest tools in history, there is no set date on when the first controlled fire was ever created, though there is evidence to show that it was first controlled as early as 790,000 B.C. Through the thousands of years since then, the weapons which bare the flame have also evolved.
However, there is one incendiary weapon which sticks out more than the others in their ability to strike fear: the flamethrower. This weapon has the most devastating psychological effects on soldiers. Fire itself has the power inflict fear into the enemy, and the results only intensify when it shot across twenty yards. Flamethrowers are also very dangerous for the carrier, since they are such high-value targets. As effective as they were, these weapons were known to fail quite often, inflicting fear on the user. Tanks armed with flamethrowers were one of the most terrifying thing to see on the battlefield. Along with this, flamethrowers were not the most dependable weapon in combat. This fear-striking incendiary weapon is one of unparalleled effects.
The concept of the flamethrower has been around for centuries. A weapon which shot flames at its target seemed genius. It was not until the First World War that they finally saw much action however. In 1901, a german scientist by the name of Richard Fiedler constructed the first modern flamethrower, which the ...
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Looking back at how the chemical weaponry expanded starting in the beginning of World War 1, it all began with Tear gas which was used by the French in August of 1914. Those techniques have been used in ancient times. Moving forward eight months in to the war the Germans have been giving great study in to the development of chemical weapons due to the first usage from the French and witnessed its great effectiveness and were the first to use it in a large scale.
Weapons have been around from the Neanderthals of the post-ice age, to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Rocks became knives, sticks became spears, and bayonets became AK-47’s. The technology from the French and Indian War was revolutionized and manufactured by the newly opened weaponry companies. Colt and Winchester had a new end of the market during the times of conflict in the United States.
71 percent of the people that were at The Station Nightclub Fire, which occurred in West Warwick Rhode Island on February 20, 2003, that either died or was injured. This paper will look at the contributing factors in this shocking number as it pertains to fire prevention. When breaking down a case study, this case being The Station Nightclub Fire, there are three main factors you must look at. Those factors are fire behavior, human behavior, and building behavior.
Since the introduction of the fog/combination firefighting nozzle by Dr. Oyston Charles in the 1960 's, the discussion between the traditional smooth bore nozzle vs. fog/combination nozzle for fire attack has been ongoing and heated at times. My research has informed me that the debate between the smooth bore nozzle and fog nozzle has always and will continue to be openly controversial, particularly over the last two decades as the fire service has taken a deeper interest in firefighter safety and accident prevention. To date, my thesis statement is as follows: The benefits of the smooth bore nozzle make it a safer and more effective nozzle for direct fire attack compared to the fog or combination nozzle. This report will examine two sources that contain contrary perspectives to the above thesis statement.
Gradus, Jamie L. "PTSD: National Center for PTSD." Epidemiology of PTSD -. N.p., 17 Aug. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
Arson has been occurring for many years and about 500,000 fires are set intentionally each year. Arson is defined as any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, the property of another or cause physical harm to another. Fire data has been collected since 1977 by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and the amount of fires has been declining ever since. In the past few decades, there has come about a number of serial arsonists- an offender who sets three or more fires with a cooling-off period between the fires (Douglas, et al, 1992). There are numerous serial arsonists who have been caught, some of which include, Peter Dinsdale, Robert Lee Oyler, Thomas Sweatt, and Paul Keller. While the number of fires across the country have
"Technology during World War I: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article." AbsoluteAstronomy.com. Web. 05 Feb. 2010.
The difference between a fire that is warm and friendly and one that is ferociously hot and destructive is size. A small fire in a campsite can take the edge off the cool night air, and a raging forest fire can destroy a thousand acres in a few hours. Fire has been one of our most important tools on our journey from the beginning of time to the present day. It also poses a severe threat to mankind if it is not controlled. Children often experiment with fire. Any time a child starts a fire he endangers himself and the people around him. Juvenile arson happens on a routine basis, and has very outreaching consequences. Fires statistics reported by fire departments in 2003, show that children started approximately forty-two thousand fires, causing an estimated one-hundred sixty-five civilian deaths, nineteen hundred civilian injuries and two-hundred seventy-two million dollars in direct property damage (United States Fire Administration, 2004). The price that society pays for juvenile-set fires is extremely high. Tragically, the lives of the very children setting the fires account for most of the lives that are lost.
Symptoms are taught to the individual firefighter, symptoms could be feeling lonely, suicidal thoughts, self-blame, survival guilt. Symptoms could appear within weeks to years, depend on each situation. Firefighter will be able to learn how to control such symptoms in therapy to reduce the harmful effects on the firefighter. If the firefighter knows what kind of symptoms they have, firefighters could receive treatment to reduce PTSD or thoughts of committing suicide, then therapists will be able to quickly diagnosed and determine the most efficient plan of action to reduce and cure these mental behaviors.
In conclusion, on the night of September 25th, two beautiful churches burned and many other buildings were scorched by the flames. The fire brought fear to some residents who thought they would lose everything and exhaustion to the fire fighters. No deaths were reported, and only a few people were severely burned. It was a night that would not be forgotten easily by those who lived in the “Burning District.”
Ozer, Emily, and Daniel Weiss. "Who Develops Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?." Current Directions in Psychological Science. 13.4 (2004): 169-172. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
The images are haunting: men in gas masks rapid firing through dusky vapors, people contorted with a pain that comes from within. It is a common held belief that chemical warfare is a form of modern warfare and the First World War is recognised for introducing this type of combat. Recent archaeological finds show that this may not be the case.
"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Military.com." Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Military.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
Adults more than likely most frequently set fires for monetary gain – such as insurance fraud but other reasons also abound (Bartol & Bartol). Revenge, vandalism, crime concealment or diversion, intimidation, terrorism, and sabotage are all reasons why fires are set. Many of th...
Arson is one of the oldest crimes recognized throughout the world. It is defined as the intentional and malicious burning of a structure or building (Montaldo). Arson can cost the lives of individuals and the damages can be costly. In 2010, there were about 260,600 fires (“Arson and Intentional Fires,” n.d.). Many of these fires were intentionally set. These fires have resulted in an estimated 390 deaths, 1,340 injuries, and $1.2 billion in damages (“Arson and Intentional Fires,” n.d.). Most of the fires have occurred outside, but most of the deaths, injuries, and losses occurred in structures, particularly in homes (“Arson and Intentional Fires,” n.d.). Arson is considered to be a property crime to law enforcement agencies, despite that the fires created by the arsonist can injure and kill many people. This paper will discuss the history of arson as well as explaining why arson is difficult to prove, why people commit it, and also provides specific case examples and suggestions on what people can do to reduce the risk of arson.