Wasp Carrier
 

A friend sent me this link to a video of a couple of Wasp universal carriers in action and I don't believe I have seen it on here but if it has its great to watch again :)


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=810_1424294298

Wow, what a lethal machine, I wonder how successful it was in combat?. I have an original canvas shroud for the flamethrower.

Nice bit of film.

I think this is the mixture used for public display - impressive, none the less..

Have not seen that one before, but there is another one out there of WASP's being used in the 1950's in Toronto to clear underbrush along the Don River Valley, if I recall.

David

Here is some colour film footage from the RHLI Museum archives. It is from the early 1950's at Camp Niagara.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H5vNeVSZ8Q

There's also some footage at the end of this clip (starts with distressing scenes): http://www.britishpathe.com/video/belsen

Mechanized Flame Throwers
 

The Canadian Army Overseas did a lot of the work when it came to developing the tactical doctrine for the use of flame carriers, not to mention much of the RandD that led to the Wasp. After the War further work was carried out at Suffield which led to the Iroquois and Cree Carriers.

It's all in Service Publications' WoW 22 Mechanized Flame Weapons in Canadian Service.

France, 1944
 

Great footage posted by Super Dave.
Shot in France, 1944.

A demo put on by Queen's Own Rifles of Canada under direction of Lt. Stan Biggs. There are multiple images in the Canadian Archives of the crews, some are named, the location and exact date is included.

MK-I* carriers upgraded to MK-II standard, then equiped with the transportable F.T. Interesting set up of the double storage tanks, consistent with the former Delft army museum WASP carrier. (whereever it has now ended up) That carrier also being an October, 1943 production MK-I*, serial # 21136, upgraded to MK-II in the U.K. before being equipped with the F.T.

Wasp
 

I have seen a post somewhere with direction from Hitler.

He considered the carrier wasp an unfair weapon and gave direct orders any Carrier Crew captured with a wasp should be 'strung up alive by a meat hook though the back of their neck'.

I have never seen a wasp carrier.

Barry

There is still a Wasp carrier in the Dutch Army collection , it was for a while on display in the Bevrijdende vleugels museum . and they still have an instruction wasp set up.

Dutch Wasp
 

Any pictures?

I have been told there is one in Russian musuem

Barry

Canadian experimental design called the 'Barracuda' and featured the following photo (IWM-MH23173).

Clearly a converted 2pdr carrier.

I heard wasps were used to destroy nazi concentration camps.

I have seen phots of Buchenwald after the liberation with Canadian Army wasps in action.

about 24 years ago I took my Tilly into a tyre shop to get the front wheels balanced. There was an old guy there who was some sort of part time janitor who got all excited because my Tilly was baring the markings of his old unit "5th Dorsets 43rd Wessex Div".

He told me that he was part of a flame thrower carrier crew, and that there were no heroics with his job as they stayed well behind the fighting front lines and had the most unenviable job of cremating dead Germans. They piled the body's up and doused them with the liquid before incinerating them with a flame. They also set light to houses through a door or window if they suspected any live Germans to be inside.

Not nice I know. But all part of war I'm afraid.

Ron

Kinda ironic Hitler claiming flamethrowers as being unfair...
Considering the fact that the Germans used portable units to great advantage in he trenches of WW1 and extensively against the Soviets in WW2...

I understand that a big downside of the Churchill Croc was the lack of speed, making them easy targets for the Germans, who weren't at all forgiving to Crocodile crews.
It seems the Wasp is very different....the speed is astounding!

I contacted the Delft army museum for a forum member a few months ago for a possible viewing of the Wasp. But that was in the middle of the big move to Soesterberg, so the answer was a no (can't blame them!). There was no info where the carrier is now and if it's part of the new display in Soesterberg.

Alex

Some links to photos showing Dutch troops of the Prinses Irene Brigade demonstrating a Wasp flame thrower in 1945:

http://hdl.handle.net/10648/bcda08a4...4-d46da22c7e9b

http://hdl.handle.net/10648/3999da7f...1-c173c39f8aea

http://hdl.handle.net/10648/44ef96d3...5-722b5f1b93c1

http://hdl.handle.net/10648/34b26781...a-c8675370d898

http://hdl.handle.net/10648/28c882eb...0-36e8e7fc22ae

(can't download, will do screengrabs later)