| 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 |
TheLiekinheitin M/44 was an underbarrel flamethrower used by the Finnish army near the end ofWorld War II.
During theWinter War and theContinuation War, the Finnish Army used ItalianModel 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 aSuomi KP/-31, Finland's standard issue submachine gun.[2] This turned the Suomi into acombination 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 forcovering 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]
A 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]