Rebuilding The Giant WW1 Flamethrower That Terrified The Enemy | Breathing Fire | War Stories

In part two of this Time Team special, Tony Robinson has been joined by the British Royal Engineers as they tried to rebuild and test the world's largest ever flamethrower. The Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector was a 60 foot behemoth that could engulf targets 300 feet away in flames. The terrifying weapon was deployed at the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War.
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00:00 Introduction
00:53 The Somme Battlefield
04:59 HH Promo
05:34 Excavating the Trenches
37:46 Testing the Flamethrower
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[@dullahan7677]

Build a man a fire, and you warm him for a day. Set a man on fire and you warm him for the rest of his life.

[@sandro4790]

🤣

[@adammoolla5676]

Underrated comment 😂

[@WarblesOnALot]

G'day, Give a man a Fish, and you feed him Today... Feed a man To the Fish... And you teach his family Not to mess with the Mafia....(!). Allegedly. Such is life, Have a good one... Stay safe. ;-p Ciao !

[@qbasic16]

oof 💀

[@AussieEch0]

I’m going to live by the for the rest of my life

[@jnrmjh]

I was involved with the team. Went out to the Somme for two weeks and helped with the dig. The things we found were amazing. And then to top it off I was involved in the re-building of it. This was all back in 2010 when I was still serving with the Royal Engineers

[@Gandalf22476]

That is awesome! Did they ever re-excavate this site or recover more of the flamethrower?

[@madrzegada3700]

Then you should know the rebuild was rubbish!! You use big pump instead of a piston push by the compress nitrogen that's why it have part of range of original ... Totally different pressure and flow of fuel is needed then even ten pump like this could not generate... Also the fuel supposed to be like gelly

[@jnrmjh]

@@madrzegada3700 we had restrictions on how we could build it. These restrictions were put in place to protect the camp and surrounding area. And the reason we added diesel was to get it as close to the real thing.

[@jnrmjh]

@@Gandalf22476 unfortunately no. Where we were digging was a farmers field and we only had a certain time frame for the site. It would have been good to get more parts but we would have needed another week. The stuff that we did find blew my mind.

[@madrzegada3700]

That's what I was thinking 🤔 amount of risk involved..

[@SMVB-cl6oc]

before my grandad passed he recorded hundreds of documentaries off of the tv and burned them onto discs for his collection. this was one of the docos i remember watching as a 9yo obsessed with ww1 for some reason. thankyou for uploading this, many good memories are associated with this doco.

[@enja001]

Scary to think the recreation was at waaay lower pressure than the original

[@BeerNBurnouts]

Must have been terrifying to be on the battlefield and have this pop up

[@mmccubbis3662]

Livin's wrath was truly unleashed after he thought that he had lost his love.

[@kerre1515]

As an ex-combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, this would be simply unimaginable to face on the ground. 😮

[@The_Deaf_Aussie]

Good lord, that flame throwing test is truly terrifying .. O.o

[@samrodian919]

Absolutely brilliant program. Thank you so much for uploading both episodes. It was fascinating as much as it was horrific to think of being under that barrage of awful death. Gott in Himmel as the Germans would probably have said. It is a pity that they were unable to excavate further and retrieve more of the Livens Projector.

[@msgfrmdaactionman3000]

One reason why I joined the Navy in the 1980s, World War One. Thanks for the great history video, Tony and crew!

[@maverick4761]

now just imagine how creepy it must have been when the first Gasweapons were used and nobody on the otherside had Gasmasks

[@mlembrant]

I like the thumbnail image where he is satisfied with the flame-spitting monstosity in the backgound.. "Aah.. the joy of accurate reconstruction :) "

[@Centaur81]

German Industrial metal band 'Rammstein' in 2022: "We are using massive flamethrowers in our shows...!" ... Brits in retrospective: "Hold our beers ..."

[@DursunX]

'flame projector' is such a polite understatement

[@Dr_Mario2007]

That's awesome that a part of British Army and public got involved in this project, it clearly shows that they care about the history more compared to the Americans (as an American, I just have to say it, and it just makes me happy watching this video, learning about the history in general). British Army in a way are honorable Mythbusters, peeling the onion of history layers by layers, putting together how weapons worked back then, as well as talking about the history surrounding them. 👍 That's quality video right there.

[@paulkurilecz4209]

The application of technology and engineering in WWI is just astounding. I am curious as to why ground penetrating radar wasn't used.

[@mkendallpk4321]

What a frightening weapon ! To have designed, built, tested and deployed within a matter of the short time Livens had, makes this man a genius.

[@splitman1129]

Don't be a wuss. It's amazing, not frightening.

[@adlerarmory8382]

@@splitman1129 Depends on which end you are on. A Brit with hand on the lever 'Aw, cool!", A Jerry in the opposite trench "Ach Scheisse! Achtung! Flammenwerfer!" You can't duck below the sandbag parapets like you could with .303 fire, the flame expands, the diesel made it stick like napalm and if you retreated to a bunker, you could die from monoxide poisoning or suffocation from the flames burning up all the oxygen in the air.

[@geoffreyfraser9137]

@@adlerarmory8382 IBM T

[@jamesbehrje4279]

@@splitman1129 its not that amazing. Its just a hose spraying oil that they lit with a match. Back then it was useful. Twenty years later a weapon like that would be obsolescent.

[@samrodian919]

@@splitman1129 depends whether you are British or German l!

[@Underground247]

Remember watching this when I was a kid, time team was my fav show!

[@allenbuck5589]

Cool to watch history. My dads brothers were in France during. WW1. One is buried there in France. I would like to have a picture of his grave.

[@danielebrparish4271]

The Veteran's Administration would be a great place to start your inquiry. I once read that these cemeteries are the property of the countries whose personnel are buried there.

[@MrOx85]

Fark seeing that monster as you charge towards the enemy.😱

[@MulToyVerse]

I wonder if Tony had any Baldric flashbacks from the WW1 Season of Blackadder while doing this episode.

[@organickevinlondon]

Easily the most terrifying battlefield weapon ever made.

[@georgedavidson957]

if royal engineers cant demolish, set fire to or break something ... I think they'd die of shame.

[@brushrescue1701]

Absolutely stunning and terrifying at the same time well done to everybody involved

[@chellybub]

Part 2 let's go!

[@allgood6760]

What a terrifying find!🤔🔥

[@MrTechstyles]

Thanks for this - excellent show - love old Baldric and the archeologicalists

[@DRSHANKER]

google time team

[@aztecghost]

Gary is an absolute legend!

[@KalvickQT]

Ive been waiting for this since Part 1 :O so good

[@ryanscottdenino]

Part 2 🙌

[@gaviny-w3569]

Joys of military attitude: how far is ok ? :-) nice one

[@willyd-adv]

I would love to see this in real life as a working display

[@TexasSurplusPro]

Amazing.

[@robertfish4052]

They do dig Very tidy foundations these archaeologists.

[@joslynscott466]

Excellent

[@geoffburrill9850]

The greens will love this. You can only imagine how horrendous this weapon would be.

[@jwenting]

hmm, turning greenies into crispy critters...

[@marystotts1939]

What a horrific weapon. I can’t imagine that flame coming at me.😮

[@fuzer4047]

Sadly that happend in Vietnam

[@mpf_agundipsht3619]

@@fuzer4047 but 100x's worse, napalm is not friendly to enemy's or allies

[@jwenting]

@@mpf_agundipsht3619 napalm is effectively what they used here, albeit a liquified version. The main reason napalm bombs seem more horrible is because you know what's coming at you. This thing, the only times it was used it was utter surprise. The Germans never knew what hit them, the North Vietnamese had time to envision their fate. In the end it hardly matters, dead is dead. And every friendly life saved by killing the enemy is a victory.

[@mpf_agundipsht3619]

@@jwenting Napalm caused forest fires that killed allies and tangos

[@HuyGaming96]

​@@mpf_agundipsht3619 flamethrower also not friendly to allies. Imagine if u stands in some allied dude which has a flamethrower firing at u. There is no escape even if u are allied or not

[@rikijett310]

Why is there a time limit on digs? This work is so incredibly important that the time required should be open ended.

[@Adrian-qk2fn]

They were excavating on a farm and the farmer only gave them permission for a limited time. This is quite common with archeological excavations both here in the UK and in Europe. The archeologists have to minimize disruption on what is somebody's property.

[@marksimmonds6364]

'What are you doing, Baldrick?' 'I'm writing my name on a flamethrower sir'

[@franciscowashington2155]

Mais uma descoberta 👍👍👍😎

[@sithikananayakkare3162]

Absolutely astonished that the valve actually turned

[@Dennan]

lol at the thumbnail haha

[@whiteyready5862]

Anyone else thought its palpatine in the thumbnail ?

[@depecher6s311]

God I love Tony Robinson

[@brandonhendrixson2372]

Brilliant

[@akinolegustaelcafe.285]

No Wonder how Tolkien got inspired by the ww1 combats for his book Lord of the Rings, that thing is a giant dragon spitting fire

[@maxasaurus3008]

Good god, how horrible we can be. 😢

[@toughguyver6986]

Brother Maynard! Bring us the holy flamethrower!

[@TomvdVeen]

holy mother .. that is so frightning even today if youd put that flamethrower in war

[@john1182]

im not sure if this was a "Time Team" Special but i loved the show growing up and am so glad i found this on YT

[@Adrian-qk2fn]

Yes, it was a Time Team Special. I remember watching it when it was first broadcast on Channel 4.

[@takellogs4632]

and that kids is why flamethrowers are so fun for the user but not so fun for the others (this scares me as a german who likes to learn more about history)

[@ryanlee.3913]

In sir tony we love

[@thefez-cat]

Of course it was an electric dishwasher. He'd designed a gigantic terror weapon when he thought his wife was dead.

[@robnewman6101]

Wow.

[@donaldhoot7741]

The enemy would have looked much like the boys in Indiana Jones. Or the Wicked Witch, "I'm melting......." Great video!

[@nathanchalecki4842]

That stupid soft brush to clean the dirt off the valve haha

[@samrodian919]

Then you have no idea of how things that are archaeologically preserved. The first thing is do no harm, do not put any marks upon the artefact at all in the preservation. Then the conservators get involved and do their thing. Given that this artefact was made from a very good piece of Bronze it was in remarkable condition, preserved by the soil of the Somme. It certainly did not need to be wire brushed to get to see it in good condition. Go watch some other archeological programs to get an ideas of what the protocols are mate, lol

[@nathanchalecki4842]

@@samrodian919 lol. It's not a fossilized dinosaur egg, egg.

[@exequisite1550]

nice

[@fishnrc294]

What is amazing is that the account of what really happened was proven to be 100% true. Amazing

[@Blossom_Chops]

OHHH WOW 😲😲😲 what an absolutely, awesomely, terrifying weapon. Watching this I went thro a great variety of emotions which has left me quite shaken 😳😳🤔🤔😬😬

[@aaronsauer6628]

Shame it all couldnt be recovered and put on display as best as possible

[@robnewman6101]

Great Fires of London. Fireman Sam.

[@yomama269378]

i have always known the name tony Robinson but never knew who it was till i saw these videos.

[@FineFlourishes]

Secret Weapon of the AweSomme

[@Hooibeest2D]

I only know Chatham from the raid on Chatham or the conquering of the Medway. The first royal marine corps action combined with commando (the churchil story is British bs) troops from the Republic of the United States of the Netherlands. All military material was demolished several ships captured and towed away. Not many casualties tho, the Dutch only took hostages. And looting and pillaging was forbidden. A few soldiers stole from civilians and lost their heads. And the demolished church door that was kicked in to capture British soldiers got replaced by a Dutch one that was sent to the church a few weeks later and is still in use. 1667 during the second Anglo Dutch war, those where times of chivalry. No idea why this story came into mind. But I do think the time team could make an episode out of it! Breaking the English chain.. where did it go? Are there traces of battle that could be found? I'm wondering.

[@johncantrell614]

What did they do with the artifacts? To me, some of it should be given to the army engineers, to be displayed at the engineering headquarters, so the students there could see them for themselves.

[@jwenting]

that's probably exactly what happened. Technically it's still property of the Royal Army, even after a century in the French mud. Though French law might disagree there.

[@volksmann]

Good to see Baldrick visits his old battlefield

[@TomFynn]

In WWII in the Pacific many Japanese would go for the Banzai charge even knowing that they'd only get mown down. But they preferred running into a hail of bullets in the open to being roasted alive in their bunkers. After seeing this, I can sympathize with them.

[@user-nh3ob4so4w]

The poor wild life which must have suffered with this test

[@shable1436]

Peter look just like that actor back in the day, sam Neill from Jurassic park

[@NTGNatural]

Thought the same thing😆

[@wintersbattleofbands1144]

A favorite phrase of documentary scriptwriters is "special permission," but this is incorrect. Permission is an absolute. You either have it, or you don't.

[@HendrixSRV197]

Why, as soon as I heard his voice, I started to grow a moustache and an officer's uniform and in a depressed, exhausted tone I said, "Baldrick".

[@markofthedevil845]

This episode got 3 miles to the gallon

[@johnnunn8688]

The flame is NOT going to travel back down the fuel pipe, to ignite the tanks. The flame needs oxygen, and the pipes are full of fuel.

[@Stevesautopartsify]

The evil that men do to one another!!

[@Catonaut.]

one of them sounds like James May

[@Aggemannen117]

Baldrick!

[@Cars_and_adventures]

Totally should have brought some giant marshmallows !

[@jamesTBurke]

Damn over 100 years in the ground and it still functions. Wish they still made stuff like that

[@Cypher791]

So this is part 2, “ The Hunt For The Giant Flamethrower Buried Under The Somme” is the first part.

[@shable1436]

Peter looks like that famous actor I can't think of his name yet, anyone know who I'm talking about?

[@Erwin_Von_Heidenheim]

I find ironic that Tony Robinson is presenting ww1 history

[@tacituskilgore5372]

Why they use diese instead of O2?

[@Khobotov]

What's with this strange time pressure?

[@massimomelosi1546]

Well, the range of the flame depends a lot from the viscosity of the flamethrower fuel. Using a very viscous fuel you will obtain a range of probably 100 meters. In fact during the battle of Okinawa (1945) USA used heavy flamethrowers mounted on tanks that had a range of several tenths of meters. So, there is no surprise in this video.

[@blastfromthepast7119]

Tenths of metres?

[@massimomelosi1546]

@@blastfromthepast7119 Sorry, it was tens

[@Dokkutah]

Am i the only one look at the thumbnail and immediately hear the voice: “Execute Protocol 99”

[@terrablemaxis]

Baldrick revisits

[@Lphyric]

my teacher is german, I think she would dislike some of this stuff

[@x8rsrule]

Scorched earth...😮...hm...

[@motographicartsandfilming]

That thing is a war crime 😬 Awesome work from the Sappers 👍

[@samrodian919]

So was Chlorine, and Mustard gas my friend and the Germans used it first.

[@motographicartsandfilming]

@@samrodian919 oh I'm not debating that, just saying that thing is horrifying. If it didn't kill you then you'd be evacuating that trench as well as your bowels 😬

[@jwenting]

it's not. There's no international treaty banning flame throwers, certainly at the time there wasn't.

[@motographicartsandfilming]

@@jwenting I know, it was a tongue in cheek joke about how brutal it is. It pretty much throws Napalm into the trench.

[@alucardgd2831]

he sounds like James May doesnt he

[@1339LARS]

I thought that flamethrowers was a thing that came under WW2 ? but I was wrong!! /Lars

[@jwenting]

flame throwers have been used since at least medieval times (though back then obviously they were extremely limited to how much pressure you can build with a hand pump and a leather of wooden container). Flame arrows were a thing as far back as at least the Romans and ancient Greeks.

[@AudieHolland]

Here I was thinking, they built this enormous machine just to use it once? Because it's in a static position and I guess they planned on firing it at the start of the offensive. What a waste of resources. Then the shell hit and... They never even got to use it

[@alexanderi1105]

The main historian looks like emperor palpatine

[@grantsmith1564]

rather than a soldier carving that heart pendant...I think it was around a soldiers neck FROM his loved one. Looks like where it would join on to a necklace has been pulled away and broken.

[@iRunfastXC]

They were so close to excavating the rest of the machine! Why would they get so close, then leave it alone!?

[@TheWhiteStrider]

Sidney Robert Seabrook 18:46

[@masshysteria9657]

based

[@masshysteria9657]

aye 5th

[@eyemallears2647]

I keep thinking James May is in this

[@reynmcmurry4837]

Here there be Dragons

[@BedroomBully88]

The *H E A V Y* f l a m e r