ROKS (Ranzewuj Ognemjot)

History

Like other world powers in World War II (1939-1945), the Soviet Union evaluated and eventually adopted portable flamethrower weapon systems. The collection grew out of the "ROKS" series ("Ranzewuj Ognemjot") design work in the 1930s, which eventually included the ROKS-2 (also known as "KS-2") and the simplified ROKS-3 branding.

This production line ran from 1935 until the end of the war in 1945, and from 1935 it was produced in various factories of the Soviet government.

As a portable fire projection system, the ROKS comes with a set of backpack tanks with shoulder straps for the operator to wear. The ROKS-2's main tank is a large flat square unit that sits atop a smaller capsule-shaped part. The upper tank holds 9 liters of fuel, while the lower tank holds the required nitrogen propellant. A delivery hose runs from the lower right corner of the upper tank to the waiting projector assembly, which itself resembles a wooden service rifle. In fact, the stock is derived from the Mosin-Nagant Model 1891/30 line of military rifles and features a traditional dive trigger group with the stock forming the grip.

A telltale sign of the weapon is the large muzzle fuse cover mounted on the business end of the projector, apparently exposing the system to the discerning observer. Rifle parts also come with shoulder straps for easy marching transport.

In practice, the ROKS series proved to be as bulky in the field as their contemporaries, weighing up to 50 pounds on the operator's back. The range reaches about 27 yards, with an extreme range of 33 yards. Undoubtedly, this weapon is a savage anti-infantry device capable of quickly clearing tunnels and bunkers of excavated enemy troops. However, it has a limited range compared to traditional active duty rifles and its operator is a clear target for enemy gunners and snipers - the operator almost always has to expose most of the body when firing, so this weapon Very bulky. Due to the limited fuel supply, the burn time can only last up to 8 seconds, further limiting the overall tactical flexibility of the flamethrower.

The main fuel tank is often covered to hide the operator's true role on the battlefield. Flamethrower operators are rarely "lone wolf" units and are often used for protection alongside regular infantry.

While the flamethrower's tactical value is limited by the path it imparts, its psychological and physical effects on the enemy are truly dire.

The ROKS-3 designation denotes a more advanced flamethrower with simplified design practices. After the German invasion in June 1941, many Soviet factories in the west fell victim to enemy onslaught and had to be rebuilt or moved out of the danger zone in order to begin producing Soviet war supplies. Since the ROKS-2 was a low-priority weapon before the war, it was eventually eliminated, resulting in a simplified production form of the ROKS-3. The instrument differs in that it uses a traditional vertical "twin tank" cylinder arrangement. The fuel tank was placed side by side with the propellant tank, while retaining the rifle-style projection arm.

All other features remain the same, and these weapons are in service as soon as they become available.

It is known that some ROKS flamethrowers fell into the hands of the Finns during the Soviet Union's twin wars with neighboring countries (the "Winter War" and later the "Continuous War"). These received the designation "liekinheitin M/41-r" from the local Finnish army.

Specification

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Performance

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