Tony,
Canadian Military HQ Report #141 summarizes the development and use of flame weapons within 1st Canadian Army. It can be found online as a pdf file through the Canadian Defence Dept. website -
http://www.dnd.ca/hr/dhh/history_arc...hq_e.asp?cat=1
The relevant text is below
30 Report No. 141
57. Flame Weapons. Various types of flame-throwing weapons were employed by the Canadian Army during the year. Flame throwers had been used by the British on an experimental scale since 1940 (C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw)2: Senior Officer C.M.H.Q. to H.Q. First Cdn Army, 24 Nov 42), but the development of these weapons as standard equipment of the Army depended largely on Canadian interest. Various experiments had been carried out by the Canadian Army in the United Kingdom and the first production on a large scale was in Canada (C.M.H.Q. file 55/4220/2:
D.C.G.R.D. Memorandum, 25 Mar 42; W.D., Canadian Training School: An Account of Flame Warfare and Technical Development by Lt.-Col R. Arnason,, O.C. No. 4 (C.W.) Wing, February 1945; see also W.D., Cdn Petroleum Warfare Experimental Unit, June 1943).
58. The first type developed on a large scale for use by the Canadian Army was the Canadianmade Ronson. This weapon was mounted on a Universal carrier. Orders had been placed in Canada by July 1942 for 1000 of these for the Canadian Army Overseas (C.M.H.Q. file 55/4220/2: Tel G.S. 2427, CANMILITRY to DEFENSOR, 13 Jul 42; C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw/2: Tel G.S.W. 272, DEFENSOR to CANMILITRY, 4 Mar 43). First deliveries were ready by the end of 1942, when a British proposal to use 50 of them in the Middle East was opposed by the Canadian Army Commander on the ground that surprise would be sacrificed by their use on a small scale. The proposal was abandoned (ibid: Memorandum by G.O.C.-in-C. First Cdn Army, 23 Nov 42; Tel G.S. 4123, CANMILITRY to DEFENSOR, 12 Dec 42). It is worth noting that none were yet available from British production (ibid: War Office Memorandum, 21 Nov 42). By the end of July 1943 the Canadian Army Overseas had received 818 Ronsons from Canada; the rest of the order had been lost at sea (ibid: S.D. 3, C.M.H.Q. to D.O.S., C.M.H.Q., 3 Aug 43). Supplies were not adequate, but it remained to determine the method of their employment. Training was carried out at the Canadian Training School, particularly with personnel of infantry divisional reconnaissance regiments. The intention was to use a maximum of 300 at one time using three reconnaissance regiments to operate approximately 100 each (ibid: Tel S.D.W. 474, CANMILITRY to DEFENSOR, 16 Oct 43). It was intended to hold these equipments in ordnance depots in the operational theatre for issue as required for particular operations.
59. The principal defect noticed in the Ronson was the difficulty of maintenance. There was some suggestion in March 1943 of adopting a new type, but the Army Commander expressed himself as satisfied with the Ronson (ibid: Tels S.D.T. 901 and S.D.T. 948, CANMILITRY to DEFENSOR, 12 and 19 Mar 43). The only alternative available at that time was the British Wasp Mk 1, which was not as good. In October 1943, however, the Canadian Army decided that the British Wasp Mk 2 Flame
Thrower, just coming into production, was superior to the Ronson and placed an order for 500 of these with the War Office. The Wasp Mk 2 is a more advanced design using the principles established by the development of the "Barracuda" by the Canadian Petroleum Experimental unit in conjunction with the British Petroleum Warfare Department (Major G.E. Wilson, S.D. 11, C.M.H.Q.). It is mounted
like the Ronson on Universal carrier and has two fuel tanks mounted inside the carrier, but the Canadian Army desired to have one external tank in view of the difficulty of maintenance with the internal tank (ibid: G.O.C.-in-C. First Cdn Army to Senior Officer, C.M.H.Q., 24 Oct 43; Tel S.D.W. 506, CANMILITRY to DEFENSOR, 23 Oct 43; Cdn Ops in N.W.E., series 17 pp. 1-3).
The production of Wasps was proceeding rather slowly and the modified Canadian version, known as Wasp Mk 2c, was accordingly delayed (ibid: Director of Special Weapons and Vehicles, War Office to Senior Officer, C.M.H.Q., 14 Jan 44; S.D. 11, C.M.H.Q. to S.D. 3, C.M.H.Q., 15 Apr 44). Meanwhile Ronsons were used for training and it was intended to use them for operations if the Wasps were not available. They were not in fact used in North-West Europe and the Canadian Army had
some 700 Ronsons available for disposal (C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw/2/2: Tel CARO 570, DEFENSOR to CANMILITRY, 6 Oct 44).
60. The policy in 21 Army Group was for the Wasps to be used by infantry carrier platoons as an occasional weapon; stocks held in advanced ordnance depots would be available on 7 days' notice (C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw/2: Tel S.D.W. 637, CANMILITRY to DEFENSOR, 12 Nov 43; Chief of Staff, First Cdn Army Letter, 23 Mar 44). Training was given to personnel of infantry carrier platoons at the Canadian Training School on the British Wasp 2. The first Wasp 2c was ready about 1 Jun 44 (ibid: Chief of Staff, C.M.H.Q. to Under-Secretary of State, War Office, 21 May 44). On the scale of 8 equipments for each infantry divisional reconnaissance regiment, motor battalion and infantry battalion, First Cdn Army had a requirement of 192 with wastage estimated at 29 per month. Up to the latter part of November First Cdn Army had received 134 Wasp 2 and 73 Wasp 2c, but many of these had gone to equip 49 and 51 Brit Divs. Total holdings were 45 Wasp 2 and 37 Wasp 2c of which 10 were held by the Polish Armoured Division. Efforts were being made to have First Cdn Army equipped entirely with the Canadian model (C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw/2/2: First Cdn Army Memorandum, 25 Nov 44; Notes on Visit by Col F.F. Fulton, (S.D.W.) C.M.H.Q. to H.Q. First Cdn Army, 4-9 Nov 44).
Wasps were used by the Canadian forces in North-West Europe, often with considerable effect (Cdn Ops in N.W.E., series 7, p.2; series 12, p.1; Historical file AEF/7 Cdn Inf Bde/C/D, the Bridgehead over the LEOPOLD CANAL, Account by Major A.L. Gollnick and Capt. C.M. Rehill; Historical file AEF/3 Cdn Inf Div/L/F, Docket III: Conversion G.O.C. 3 Cdn Inf Div with Major-General Eberding, G.O.C. 64 German Inf Div, 1 Nov 44). They were also supplied for operations in Italy (Historical file Italy 1944/1 Cdn Corps/C/F: Bi-Monthly Summary of Ops of 1 Cdn
Corps by Hist Offr, 16-30 Nov 44).
61. Early in 1944 another and more powerful flame-thrower was coming into production in the United Kingdom. This is the Crocodile, a flame-throwing apparatus usable in all Churchill VII tanks. Other types of tank and other marks of the Churchill cannot be used for Crocodiles. The fuel is carried in an armoured wheeled container pulled by the tank; the flame gun is mounted in place of the Besa. These were to be issued on the scale of one per troop in each Churchill regiment; due to short supply, 141 R.A.C. was equipped as a Churchill VII unit capable of using Crocodiles as an interim measure for the initial stages of Operation "OVERLORD" (C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw/2: Director of Special Weapons and Vehicles, War Office to Senior Officer, C.M.H.Q., 14 Jan 44; Chief of Staff, 21 Army Group to H.Q. First Cdn Army, 6 Mar 44).
On the basis of one per troop in each armoured regiment First Cdn Army had a requirement for 100 Crocodiles, but they would have to be adapted to fit Sherman tanks. The American Army were intending to use Crocodiles on the Sherman I which should fit the Sherman III and V used by the Canadian Army (ibid: A/G.O.C.-in-C. First Cdn Army to Chief of Staff, C.M.H.Q., 19 Feb 44; Chief of Staff, C.M.H.Q. to H.Q. First Cdn Army, 25 Mar 44). No production was started on the Canadian requirement owning to the prior claims of the Churchill model. At the end of August the requirement was cancelled. The American Army had abandoned the idea of
using Crocodiles on Shermans, leaving the Canadians as the only potential users (ibid: Director of Special Weapons and Vehicles War Office to C.M.H.Q., 1 Aug 44 and 23 Aug 44; Tel S.D. 88, S.D. Main First Cdn Army to S.D. Main EXFOR, 2 Sep 44). The Canadian forces in North-West Europe frequently had the support of Crocodiles provided by 141 R.A.C. (Cdn Ops in N.W.E., series 8, p. 3; series 9, p. 10; series 12, p. 1; Historical file AEF/First Cdn Army/R/H: 2 Cdn Corps Requirements Special Eqpt, 4 Oct 44).
62. To meet the lack of Crocodiles First Cdn Army in August requested to have a Wasp 2 mounted in Ram Armoured Personnel Carrier. By December 1944 First Cdn Army had received 36 of these (C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw/2: Tels S.D. 90 and S.D. 68, S.D. First Cdn Army to S.D.(W), C.M.H.Q., 15 Aug 44 and 17 Sep 44; C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw/2/2: Tel S.D. 99, First Cdn Army to S.D.(W), C.M.H.Q., 21 Dec 44). These equipments, known as "Cougars" and later "Badgers", were issued for trial purposes on the scale of 6 to each armoured regiment of 2 Cdn Armd Bde and 6 to the motor battalion of 4 Cdn Armd Div. They had not been used by the end of 1944.
63. Another flame-thrower employed during the year was the Lifebuoy, Mk 2. This is a portable flame-thrower operated by one man. Like the others it was held in ordnance depots for issue as required for operations. It was intended for use particularly in house or wood clearing or in street fighting where the Wasp and Crocodile cannot be manoeuvred (Cdn Ops in N.W.E., Series 17, pp. 3-4). It was employed occasionally by the Canadian Forces, but in practice it was found to be too heavy and to require considerable maintenance, and there was a lack of trained operators (Cdn Ops in N.W.E., series 8, p.7). A few Lifebuoys were held by Canadian forces in the United Kingdom for training at the Canadian Training School (C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw/2: Director of Special Weapons and Vehicles, War Office to C.M.H.Q. (S.D.3), 29 Jul 44). There was a shortage of these equipments
for the Canadian Forces in Italy (C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw/2/2: War Office to A.F.H.Q., 29 Nov 44). At the end of the year there was under development in the United Kingdom the A.A.A. Pack flame Thrower, which was reported to be better than the Lifebuoy but would not be in production until March 1945 (C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw/2: Tel S.D.W. 2545, C.M.H.Q. to S.D. Main first Cdn Army, 31 Jul 44; C.M.H.Q. file 1/F1 Throw/2/2: Tel S.D.W., 3645, CANMILITRY to G., S.D. Main First Cdn Army, 7 Dec 44).