| Liekinheitin M/44 | |
| Type: | Flamethrower |
| Service: | 1944-1970 |
| Wars: | World War II Continuation War Lapland War |
| Origin: | Finland |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Used By: | Finnish Army |
| Designer: | Sergeant M. Kuusinen |
| Range: | 12 - 15 metres |
| Design Date: | 1944 |
The Liekinheitin M/44 was an underbarrel flamethrower used by the Finnish army near the end of World War II.
During the Winter War and the Continuation War, the Finnish Army used Italian Model 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 a Suomi KP/-31, Finland's standard issue submachine gun.[2] This turned the Suomi into a combination 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 for covering 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]