High-pressure propellant was typically stored in another, smaller container within the fuel tank or attached externally depending on model.
Most iterations of the Kleif used a long hose which was covered in linen and corrugated by steel wire to prevent kinks and punctures.
The Kleinflammenwerfer was created by and developed by Richard Fiedler, alongside the Grossflammenwerfer or "Grof", which was a larger static flamethrower.
Chances of explosion were greatly enhanced by poor maintenance (leaking couplings and hoses) and the operation of damaged apparatuses nearby other active flamethrowers.
[3] Another risk mentioned by the Germans were lance operators being killed while firing the weapon, possibly causing the flamethrower to spin around to accidentally douse friendly forces.
[4] Additionally, the psychological impact of the flamethrower was significant, as the sight of flames shooting towards them could cause panic and demoralization among enemy troops.
Fiedler came up with this idea of flamethrowers in 1901, and submitted some evaluation models to the German Army in 1905 to the Prussian Engineer Committee (Preusisches Ingenieur-Komitee).
At the end of 1914, the first flamethrower “special force” was formed by Captain Bernhard Reddemann, made up of 48 men, mainly volunteers and firefighters.
Reports of the weapon's effectiveness stated that French soldiers ran away from the device, out on to open field, where they were subsequently mowed down by German machine gunners.
A second wave of flamethrower pioneers were stopped by rapid fire but attempts to counter-attack failed and most of the captured trenches were consolidated by the Germans.
Brutally fierce hand-to-hand combat ensued until a detachment from Kurhessian Pioneer Battalion No.11 arrived with flamethrowers.
[8] On June 6, 1915, the 1st Company of Pioneer Battalion No.11 deployed the Kleif to spray an unknown concoction of poison gas after failed attempts to use mine warfare tactics against Hill 10, then in Russian occupation.
The Guards Reserve Pioneer Regiment was the main flamethrower formation of the German Army, who fielded 216 Kleif and 24 Grof apparatuses for the attack.
After a lengthy preliminary artillery barrage, shock troops and flamethrowers advanced ahead of six infantry battalions in order to storm the trenches and silence strongpoints.
[10] Generaloberst von Woyrsch, army commander of the battle, later described the effectiveness of the flamethrower units by saying:"Of decisive importance was the participation of the flame shock troops in the attack.
These troops, who for three days had worked to move up during the artillery-fire preparation on the enemy positions, went forward with the greatest bravery...
The weapon featured a single vertical steel tank with a threaded protective cap atop it to house the pressure gauge.
The lance design made for this weapon would subsequently be used and modified over the course of the entire war for all portable German flamethrowers.
With access to specialized workshops for flamethrower construction and modification, the M.1915 entered service alongside the Kleif M.1914 with an entirely new design of its own.
Notable differences to the tank design included a new hinged protective cap, needle pressure valve, external propellant feed line, and a fixed outflow pipe replacing the swivel mount.