Flamethrower infantry (Red Alert 1)

Flamethrower infantry soldiers are specially trained soldiers that are equipped with flamethrower and tasked with attacking enemy infantry and structures. They are a part of the Soviet infantry corps in Red Alert.

Background
In the Second World War, Soviet commanders decided to turn to flame weaponry as an effective means of not only destroying enemy infantry, but also as a means of terrorizing civilian populations.

Soviet Flamethrower infantry wielded large flame projectors designed as a potent anti-infantry and anti-structure. In order to fuel their weapons, Flame thrower infantry hefted massive fuel packs on their backs. The Flamethrower launches a fireball that ignored infantry between the flamethrower infantry and the target, and created a fiery blast upon impact. It is believed that this type of flamethrower utilized rechargeable high pressure gas chambers to actually launch a blast of flame.

Flamethrower infantry needed to be split up, because if the unit was killed, there was a high probability that the tank full of flammable chemicals would violently explode, damaging and immolating nearby infantry. Thus, Soviet commanders often placed flamethrower infantry behind the front-line infantry, but also spread apart, which was at times difficult because of the weapon's short range.

Tiberium Universe
Following the conclusion of the war, flame weapons were prohibited as being inhumane. The Brotherhood of Nod disregarded such limitations and adopted them as an important part of their arsenal during First Tiberium War.

Red Alert Universe
However, with the development of Flak Troopers before the Third World War, flamethrowers were considered unnecessarily dangerous and Soviet leaders ceased their Flame Trooper training programs.

Game unit
Flamethrower are high tier (requiring a Tech Center to deploy) infantry with limited utility and high expense. By the time you can deploy these units, there are better alternatives for each of the advantages that the Flamethrower has.

They have medium ranged flamethrowers that can deal heavy damage to infantry, light vehicles, and structures. However, since the fireball takes time to reach the target, Flamethrower infantry are extremely ineffective against moving targets at their maximum range.

The fireball is also very inconsistent in the amount of damage it deals to infantry. Sometimes, a direct hit won't damage a Rifleman, while a shot off to the left can bring them to critical. The targets that the flamethrower is reliable against are structures.

It is more effective against groups of infantry, especially if they are clustered close together due to the Flamethrower's area of effect. Due to the explosive fuel tank on their backs, Flame Infantry work best in pairs so they don't get overwhelmed by enemy units while preventing collateral damage.

Trivia

 * Interestingly, the flamethrower soldier in the purchase icon appears to be wearing a gas mask, possibly as a protective measure against toxic fumes from burning material, or as improvised shielding from fire and the resultant extreme heat.