[Military Sub-Plane] By Friedrich Lau
Flamethrowers have been used by both warring sides as early as thousands of years ago in ancient times, whether it is the Spitfire warships that used "Greek fire" injectors in the Western Byzantium period, or the "fierce fire oil tank" recorded in the Song Dynasty's "General Outline of the Martial Arts", which although bulky, but can cause great damage to the enemy with flames, is very popular with soldiers.
In April 1918, a British tank was set on fire by a German flamethrower group in a trench
German Spitfires using flamethrowers on the Western Front in 1917
Time came to the 20th century, with the development of science and technology, modern flamethrowers have also been greatly developed. Modern flamethrowers originated in Germany and were first used by German soldiers against Allied forces on June 30, 1915. During World War I, which was dominated by trench warfare, this method of fire attack could often cause a large number of casualties to soldiers shrinking in the trenches, but at the same time, because of the bulky armor carried by individual soldiers, the Spitfires often became the main targets of attack. By the time of World War II, the weight of the flamethrower was further reduced by the Germans and was soon put into the battlefield. The excellent use of this offensive weapon has also gradually attracted the attention of the belligerent countries, so during World War II, we can see various forms of flamethrowers active on the battlefield, such as the German Army's Type 34 individual flamethrower, the US Army's M2 single-soldier flamethrower and the British Churchill Spitfire tank, etc., which have made great contributions to their own troops. Let's take a look at the use of flamethrowers in World War II through a set of photos.
A soldier of the U.S. 33rd Infantry Division holding an M2 flamethrower
A U.S. Marine Spitfire tank is destroying the Japanese stronghold on the island, and during the Battle of Iwo Jima, a total of 8 M4A3 Sherman tanks equipped with the Navy Mark 1 flamethrower were put into battle and quickly proved to be one of the most useful equipment during the campaign
▲ American soldiers clearing Japanese bunkers on Talagan Island, Indonesia, on June 1, 1945
German soldiers holding flamethrowers and burning local buildings during the Warsaw Uprising on September 11, 1944
▲ The British Churchill "Crocodile" Spitfire tank has a maximum range of 140 meters
▲ Flamethrower of Company E of the 9th Battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps fighting on Iwo Jima in February 1945
▲ In 1944, a German soldier using a flamethrower
▲Japanese soldiers using Type 93 flamethrowers
▲ British MK2 flamethrower, the longest range of 45 meters
▲ On April 29, 1944, in Denmead, Hampshire, soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Scottish Guard regiment displayed the MK2 flamethrower
An American soldier fiddling with the German Type 42 static defensive flamethrower
American soldiers fighting on Tarawa Island
The M4 Spitfire, which was part of the U.S. 713 Tank Battalion during the Battle of Okinawa, sprayed flames at the Japanese troops cowering in caves
On May 10, 1945, soldiers of the Australian 28th Infantry Battalion were used in the Wiwak area of New Guinea to use flamethrowers against Japanese soldiers
▲ Churchill Crocodile Spitfire tank fighting with British infantry on January 20, 1945
▲ Spitfires who participated in Army activities in New Orleans, Louisiana, united States on November 27, 1942
German Spitfire Detachment burning local buildings during the Warsaw Uprising (Brennkommando)
German paratroopers who invaded Crete
▲ Famous scene: Big brother smoking
In May 1942, Japanese soldiers who used flamethrowers to attack U.S. positions on Cregido Island in the Philippines, then the U.S. soldiers there chose to surrender
▲ British soldiers training with MK2 flamethrowers in the German town of Santen on March 10, 1945
▲ U.S. Marines engaged in a firefight with the Japanese in Guam
▲ In 1943, Sicily, Italy, the German Panzer III was equipped with flamethrowers
▲ In 1943, the German Panzergrenadier Division operating in the Soviet Union was equipped with the No. 3 Spitfire tank
▲The "K-type" flamethrower in the hands of the Warsaw rebels in Poland
In August 1944, the German army Sd. Kfz. 251/16 half-track spray train