My Grandfather was fighting on the islands, I am not sure if it was Iwo Jima Specifically. the only thing he told me about it is that it was the most stressful time of all of his 22 years in the service. He said he was more afraid of friendly fire and just had to keep pushing forward.
In combat, the best way to stay alive is to not be seen and stay as low as possible. Real life Call of Duty would involve a lot of looking at dirt, staying low, using cover, blending in, etc. “hug the ground and keep your head down”
Shooting a flamethrower required you to generally be more than 12″ off the ground either on a knee or standing, and points a giant bright orange/yellow beam directly at you that tells the entire enemy force exactly where you are. It’s also clunky, difficult to crawl with, and adds another 12″ of height while laying down.
Just saw a YouTube video on this last week.
On Iwo Jima the Japanese were able to kidnap a flamethrower and drag them back into their own bunker. US were not able to get to him and could hear his screaming for days.
If you ever have the chance to visit the WWII museum in New Orleans you can “interview” a flamethrower operator in their virtual interview room on the 1st floor (it’s easy to miss it due to its placement). It was really interesting to hear about how they learned what to do with the flamethrower.
They were delivered to their unit with zero instructions other than the type of fuel to use in them. They played with the fuel. I forget what they were supposed to use but they ended up using airplane fuel. They also tested shooting one to see how safe it would be for the operator.
He talked about learning to shoot it in high winds. They would shoot it just in front of themselves at the ground and then push that fireball forward. He said he was on iwa jima when he shot. He also talked about his first kills, it was a pillbox where he shot the flamethrower into a gun slit and killed 7 Japanese soldiers.
You can sit there for hours asking these men and women of WWII about just about anything and they would answer in a video. It’s super interesting to visit.
carrying a big, awkward, bright, hated thing that has no immediate stopping power is very risky. A person on fire might die, but they can still squeeze a trigger or let an explosive go. And damn are people going to be desperate to take you out.
It’s because they were targets. If captured they were often summarily executed. It’s hard to exaggerrate how brutal flamethrowers are, what it’s like not just be burned but to have the burning fluid stick to your skin. The flamethrowers which are almost always used in movies are gas-propelled, the type used in landscaping. They’re dangerous but they don’t compare to the liquid-propellant used in combat. The slarger ones will have a range up to 90 feet. The British had a tank-mounted flame unit they called the Crocadile. It was usually deployed with two foot soldiers just to make it easier for the enemy to surrender. Most countries have voluntarily stopped using flamethrowers in combat.
Iwo Jima was a profound shit show. Bunch of admirals throwing marines at a fortified mountain of rock they didn’t really have a use for. They didn’t consult with anyone about ground tactics, they just threw them into a meat grinder.
They could have starved everyone out by just blockading it, and saved a shitload of lives.
I think everyone is envisioning a flamethrower exploding from getting shot, but the steel in a pressure tank is really tough shit. A lucky round might snap a valve, but they weren’t designed not to take a beating.
Only 4 gallons of fuel. That’s a whopping 8 seconds of trigger time. Then you’re out of gas and everyone’s looking at you.
Your lugging around some big ass tanks on your back and no other weapon.
You stick out like a sore thumb and are using something, that we generally all agree is a messed up way to die from, so your a big target carrying that shit.
I “knew” Hershel “Woody” Willams, a Medal of Honor recipient from WW2 who operated a flamethrower. He came into the little hole in the wall restaurant my mom worked at in Culloden WV everyday for at least the ten years she worked there.
We eventually moved multiple states away, and one day my dad is watching the history channel and all of a sudden my mom says, “HOLY SHIT!! that’s Woody!!!!” It was a documentary on Iwo Jima. My mom knew that he served, always wore one of those veteran hats, but he obviously never talked about it. Out of the ~300 flamethrower operators deployed he was one of less than 20 to survive. He was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from WW2.
Very sweet and kind man, but I cannot even fathom.
War is kinda like Survivor. You actually don’t want to be the best, or the smartest, or the strongest. What you want to be is the most inconspicuous. *That’s* how you stay alive.
Two reasons: The first is that you have a giant ass target full of liquid fire on your back and the second is that fire emits light and means every enemy on the field can see exactly where you are when you use it.
Spoke to a USMC flamethrower who was at Iwo Jima. He passed out due to the heat and fumes. His helper took the flamethrower. The Marine ended up waking up on the beach on a stretcher and his helper was shot/killed.
Who knew being a very obvious target that the other side would 100% prioritize taking down while having a big tank of fuel strapped to you would be this deadly? /s
My late grandfather was a flamethrower operator on Okinawa. When he came back to the States his hair had gone permanently white from what he saw and did.
In a situation where survival depends on not being noticed, announcing your exact location with a 50 foot jet of burning fuel is probably not conducive to a long and healthy life.
Yeah, thats just gonna turn you into a big magnet for bullets. The enemy probably doesnt wanna die by fire, you wave a big beacon indicating where you are and your threat, you got a big old bomb strapped to your back, you are gonna become a bullet sponge real quick…
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“During the battle, the average life expectancy of a flamethrower operator was estimated at just four minutes”
My Grandfather was fighting on the islands, I am not sure if it was Iwo Jima Specifically. the only thing he told me about it is that it was the most stressful time of all of his 22 years in the service. He said he was more afraid of friendly fire and just had to keep pushing forward.
In combat, the best way to stay alive is to not be seen and stay as low as possible. Real life Call of Duty would involve a lot of looking at dirt, staying low, using cover, blending in, etc. “hug the ground and keep your head down”
Shooting a flamethrower required you to generally be more than 12″ off the ground either on a knee or standing, and points a giant bright orange/yellow beam directly at you that tells the entire enemy force exactly where you are. It’s also clunky, difficult to crawl with, and adds another 12″ of height while laying down.
You better believe the guy intending on barbecuing my ass is getting shot at until he’s dropped
“Jones! Lembrowski is down! Grab that flamer!”
“Errrr, sorry sarge. I err….. Don’t know how it works?”
Just saw a YouTube video on this last week.
On Iwo Jima the Japanese were able to kidnap a flamethrower and drag them back into their own bunker. US were not able to get to him and could hear his screaming for days.
*Edit link: https://youtu.be/4qnHxtxohJ4
The casualty rate of the entire Japanese garrison on Iwo Jima was insane – of almost 21,000 men less than a thousand survived.
If you ever have the chance to visit the WWII museum in New Orleans you can “interview” a flamethrower operator in their virtual interview room on the 1st floor (it’s easy to miss it due to its placement). It was really interesting to hear about how they learned what to do with the flamethrower.
They were delivered to their unit with zero instructions other than the type of fuel to use in them. They played with the fuel. I forget what they were supposed to use but they ended up using airplane fuel. They also tested shooting one to see how safe it would be for the operator.
He talked about learning to shoot it in high winds. They would shoot it just in front of themselves at the ground and then push that fireball forward. He said he was on iwa jima when he shot. He also talked about his first kills, it was a pillbox where he shot the flamethrower into a gun slit and killed 7 Japanese soldiers.
You can sit there for hours asking these men and women of WWII about just about anything and they would answer in a video. It’s super interesting to visit.
Flamethrower units are what inspired boss fights with big glowing red weak spots
carrying a big, awkward, bright, hated thing that has no immediate stopping power is very risky. A person on fire might die, but they can still squeeze a trigger or let an explosive go. And damn are people going to be desperate to take you out.
It’s because they were targets. If captured they were often summarily executed. It’s hard to exaggerrate how brutal flamethrowers are, what it’s like not just be burned but to have the burning fluid stick to your skin. The flamethrowers which are almost always used in movies are gas-propelled, the type used in landscaping. They’re dangerous but they don’t compare to the liquid-propellant used in combat. The slarger ones will have a range up to 90 feet. The British had a tank-mounted flame unit they called the Crocadile. It was usually deployed with two foot soldiers just to make it easier for the enemy to surrender. Most countries have voluntarily stopped using flamethrowers in combat.
Well shit, wouldn’t you prioritize killing the dude that looks like he’s going to burn you to death?
Iwo Jima was a profound shit show. Bunch of admirals throwing marines at a fortified mountain of rock they didn’t really have a use for. They didn’t consult with anyone about ground tactics, they just threw them into a meat grinder.
They could have starved everyone out by just blockading it, and saved a shitload of lives.
I think everyone is envisioning a flamethrower exploding from getting shot, but the steel in a pressure tank is really tough shit. A lucky round might snap a valve, but they weren’t designed not to take a beating.
Only 4 gallons of fuel. That’s a whopping 8 seconds of trigger time. Then you’re out of gas and everyone’s looking at you.
Your lugging around some big ass tanks on your back and no other weapon.
You stick out like a sore thumb and are using something, that we generally all agree is a messed up way to die from, so your a big target carrying that shit.
I “knew” Hershel “Woody” Willams, a Medal of Honor recipient from WW2 who operated a flamethrower. He came into the little hole in the wall restaurant my mom worked at in Culloden WV everyday for at least the ten years she worked there.
We eventually moved multiple states away, and one day my dad is watching the history channel and all of a sudden my mom says, “HOLY SHIT!! that’s Woody!!!!” It was a documentary on Iwo Jima. My mom knew that he served, always wore one of those veteran hats, but he obviously never talked about it. Out of the ~300 flamethrower operators deployed he was one of less than 20 to survive. He was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from WW2.
Very sweet and kind man, but I cannot even fathom.
It’s a good idea to shoot the guy who is going to douse you in burning napalm
I just watched this video too:
(https://youtu.be/4qnHxtxohJ4?si=qdgPR9tkPzO6vKAJ)
War is kinda like Survivor. You actually don’t want to be the best, or the smartest, or the strongest. What you want to be is the most inconspicuous. *That’s* how you stay alive.
Two reasons: The first is that you have a giant ass target full of liquid fire on your back and the second is that fire emits light and means every enemy on the field can see exactly where you are when you use it.
So…
Spoke to a USMC flamethrower who was at Iwo Jima. He passed out due to the heat and fumes. His helper took the flamethrower. The Marine ended up waking up on the beach on a stretcher and his helper was shot/killed.
Who knew being a very obvious target that the other side would 100% prioritize taking down while having a big tank of fuel strapped to you would be this deadly? /s
Knew it would be pretty bad but 92% is crazy.
My late grandfather was a flamethrower operator on Okinawa. When he came back to the States his hair had gone permanently white from what he saw and did.
If you’re interested listen to interviews with Don Graves. He’s in his 90s and still does interviews. He was on Iwo Jima as a flamethrower troop
In a situation where survival depends on not being noticed, announcing your exact location with a 50 foot jet of burning fuel is probably not conducive to a long and healthy life.
Yeah, thats just gonna turn you into a big magnet for bullets. The enemy probably doesnt wanna die by fire, you wave a big beacon indicating where you are and your threat, you got a big old bomb strapped to your back, you are gonna become a bullet sponge real quick…
Checks out.
Source: Plays Helldivers 2 and Team Fortress 2 with flamethrowers.
Apparently the Japs executed flamethrowers and snipers on site.