3-20-17 Garand Picture of the Day

[Sarge1998]

"The new M4 Sherman flame thrower tank, designated POA-CWS "75" H-1 or POA-CWS-H1 (POA for Pacific Ocean Areas, CWS for Chemical Warfare Service, H for Hawaii), used the US Navy Mark 1 flamethrower system, based on the Q design E14-7R2. It was demonstrated to the Tenth Army about 1 November 1944. The weapon used compressed carbon dioxide gas to propel the fuel, had a fuel capacity of 290 gallons, a range of 40 yards with oily fuel and 60 to 80 yards with thickened fuel. Eight M4A3 Shermans modified with the POA-CWS-H1 were sent to the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, for the Iwo Jima operation and 54 were supplied to the 713th Provisional Flame Thrower Tank Battalion for the Ryukyus operation (Okinawa)."

Note: Material on this page adapted from U.S. Army in WW II: Chemical Warfare Service, Chapter VII Flamethrowers, Flamethrower Tanks on Okinawa, ARMOR: January-February 1994, Steven Zaloga's Armored Thunderbolt , Standard Oil Co. E12-7R1 Report OSRD 6350, 1945 and other sources.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[CINDERS]

Read the book "Looking Into Hell" By Mel Rolfe about Lancaster raids in WWII there was another in my books I have but its stored called "Battle For The Rhur" another classic both are modern books so will not be expensive.
Or to be a rear gunner on a night bomber of which a book has been written "Three seconds to live" just imagine sitting there and your whole world disintegrates in a hail of 20mm fire or your going down and cannot get to your chute because it is inside the fuselage not with you in the turret some gunners used a chest pack to at least give them a chance.
The flame thrower was quite an effective piece of kit for sure but there were far worse ways of dying like having a Panther or Tiger do circle work on your fox hole with you in it..................

[Paul S.]

Mate, my granddad was a sergeant in a highlander battalion in the trenches when the German's included the first major use of gas during pre-assault barrage at the beginning of 2nd Ypres. Being Mustard gassed with no protection, slowly dying as its burn your eyes, skin and lungs - drowning as fluid fills your lungs is a b*st*rd of a way to go too.

[CINDERS]

Sadly they did not know enough about the effects of Mustard gas and left the troops in the clothes they were gassed in just compounding the effects as the stuff had permeated the fabric continuing to fume them and burn skin.