Charles Womak
M-2 Flamethrower
The National World War II Museum, 2001.063.001
Flamethrowers were used extensively in the Pacific to clear fortifications and caves used by the Japanese as defenses. The M2 model shown here carried enough fuel to fire for seven seconds before needing to be reloaded. Flamethrower operators often made prime targets on the battlefield; eliminating them made clearing fortifications harder and a hit on a fuel tank could injure or kill soldiers or marines standing nearby.
