Section II DESCRIPTION AND DATA
3. USES OF FLAME THROWERS.
Flame throwers can: a. Penetrate openings, such as embrasures and gun ports, and fill the fortifications with flame and smoke.
b. Burn, asphyxiate, and blind enemy personnel, causing casualties, shock, panic, and abandonment of a fortified position.
c. Ignite combustible parts of shelters and materiel and start detonation of sensitive ammunition and explosives.
Fig 2. Firing with liquid fuel.
Fig 3. Firing with thickened fuel. Thickened fuel has longer range than liquid fuel and burns on target for several minutes.
d. “Shoot around corners,” when fuel is fired from dead or blind angles. This is made possible by the billowing and swirling movements of flaming gases. Blazing thickened fuels also ricochet from wall to wall in fortifications.
e. Cause the enemy to close ports, temporarily putting the emplacement out of action and thus protecting the demolition party.
f. Mop up dug-in personnel.
g. Eliminate enemy nests in street or jungle fighting.
4. CHARACTERISTICS AND EMPLOYMENT.
a. Action. Fuel is propelled into the target by a charge of highly compressed air or nitrogen. As fuel leaves the gun of the M2-2 portable flame thrower ([Fig 1]), it is ignited by contact with flame from charges of incendiary mix held in an expendable ignition cylinder.
b. Bursts. A continuous stream or separate bursts may be fired for approximately 8 to 9 seconds, not including time between the bursts. The five incendiary charges in the ignition cylinder are controlled by the trigger and can ignite several bursts.
c. Range. Portable flame throwers are fired at extremely close or point-blank range for best results. ([Par 22]) Effective range for liquid fuels ([Fig 2]) is as far as 20 yards, and for thickened fuels ([Fig 3]), 40 yards, but underbrush and adverse winds can reduce the distances.
d. Weight. To keep the weight as light as possible and still provide strength to withstand very high pressures, most parts are made of aluminum or sheet steel.
e. Tactics. Two or more flame throwers are generally used on a mission with other weapons of the assault squad. (See FM 31-50, “Attack on a Fortified Position and Combat in Towns.”)
f. Firers and assistants. One man carries and fires each flame thrower. Well-armed assistants accompany firers to give close protection and to serve as emergency replacements. Whereas the M1A1 portable flame thrower may require the help of an assistant to open the pressure-tank valve, the M2-2 flame thrower pressure-tank valve is located within reach of the firer and is operated by him without assistance. Firers and assistants should be thoroughly trained in operation of the weapon.
Fig 4. Tank group.
g. Charging and filling. In order to replace pressure tanks (cylinders) of earlier types of flame throwers, it is necessary to unscrew and screw threaded connections. Experience has shown that this frequently resulted in damage to threads, leakage, loss of pressure, and loss of range. It is also necessary to use tools to replace each pressure tank (cylinder). The design of the M2-2 flame thrower eliminates these difficulties. The tank group ([Fig 4]) may be charged and filled as a unit with or without gun and hose. The quick-connecting tank coupling permits rapid interchanging of empty and full tank groups by the firers or assistants. This is done without tools, takes very little time, and cannot cause leakage, loss of pressure, and loss of range due to damaged threads.
5. DESCRIPTION AND FUNCTIONING.
The flame thrower consists of two major groups: tank group and gun group. Detailed descriptions of assemblies and parts are included in Paragraphs [66] through [76].
a. Tank group. (Figs [4] and [5]) Carried upon the firer’s back, the tank group holds fuel and pressure. The tank group may be identified as tank, fuel, portable flame thrower, M2, assembly D81-1-482. It consists principally of:
(1) Two fuel tanks, holding a total of 4 gallons of fuel, and joined by a tank connector to form a single fuel reservoir.
(2) Pressure tank, charged with highly compressed air or nitrogen used to propel fuel from the fuel tanks through the gun to the target. The tank is large in capacity to assure ample pressure and uniformly long range throughout the firing.
(3) Pressure-tank valve, which releases air or nitrogen through the pressure regulator to the fuel tanks. The valve can be opened by the firer without the assistance required in the case of the M1A1 flame thrower.
(4) Pressure regulator, which automatically assures delivery of air or nitrogen to the fuel tanks at the proper pressure. The regulator is located in a position where it cannot easily be damaged.
(5) Carrier, which supports the tank group on the firer’s back and shoulders and secures it to his body. It includes body and shoulder straps and quick-releasing fasteners.
b. Gun group. ([Fig 6]) Carried, aimed, and operated by the hands of the firer, the gun group ignites the fuel and directs the flame into the target. It includes:
(1) Fuel hose, which conveys fuel from the tank group to the gun. The fuel hose may be requisitioned as hose, fuel, portable flame thrower, M1, assembly B81-1-498.
(2) Gun, which ignites the fuel and directs it to the target. The gun may be identified as gun, portable flame thrower, M2, assembly D81-1-405. It consists of:
(a) Fuel valve, which discharges fuel through the barrel. The valve is operated by squeezing the valve lever and the grip safety, which are on opposite sides of the valve grip. The valve also includes a barrel from which the fuel is ejected. The ignition head is supported on the front of the barrel.
(b) Ignition head, which ignites the fuel as it passes from the nozzle of the barrel. With each pull of the trigger on the front grip, one of five charges of incendiary mix in an ignition cylinder is ignited. This pilot flame ignites the fuel as it is propelled from the gun.
Fig 5. Tank group with carrier folded back to show construction.
Fig 6. Gun group of portable flame thrower M2-2.
6. IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION.
The words “Chemical Warfare Service,” model numbers, serial numbers, lot numbers, weight, cubage, manufacturers’ names, contract number, and date of packing are indicated on the packing chest or the equipment. The numbers and letters shown on the equipment should be referred to when repairs are required. The tank group and the gun (without the fuel hose) may each be marked “M2” and the fuel hose may be marked “M1,” although all of these are components of the M2-2 portable flame thrower.
7. DIFFERENCES IN MODELS.
a. M2-2 and E3 portable flame throwers. Portable flame thrower M2-2 is identical in all important respects with portable flame thrower E3. (The E3 flame thrower, when standardized with some modifications, became the M2-2.) Operation and maintenance of the M2-2 and E3 are in general the same, and the parts are interchangeable.
b. M2-2, M1, and M1A1 portable flame throwers. Portable flame thrower M2-2 has the same fuel capacity but differs in construction from portable flame throwers M1 and M1A1. Parts are not interchangeable except as stated in Paragraph 8.
8. INTERCHANGING PARTS WITH M1 OR M1A1 FLAME THROWER.
To use an M2-2 gun with tank group (fuel unit) of an M1 or M1A1 portable flame thrower:
a. Remove fuel hose from M2-2 gun.
b. Screw a 3/4-inch by 1/2-inch pipe bushing into the side opening of the fuel-valve body. This bushing is furnished in the spare parts kit of each M2-2 portable flame thrower. ([Par 10])
c. Screw the fuel-hose assembly of the M1 or M1A1 flame thrower into the 1/2-inch opening of the bushing, using a wrench to make a tight connection.
9. DATA.
All data are approximate.
a. Range. See Paragraph [22].
b. Duration of fire.
(1) Fuel.
(a) Continuous discharge of approximately 8 to 9 seconds, or
(b) Several short bursts totalling approximately 8 to 9 seconds (not including time between bursts).
(2) Ignition cylinder. Five charges in each cylinder, 8 to 12 seconds per charge.
| c. Weights. | |
|---|---|
| Pounds | |
| Portable flame thrower M2-2, empty, in shipping chest (including the chest and all contents) | 110 |
| Portable flame thrower M2-2, empty | 43 |
| Portable flame thrower M2-2, filled with fuel | 68 to 72 |
| Tank group, empty | 35 |
| Tank group, filled with fuel | 60 to 64 |
| Gun group | 8 |
| d. Dimensions. | |
| Inches | |
| Gun, length | 30 |
| Fuel hose, length | 37 |
| Tank group, height | 27 |
| Tank group, width | 20 |
| Tank group, breadth | 11 |
| Packing chest (Cube of packing chest: 8-1/2 cubic feet) | 34 x 23 x 19 |
| e. Capacity of weapon. | |
| Ignition cylinder (M1 or E1) | 1 (which includes 5 incendiary charges) |
| Fuel | 4 gallons plus void for air or nitrogen |
| f. Pressures. | |
| Pounds per sq. in. | |
| Pressure tank | 1,700 to 2,100 |
| Fuel tanks | 350 |
g. Ratio of expended supplies. For every 100 complete fillings of the flame thrower, the following supplies are normally expended:
(1) Nitrogen contained in fifteen 220-cubic-foot cylinders or an equivalent volume of compressed air. (Eleven cylinders are expended if the four-place arrangement described in Paragraph 32 is used.)
(2) 450 gallons of fuel (400 gallons plus 50 gallons for spillage, spoilage, and evaporation).
(3) 100 ignition cylinders.
(4) If thickened fuel is used, 135 pounds (in cans of 5-1/4 pounds each) of U. S. Army fuel thickener.