0:02 It was the fifth wave of US Marines
0:03 hitting the beach on Iuima. Sherman
0:05 tanks rolled off their landing craft,
0:07 but eight of them, though identical from
0:09 the outside, were not ordinary tanks.
0:11 These eight would account for about a
0:12 third of all Japanese casualties, and
0:14 they achieved that in the most
0:16 horrifying way. These were flame tanks.
0:18 Their crews would be a huge part of
0:19 winning the battle. However, some of
0:21 them paid a terrible price for using
0:23 that weapon. From the moment people
0:25 learned how to control fire, they kept
0:27 finding new ways to use it against each
0:28 other, and usually in the most
0:30 horrifying ways imaginable. One of the
0:32 best early examples was Greek fire,
0:34 which you could say was the first real
0:36 flamethrower. It was a pressurized
0:37 burning mixture the Bzantines used in
0:40 naval battles to spray enemy ships with
0:41 fire, and it was so effective that water
0:43 couldn't put it out. To this day, no one
0:45 really knows the exact formula, and its
0:47 legend as one of the most feared weapons
0:49 of the ancient world remains intact.
0:51 Through the centuries, fire kept finding
0:53 its way onto the battlefield. Sometimes
0:55 in ways that sound completely insane
0:57 today, like pigs and other animals being
0:59 set on fire and sent running toward
1:02 enemy lines just to cause chaos. But the
1:04 real flamethrower, the kind we're
1:05 talking about here, didn't appear until
1:07 the first world war. It was the Germans
1:09 who brought it to the battlefield first
1:11 in one of many desperate attempts to
1:13 break the deadlock of trench warfare.
1:15 When the Flaminger first spewed fire
1:17 across no man's land, Allied soldiers
1:19 were more shocked by how terrifying it
1:21 looked and sounded than by how deadly it
1:23 was. It was more of a psychological
1:25 weapon at first. Although the effect on
1:27 the human body soon cemented its
1:29 terrifying reputation, they were
1:30 notoriously dangerous to their
1:32 operators, and there were several
1:34 incidents of German squads being killed
1:36 by their own flamethrowers because of
1:37 sudden wind changes. There were even
1:39 early experiments with mounting those
1:42 weapons on tanks in World War I, but
1:44 they didn't get far. And after the war,
1:45 most nations paid little attention to
1:47 flamethrowers. That would all change
1:48 once the Americans found themselves
1:50 fighting in the Pacific. And you're
1:52 about to see why. Before we get to the
1:54 tanks, we need to set the stage with the
1:56 handheld flamethrowers so it all makes
1:58 sense. On the eve of the Second World
1:59 War, the Allies had a few of these
2:01 things, but there wasn't much enthusiasm
2:03 for them. There were no dedicated
2:05 flamethrower units. They showed up here
2:07 and there in a couple of rare cases and
2:09 that was about it. Then reports started
2:11 coming in that German troops were using
2:13 flamethrowers in assault and that pushed
2:14 American planners back to the drawing
2:16 board. They hurried a new round of
2:18 handheld designs into development and
2:20 those would arrive first long before any
2:22 flame tanks rolled off a landing craft.
2:24 Handheld flamethrowers were a strange
2:26 best and worst kind of weapon at the
2:27 same time. On the one hand, they could
2:29 do what rifles and grenades couldn't,
2:31 and that's effectively clear an enemy
2:33 position to put it lightly, by burning
2:35 the people inside. Grenades could do the
2:37 job, too. But once you understand how
2:39 the fortifications on Euima looked, you
2:41 see why the flamethrower was often the
2:43 only effective solution. So, the
2:45 American military developed the M1
2:47 flamethrower in a backpack configuration
2:49 with a nozzle for the operator to aim at
2:51 whatever he needed to burn. It had two
2:53 tanks holding about five gallons of
2:55 flammable mixture and between them a
2:56 smaller tank with compressed nitrogen
2:59 gas to propel the mixture in a jet some
3:01 20 to 40 yards at best. That was the
3:04 maximum range. It weighed about 70 lb
3:06 when full and that gave you roughly 7 to
3:08 10 seconds of continuous firing time.
3:10 The fuel went through the nozzle and was
3:12 ignited in early models electrically by
3:14 batteries. that proved unreliable and
3:16 was later changed to a pyrochnic
3:18 ignition system where a couple of white
3:20 phosphorus flares could be activated and
3:22 they'd burn long enough to ignite the
3:24 mixture. Operators shot a mixture of
3:26 diesel, gasoline, and napalm compound
3:28 that created a sticky substance burning
3:30 at about 1500° Fahrenheit and clinging
3:32 to everything it touched. Operators also
3:34 developed a tactic where they first
3:36 sprayed the target without igniting it.
3:38 that soaked the fortification and let
3:40 the mixture drip deep inside. And then
3:42 an ignited burst would set everything
3:45 and everyone on fire inside. You see,
3:47 the effectiveness of flamethrowers in
3:48 pillbox clearing compared to
3:50 conventional weapons was because the
3:52 flames didn't need to reach the soldiers
3:54 directly. An explosion or fragmentation
3:56 from a grenade can only kill someone who
3:58 is directly hit. And fortifications were
4:00 deliberately built to blunt grenade
4:02 effects. They were deliberately dug in a
4:04 zigzag pattern with grenade channels and
4:06 holes arranged so a soldier could kick a
4:08 grenade in at the last second before it
4:09 exploded. When a flamethrower hit a
4:11 pillbox, the effect was completely
4:13 different from an explosion. Besides the
4:15 flames and extreme temperatures, there
4:17 was also the effect of burning most of
4:19 the oxygen inside. So, even those who
4:20 weren't directly reached by the flames
4:22 would be severely affected by heat and
4:24 lack of breathable air. Perhaps we
4:25 shouldn't go too deep into the
4:27 physiological effects of flamethrower
4:30 injuries because this video could easily
4:31 get taken down. There were studies
4:33 asking whether the flamethrower was a
4:35 quote unquote too inhumane way to kill
4:36 someone. And results ranged from
4:38 descriptions of it as the worst way to
4:41 die to arguments that sensory faculties
4:43 are so overwhelmed that there isn't time
4:45 to feel pain. I don't quite buy the
4:47 painless theory, especially when you
4:49 take into consideration the screams that
4:50 came from caves. I should probably stop
4:52 there. If you really want to creep
4:53 yourself out, you can dive into that
4:55 rabbit hole later on the internet. So,
4:57 you see why the flamethrower became the
4:59 one weapon that could truly clear those
5:01 stubborn pillboxes. As we said, you have
5:03 70 lb on your back, and you need to be
5:05 within hand grenade range to be
5:07 effective. Your odd-looking backpack is
5:09 unmistakable on the battlefield. And
5:11 since the enemy knows exactly what will
5:12 happen if you get close, every weapon
5:14 they have will be turned on you. When
5:16 empty, you still have about 45 lb on
5:18 your back. And now you have to find your
5:20 way back to safety after the whole front
5:23 saw and heard your long stream of fire,
5:24 followed by the screams of the soldiers
5:26 in the fortification you just took out.
5:28 That was the problem. Flamethrower
5:30 operators weren't living long, as would
5:32 be proven on Euima, where 94% of them
5:34 died. The first time American troops
5:36 used a flamethrower against the Japanese
5:38 was during the battles in the Solomon
5:39 Islands, where they were used on a
5:42 larger scale for the first time. There
5:43 the vulnerability of the operators was
5:45 quickly recognized and someone had the
5:47 idea of combining a flamethrower with a
5:49 tank to solve its mobility and
5:51 protection problems leading to the first
5:53 not so successful flame tanks. These
5:56 were experimental conversions of M3
5:57 Stuart light tanks fitted with a
5:59 modified handheld flamethrower system
6:02 that got the nickname Satan tanks. They
6:03 now had about double the range of the
6:06 foot carried version and around 40
6:08 seconds of continuous fire. However,
6:09 they were notoriously unreliable,
6:12 failing in combat about 40% of the time.
6:14 Even worse, the Stewart's light armor
6:16 offered no protection against anything
6:18 heavier than machine gun fire, and the
6:20 turret traverse was limited because of
6:22 the added system inside. Still, when
6:23 they worked and managed to reach the
6:25 enemy without breaking down or
6:27 exploding, their effectiveness against
6:29 fortifications was undeniable, enough to
6:30 convince the American military to make
6:33 the concept truly work. Just five months
6:35 before the invasion of Iuima, a team was
6:37 assembled to learn from those earlier
6:39 failures and create a reliable battle
6:42 ready flame tank. This time, the M4 A3
6:44 Sherman was chosen as the base. After a
6:46 complete redesign of the conventional
6:48 tank, requiring about 1,200 man-h hours
6:50 per unit, 150 lb of welding rod, over
6:53 1,000 electrical connections, and 150
6:55 specialized parts, it was finally
6:57 completed. In place of the main gun was
6:59 a flame projector fed by roughly 300 g
7:01 of fuel mixture stored inside the tank.
7:04 It could project a stream of fire up to
7:06 150 yards, lasting about 80 seconds.
7:08 Refueling, however, took roughly 2 hours
7:10 before the tank could fire again. And
7:12 the fuel mixture had to be used within
7:14 72 hours of preparation, or it would
7:16 clog the system. The turret could
7:18 traverse about 270°
7:20 with elevation and depression angles
7:22 similar to a standard Sherman. The rest
7:24 of the tank functioned the same, and
7:25 most importantly, from the outside, it
7:28 looked just like any other Sherman tank.
7:29 That last detail would soon become the
7:32 Japanese defender's biggest problem when
7:33 these new machines landed on their
7:35 islands. Converting a Sherman into a
7:37 flame tank cost the equivalent of about $350,000
7:39 $350,000
7:40 today, and eight of them were ready for
7:42 the assault on Euima. The Japanese knew
7:44 the strategic importance of Euima and
7:46 had an entire year to turn it into a
7:48 fortress. The island's volcanic rock was
7:51 easy to dig by hand, and they carved 11
7:53 mi of tunnels, dug 5,000 caves and
7:56 underground chambers, and built 1,500
7:58 fortified concrete positions across its
8:01 eight square miles. About 21,000 men
8:02 were prepared to make a last stand in
8:05 defense of their homeland. Determined to
8:06 make the Marines job as difficult as
8:08 humanly possible, General Tadamichi
8:10 Kuribayashi knew his men would not
8:12 survive this battle. Orders were clear.
8:14 There would be no evacuation or resupply
8:16 once fighting began. Instead of the
8:18 hopeless banzai charges seen in previous
8:20 battles, he created a detailed plan to
8:22 make the Americans pay so dearly for
8:25 capturing that they might reconsider
8:27 invading the Japanese home island. Every
8:28 man was told not to die before killing
8:31 at least 10 Americans. The American Navy
8:33 slowly approached the island and for 74
8:35 consecutive days, warships and bombers
8:38 dropped over 6,800 tons of bombs and
8:41 fired more than 22,000 shells. Allied
8:43 intelligence naively underestimated the
8:45 Japanese force, believing the island was
8:48 defended by about 4,000 troops instead
8:50 of 21,000. Then they made an even
8:52 greater mistake by assuming the island
8:54 had been bombed into submission and
8:56 stopping the bombardment earlier than
8:58 planned. In reality, the Marines
8:59 approaching the beaches in their landing
9:02 craft had no idea that only about 200 of
9:04 the 1500 Japanese fortifications had
9:06 been destroyed. The main Japanese force
9:08 was still waiting underground in its
9:10 virtually intact tunnel network, ready
9:12 to show them a kind of combat never seen
9:14 before. The Marines hit the beaches on
9:17 February 19th, 1945. Although things
9:19 seemed quiet at first, soon all hell
9:21 broke loose. By nightfall, the Marines
9:24 had gained less than 700 yd of ground at
9:27 the cost of 2,400 casualties. But the
9:30 real battle had only just begun.
9:32 Unbeknownst to the Japanese, among the
9:34 Shermans that landed on the island were
9:36 eight new flame Shermans. They were kept
9:38 in reserve for the first 24 hours
9:40 because they were precious,
9:42 irreplaceable assets, and on the morning
9:43 of the next day, they went into battle.
9:45 The first was deployed to assist pinned
9:48 down Marines near Myama airfield. Flame
9:51 Sherman 431 advanced to within about 100
9:54 yards of a pillbox and opened fire. A
9:56 Japanese 47mm anti-tank gun fired and
9:58 hit the Sherman, but the shell bounced
10:00 off while the tank sprayed a 15-second
10:03 burst over its position until it was
10:05 completely engulfed in flames, allowing
10:06 the Marines to continue their assault.
10:09 Within 6 hours, all eight flame Shermans
10:11 were in action, spraying one pillbox
10:13 after another with fire and horrifying
10:15 Japanese defenders, many of whom began
10:17 abandoning their positions in panic once
10:19 the American tanks got close. This was
10:21 still only the beginning. As the battle
10:23 grew fiercer each day, the Marines
10:25 finally had a weapon that could destroy
10:27 stubborn fortifications that had
10:28 resisted even the heaviest naval
10:30 bombardments. And the effects were
10:32 horrifying. Flame tank crews were often
10:34 so close to their targets, they could
10:36 see exactly what was happening, and it
10:38 was a sight no one could forget. Marines
10:40 followed about 50 yards behind the flame
10:42 tanks, clearing out anything that
10:44 survived. Standard Shermans provided
10:45 heavy suppressive fire and followed
10:47 closely to protect the flame Shermans as
10:49 they moved within range. The burning
10:51 mixture, when sprayed over Japanese
10:53 positions, seeped through every entrance
10:55 and ventilation opening. If heat and
10:56 loss of oxygen weren't bad enough,
10:58 remember that the Japanese stored tons
11:00 of ammunition and fuel inside those
11:02 tunnels. When the flames reached them,
11:04 countless secondary explosions followed
11:06 underground, killing everyone inside and
11:08 burying others alive. Marines often
11:10 sealed tunnel openings with explosives,
11:12 trapping them underground, still alive.
11:14 US troops could hear muffled grenade
11:17 detonations and rifle shots underground.
11:18 You can guess what those were. Even
11:21 elevated positions weren't safe as flame
11:22 tank crews angled their tanks on uneven
11:24 terrain to fire above the usual
11:26 elevation limit of their projectors,
11:28 reaching the tops of cliffs where
11:29 Japanese defenders thought they were
11:31 safe. There was even an instance where
11:33 Japanese soldiers jumped off cliffs
11:35 under flamethrower attack to avoid being
11:37 burned alive. Shock and panic ran
11:38 through the Japanese defenders. Their
11:41 usual 47mm anti-tank guns weren't doing
11:43 much against a Sherman's frontal armor.
11:45 But they would find a way to fight back,
11:47 one as disturbing as the flame tanks
11:48 themselves, Japanese soldiers began
11:50 using desperate tactics, running at
11:52 American tanks with explosives strapped
11:55 to their bodies, sacrificing themselves
11:57 to save others. Although most never
11:58 reached the tanks because of close
12:01 protection around them, some did. Flame
12:04 tank number 438 was destroyed on March
12:06 11th in exactly this way when a Japanese
12:08 soldier detonated himself on the tank's
12:10 engine compartment, killing three
12:12 crewmen. General Kuribayashi reported to
12:14 his command that the enemy's special
12:16 flame tanks did more damage than all
12:17 their artillery and bombardment
12:19 combined, and that they had no effective
12:22 way to counter them. US engineers worked
12:24 around the clock to keep flamethrower
12:26 tanks operational and ready. They were
12:28 constantly on the front line fighting or
12:30 refueling with repairs done during the
12:31 night. Fuel was prepared around the
12:33 clock and flame tanks drove from the
12:35 front line to refuel and immediately
12:37 back into combat, doing that for days.
12:38 Crews were beyond exhausted, but they
12:40 had to push on. It is estimated that
12:42 flame tanks lowered the casualty rate
12:45 for Marines by some 40%. By mid-March,
12:46 organized Japanese resistance had
12:48 largely collapsed, although ambushes and
12:50 individual attacks continued for weeks
12:52 after the island was declared secured.
12:55 Then came March 21st. After 30 days of
12:57 heavy combat, the remaining 3,000
12:59 Japanese defenders were about to make
13:01 their last stand in horrific fashion.
13:03 Six surviving original flame tanks were
13:05 reinforced with four new ones urgently
13:07 shipped from Hawaii, and they were now
13:09 ready for the largest flamethrower
13:11 assault in the Pacific War. Flamethrower
13:13 and regular Shermans advanced in
13:15 formation, setting fire to and blowing
13:17 up everything in their path. Over the
13:19 course of a single day, they fired 8,000
13:22 gallons of fuel mixture and suffered 92
13:25 Marines killed and 257 wounded. That was
13:27 still far less than the losses a
13:28 conventional assault would have
13:30 produced. They broke the last organized
13:32 Japanese defense completely, many of
13:34 whom were killed by flamethrowers. Two
13:36 out of eight flame Shermans on Eoima
13:37 were knocked out, while the rest
13:38 suffered other malfunctions from
13:40 continuous combat and were cannibalized
13:43 for parts to keep the remaining machines
13:44 running. The surviving tanks were
13:46 shipped back to Hawaii where they were
13:48 examined and the design refined further,
13:50 eventually leading to the next
13:52 generation of flame tanks like the M67
13:54 Zippo used in Vietnam. Survivors came
13:56 out of the tunnels at night gathering
13:58 supplies they could find and some
14:00 continue to fight, but out of 21,000
14:02 Japanese soldiers on Euima, fewer than
14:05 200 surrendered and survived. The rest
14:07 are still on the island, most of them
14:09 buried in the very tunnels they dug.
14:11 Flamethrowers on Euima fired some
14:14 360,000 gallons of fuel mixture. So
14:16 that's an enormous quantity over the
14:17 course of the battle. All US Marines
14:20 agreed that if not for those tanks, they
14:22 would not have captured Euima. And
14:23 already horrific casualties would have
14:25 been even greater. Seeing this, the
14:27 Americans went full steam ahead with
14:29 converting Shermans into flame variants
14:31 and prepared about 70 of them for a
14:32 planned invasion of the Japanese
14:34 mainland. They were used again on
14:35 Okinawa in the final days of World War
14:38 II, where they consumed over 200,000
14:40 gallons of mixture against Japanese defenses.
