Preparations for the Invasion of Japan

During the summer of 1945 United States planners were concerned with the problem of holding down casualties in the invasion of the main Japanese islands. Such battles as Tarawa, I wo Jima, and Okinawa had illustrated how costly victory in the Pacific could be. The assault on Japan could be expected to exact a heavy toll of American lives unless some means were found for reducing casualties. One of these 

On I July 1945 the Sixth Army, relieved of all combat operations in the Philippines, received directions to prepare four corps, consisting of twelve divisions, and two additional divisions as army troops, for an assault on southern Kyushu on i November 1945. 

For the Kyushu operation (Olympic) over twice as many main armament flame tanks per division were to be used as had been employed on Okinawa. A tank battalion was to be attached to each assault division and Sixth Army requested sufficient main armament flame throwers to equip one company in each of these battalions. At this time the Sixth Army understood that some 600 main armament flame throwers were being manufactured in the zone of interior, but that only 40 of these would be available in time for Olympic. Therefore, the plan called for the distribution of armored flame throwers in equal lots to each tank battalion as soon as the weapons arrived in the theater. Some 56 additional main armament flame throwers of the POA model were to be obtained from Hawaii. Thus a total of 96 main armament 

sub Replacement Tank Mounted Flame Throwers for 713th Tank Bn. Hist CWS AFMIDPAC, vol. Ill, an. II-c-i, ref. 143. (3) Rpt of Official Travel, Maull to CCWS, 28 Sep 43, sec. Ill, p. 34, 

In the trial of battle the Army and Marine Corps in the Pacific discovered that the value of the flame thrower lay in its ability to reach the enemy in his prepared positions, which were for the most part impervious to conventional weapons. The excessive infantry casualties ordinarily incurred in rooting the Japanese from their defenses were thereby reduced. It appears certain that had the war not come to a sudden close the mechanized flame thrower would have demonstrated its ability to cut these losses to an even greater degree—not to mention the casualties which would be inflicted upon the enemy. 

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