Training assault operations

Troops coming directly from the communications zone into a sector under enemy artillery and small arms fire had to make a rapid mental and emotional adjustment. A few men cracked under the strain, but the majority held up well. Nonetheless, this initial experience demonstrated that a smoke company should have combat training and a period of indoctrination before commitment to an assault crossing operation. ... 

Although it was in the South and Southwest Pacific that flame throwers were first employed, it remained for troops in the Central Pacific to demonstrate the full potential of the weapon. This they proceeded to do in a long series of amphibious assaults that, paralleling MacArthur s drive in the Southwest Pacific, carried Army and Marine units from the Gilberts and Marshalls to the very doorstep of Japan. From the start commanders in the Central Pacific, especially Marine leaders, showed an interest in and an enthusiasm for the flame thrower unmatched in other theaters. Forces in the area were also blessed with an adequate and sometimes overabundant supply of the weapon, a relative absence of technical problems that plagued the Southwest Pacific, and sufficient time between engagements to train operators and assault teams. These factors helped to produce the success achieved by the flame thrower in the Central Pacific. 

The campaign demonstrated the validity of the new Sixth Army policy on tactical doctrine and servicing. Flame thrower operator casualties were light, malfunctions rare, and assault teams successful in the large majority of their missions. Japanese bimker, cave, and dug-out defenses on Leyte were elaborate and often ingenious. The success of the flame thrower pointed up the merits of the weapon and the training and skill of the operators. 

Closely related to the problem of doctrine was the status of flame thrower training. Despite several 2-day flame thrower schools sponsored by Fifth Army, the lack of adequately trained operators remained a problem throughout the campaign. These shortcomings in doctrine and training occasionally added up to situations wherein untrained operators received poor support from improperly oriented assault teams with the consequent failure of the mission. ... 

The ElRl was far from perfect—parts were easily broken, valves were hard to reach unless the operator was a contortionist, and the weapon made an uncomfortably heavy load on the operator s back—but the weapon held a range of 15 to 20 yards for 15 to 20 seconds and on the whole seemed suitable for use in special situations. Since the few that had been produced for the purpose of testing were the only practical American flame throwers in existence, the Army issued them to troops in training camps. Some troops actually carried these crude weapons overseas to the Pacific Islands and employed them in battle. Corporal Tirrell s assault on a Japanese bunker was made with one of these, an ElRl. 

---