US M2/M2A1 Flamethrower

/ forgottenweapons
After a dismal first attempt at designing a flamethrower (the M1) in 1941, the US Chemical Corps along with several universities and industrial partners put in a lot of research to develop a more usable and effective flamethrower. The result was the M2, which went into production in early 1944. It would prove to be an exceptionally effective weapon in the island-hopping campaign towards the end of the war.
The M2 was arguably the best flamethrower fielded by any military during the war, with a number of excellent design features. These included:
* A constant-pressure regulator to ensure that the range stayed the same from the first to the last shot of a tank of fuel
* An on/off main valve easily accessible to the operator
* A supremely waterproof and reliable pyrotechnic cartridge ignition system
* An auto-shutoff valve which sealed at the nozzle, preventing dribble (and cutting off fuel flow should the operator lose control of the weapon)
The M2 would see service into the Vietnam War even as its successor the M9 was being issued. It was a truly outstanding design, and remains viable to this day.
Thanks to Charlie Hobson for showing us the unit and teaching me to fire it, and also thanks to Adaptive Firearms for letting us use their range facilities!
You can find Charlie Hobson's book, "US Portable Flamethrowers" here:
amzn.to/1SP9yc5

[@bladudemovies]

I sure am glad they painted it camouflage green. Wouldn't want to alert the enemies when shooting this thing.

[@Stevethethird677]

Lol, George Carlin reference?

[@KingBongHogger]

That's so a sniper can't easily pop your tank and turn you into a giant napalm bomb

[@Ye4rZero]

He didn't show the suppressed model!

[@davidsteele3155]

right?

[@MWSin1]

Where do you mount the bayonet?

[@johns1625]

In the last 40 minutes I have learned how to arm and operate an RPG-7, an M9A1 Bazooka, and an M2 Flamethrower.

[@RoraighPrice]

your officialy more trained than a standered infantry grunt

[@AspiLeo]

Don’t do anything stupid though… 😂😬

[@Noukz37]

Just to check, are you a very dissatisfied citizen as well?

[@classdpersonnel115]

based

[@MrKeserian]

@@Noukz37 not today, fed! J/k... Sort of.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

*The* weapon--more than any other--that earns the name "firearm."

[@lestranger7440]

Get out of there,please

[@nerdyspinosaurid]

even though it technically isn't one!

[@ace-x6m]

@@cousinzeke4888 that’s just because they don’t want to classify it as something that is protected by the second amendment so people are taking ownership of these things lol

[@RipRLeeErmey]

@@ace-x6m You're still legally allowed to own a flamethrower in most states. Farmers use them all the time for controlled burns.

[@HeatherSpoonheim]

Light a man a fire, he is warm for a day. Light a man afire and he is warm for the rest of his life.

[@csealand]

So funny

[@teresamartinson7427]

about 30 seconds

[@raphuscucullatus7845]

That was a pretty *hot* statement you made

[@brantleyhester6641]

lightoftheworld1932 or Senior Crispen

[@__________________________Fred]

Lady, that's gold

[@clutchcruiser2750]

"And now I've lit the ground on fire, so excuse me one moment." I'm going to use that line to get out of boring phone calls...

[@leosaffron222]

Did that in a public bathroom one time it was a good time.

[@16BitTerror]

Ian is so mild mannered, seeing him so giddy and excited about something is awesome xD

[@JeepWranglerIslander]

"I didn't ask how big the room was, I said I cast fireball"

[@kevinwestermann1001]

Proceeds to roll a 99. :'D

[@chrisperrien7055]

That 20 foot radius(IIRC old basic/ADD ) can really come back and bite you in the butt , in a regular 10 foot high room/tunnel/cave, using actual physics rules , instead of "magic" rules.

[@saltymcginger2027]

I fucking died reading this.

[@SeanCMonahan]

@@saltymcginger2027 you and the rest of the party

[@ihil4620]

More like agonasiers scorcher

[@33482]

"Shooting people with guns is inhumane!" "Okay, this weapon uses no bullets, try that one then"

[@anthonyjh02]

Bullets are far more humane than this. But I doubt there’s anyone out there with such a thick skull to think otherwise

[@yuurichito1439]

@@anthonyjh02 wOOOOOOsh

[@anthonyjh02]

Blitz 2.0 - Damn I really did take this at face value. I’m usually better then that.

[@yuurichito1439]

@@anthonyjh02 🤔

[@yuurichito1439]

@@anthonyjh02 ok

[@davidhoffman6980]

"Why would you need a flamethrower?" Well I don't need a Lamborghini either, but I still want one.

[@Aconitum_napellus]

Xenomorphs, obviously.

[@DJl3iohazord]

Clearing Weeds and wild brush.

[@oerlikon20mm29]

Well, if you don't have a lighter on you, just whip out your flamethrower

[@davidschmidt6013]

'Nuff said.

[@andrewmoore7022]

Also these are really good at clearing out weeds and bushes like extremely good easily the best Plus lighting a fire with one's pretty cool

[@randyphillips2263]

in WWII my dad was trained in these, probably the M2. When he got to his unit in the South Pacific he found out that the operators had short life spans. Not from the flame thrower but the enemy did not like to get set alight so they would concentrate their fire on any one wearing one of these. So he ditched that and got an M1 Garand. Found that to be rather heavy for jungle fighting. Ditched that for the M1 carbine that he carried the rest of his war. He was wounded after he helped in the recapture of Manila but not from an enemy bullet. Directly. He carried his carbine ammo in a medical pouch on his belt. The bullet hit that and the ammo blew up. Almost blew his ass off. Spent 6 months in the hospital and carried carbine brass in his hip the rest of his life. Occasionally a bit would work it's way out. I think one came out a year or two before he died in 2013.

[@iansmith5052]

I wouldn't want to use one of them either

[@edoedo8686]

Damn....some bad luck...and that had to mean a lot of lifelong miserable pain...

[@randyphillips2263]

@@edoedo8686 He farmed all his life. VA called him 100% disabled some time in the 60s. About that time I watched as a guy attacked him with a chain. Wrong move as my dad proceeded to beat the snot out of him. The guy's buddy was in the bed of a farm truck ready to jump on top of dad. Luckily he looked up and saw he was looking down the barrel of my rifle. He did not move as my dad finished his work

[@iansmith5052]

Randy Phillips savage

[@HolbrookStark]

Randy "Savage" Phillips

[@Imdippinout]

So can you load this thing with water and have the coolest super soaker ever?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Yes, Charlie has actually don exactly that to use with firefighting crews. The high pressure makes it good for use on smoldering stumps, apparently. I have also heard stories about large paintball games... ;)

[@natanaelclavijo035]

Forgotten Weapons where did you buy that? please i Need it

[@tswims92]

Dick Fageroni Charlie is the owner of the actual flamethrower Ian was using/reviewing. He was not referring to the VC or NVA. Also as a side note what would make it racist? Charlie was derived from the NATO phonetic alphabet. VC was shortened from Victor Charlie (VC) to just Charlie or C. And it stuck and was later applied to all communist forces not just the VC.

[@frankquispe9195]

Yes

[@fbi4794]

Dan Smith yes it’s called a garden hose.

[@roberthuff3122]

I suspect a low survival rate for captured operators.

[@kardeskalap2165]

@@MPal24 I watched a hungarian footage about WW1 where one of the guy explained that he became a flamethrower guy, because those ones got extra free days. The reason was that flamethrowers were primary target, and later the fighting parties (hungarian vs italian) agreed not to use it because of it's inhumanity. And yes, if someone got captured normally he was threated well, and the only exceptions were the flamethrower operators. I will try to find the video and provide a full translation.

[@kardeskalap2165]

The video I mentioned starts from here kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXebiJJufKynntU

[@kardeskalap2165]

Hungarian transcript, not 100% but very close... Csapos, mint a permetezőknek van. Minden katonájuk rohant be a bunkerükbe, nekünk meg az volt a kötelességünk, hogy minden bunkerükbe be kellett spriccelni. Ott pusztultak el. A gyalogság meg jött utánunk és foglalta el a helyet. Két támadásban vettem részt, amely sikerrel járt. Mindig ilyen más jelzéssel kellett felvonulni? Az állandóan rajtunk volt az utász jelvény. Utász jelvény volt. De azt megmondták az első támadásnál hogy úgy számoljunk, hogy nincs fogoly náluk. Ha megtudják hogy lángszóróval vagyunk akkor az egyszerű közkatonájuk is ott a helyszinen agyonlő. Elpusztithat bennünket. Szóval, két támadás sikerrel járt. Igen ám, de nagy lángja, nagy füstje volt a mi munkánknak, és a harmadik támadás, amikor felkészültünk volna, olyan pergőtüzet kaptunk... angol, francia tüzérséget kapott az olasz ellenség akkor. Úgyhogy vagy 10-15-20-an ha megmaradtunk, a többi ott pusztult el. Olyan tüzérségi össztüzet kaptunk hogy meg se tudtuk közelíteni a helyszínt. Evvel vége volt ... de közben jött Svájcból állitólag a parancs hogy nemzetközileg letiltották a lángszórónak az alkalmazását, tehát ez ez megszünt. De miért? Ez nemzetközileg valahogy embertelennek találták, és ezt nem engedélyezték. De miért? A lángszórót, hát élő embereket benzinnel elégettünk.

[@kardeskalap2165]

@@MPal24 It had a tap, like the sprayer. Their soliders ran into their bunker, and we had a duty to spray in every bunker. They died there. The infantry came after us and occupied the place. I was involved in two attacks that were successful. Did you always had to wear your badge? Yes, we carried it all the time, it was a pioneer badge/insignia. But they told us at the first attack that we shall count on that they (the italians) will take no prisoners. If they find out that we are with a flamethrower even the lowest ranking private will shoot us on spot. He can destroy us. So, we had two successful attacks. Yeah, but our work came with a big flame and smoke, and at the third attack, when we were preparing we received such a artillery barrage. The italian enemy received british, and french artillery support. So around 10, 15, 20 of us remained alive, the rest died on the spot. The barrage was so heavy that we could not even approach the scene. This stopped it... meanwhile the order came from Switzerland that the use of the flamethrower was banned internationally. so that stopped it (the use of the flamethrower). But why? This was somehow found inhuman internationally, and was forbidden. The flamethrower? Yes, well, we burned people alive with gasoline...

[@certaindeed]

If someone as my enemy came on the battlefield with that he would be my primary target to shoot. If he was running he would he my primary target. If we was wounded he would be my primary target. If he was begging for his life all the better.

[@ZeroStriker426]

I'm actually surprised at how user-friendly that flamethrower is. Plus it's just awesome seeing it in action.

[@majorwibblevods8160]

ikr I thought that shit would burn your hands really easily.

[@TeamFortressFag]

It's user-friendly but very very unfriendly to the person on the receiving end

[@johnathanblackwell9960]

@@TeamFortressFag It's perfect friendly, you're just inviting your enemy over for a BBQ. Might have forgotten to tell him that he was on the menu though...

[@Thelategreatjohnnybratton]

My father was in the 18th combat engineers in the US Marine Corps 2nd Division in WW2. Combat engineers were trained in flamethrowers and demolition. He carried his flamethrower on Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian. He was in combat at Guadalcanal but that was before we used flamethrowers. He trained as a combat engineer in Wellington NZ before the landing on Tarawa. How he survived 4 battles I do not know. He had nightmares his entire life. Ordinary men did extraordinary things.

[@juj9305]

interesting

[@Thelategreatjohnnybratton]

@Alex Luca he told me he always had a rifleman nearby so they could kill the enemy and put them out of their misery. Years ago he just out of no where blurted out “ you don’t know how terrible it was to set human beings on fire. I hated them and they were trying to kill me but they were still human beings”. He was a kind gentle man and great father to me and my brother. I miss him every day

[@ScrotumTingle]

My neighbor was a combat engineer and I interviewed him for an assignment I had in elementary school. He was in at least as many battles, including Iwo Jima and Okinawa. It was an uphill battle trying to get him to tell me about his experiences but once he opened up there was no stopping. He told me his first night he was in a 5 man team and by morning he was one of 2 men left alive. He passed away a few years ago, I can only imagine the stories he took to his grave.

[@Thelategreatjohnnybratton]

@@ScrotumTingle these men were extraordinary yet humble and as my father always said “ I was just doing my job and doing what the Marines taught me to do”. He was wounded on Saipan, he had a hole in his shin for the rest of his life and I have the bullet he picked out of a coconut tree, and he never accepted the Purple Heart awarded to him. I contacted the Marine Corps and they sent me the documents. When I asked why he did not want it he said “ medals don’t matter, the only guys who are hero’s are guy who don’t make it home. A few years before he died I found a 9x12 envelope in a drawer. Inside was a medal and commendation signed by the commander of the Pacific fleet. The commendation explained what he did and why he was awarded this. He never told anyone he had it. Again he said medals aren’t important. Ordinary men did extraordinary things And like your neighbor my dads 5 man team was down to 2 men at Tarawa.

[@ashcarrier6606]

Men like that made possible the world we live in today.

[@DanH34]

"The first thing you notice about firing this [flamethrower] is the flame." - Gun Jesus, 2016

[@joshuaconner5887]

Me at 2am: i need to sleep. Also me at 2am: i NEED to know how the M2 flamethrower works.

[@mightybaibon2378]

Love this comment.

[@Arthuro1776]

I need to stop this 🤪

[@marshwiggle9676]

No lie it’s 2am and I just read this

[@MMilitia]

@@marshwiggle9676 100% true, not fake

[@gd_media]

Bruh... Legit 02.02am... I'm 12min in the video already 😂😂😂😂 wtf for real

[@jamesrasp2713]

If he would have said “nice hiss” when he opened the can, then “let’s get this out on a tray, nice” that would have been the best thing ever.

[@LavishButtocks]

I actually said "nice hiss" to myself when he opened the can

[@AshleyPomeroy]

"Tastes of diesel", takes another bite, "yup, that's definitely diesel", takes another bite etc.

[@scum1633]

ah, i see you’re a man of culture as well

[@alexanderh.5814]

Oh, this tastes awful......takes another bite.

[@natfoote4967]

@@LavishButtocks Me too.

[@-----Alcatraz------]

Fun fact: These are legal in 48 states. Have fun.

[@bansheemania1692]

Huh. Never new that. Grandpa uses his for Gopher's

[@dELTA13579111315]

Screw California, we can't even have real fireworks here legally

[@igostupidfast3]

Yup Maryland and California are the 2 exceptions

[@AngDavies]

@@igostupidfast3 given California's semi recent history...seems fair tbh

[@spiff2268]

@@dELTA13579111315 Can't really blame Cali. The state's on fire half the time as it is.

[@skiingcrocodile2153]

"you dona wanna do pfffpfpfpff with flaming napalm" -Ian 2016

[@KingdomOfApple]

I mean, he's not wrong. The last time i pfffpffpfppfff'd with napalm I did not have a good time, lemme tell ya.

[@darthtytherous2107]

I’ve never saw Ian so excited to shoot something that he giggles and his legs start to shake. It actually brings a smile to my face to see someone so excited for something.

[@rexfrommn3316]

In WW2, it became common practice to have two BAR men to provide suppressive fire for one flamethrower. Tank support was also necessary too.The flamethrower guys became high value targets for enemy gunners and snipers. The flamethrower guy was someone who the had the words "TARGET" on their backs. It is good to remember lots of flamethrower guys became grave registration candidates. Also, the flamethrower guy wasn't taken prisoner by the enemy. These flamethrower guys were usually shot on sight by their captors. Infantry jobs are hard but one of the hardest ones was the flamethrower guy. The flamethrower guy also got to smell the burnt flesh of half cremated enemy soldiers. No one in their right mind wanted to be the flamethrower guy. You just ran the flamethrower because you absolutely were ordered to and had to for your unit's survival. Most enemy didn't stick around in their holes but fled a flamethrower guy. More fleeing enemy soldiers were shotdown by the accompanying BAR teams and other riflemen than by the flamethrower guy himself.. Satchel charge guys and grenades always went with the flamethrower guy. The enemy target first was given torch medicine. Then grenade and satchel charge guys went forward to give a final cure of medicine. Grenades and satchel charges were placed to finish off the entrenched enemy target. These flamethrower-BAR teams worked closely with satchel charge men and soldiers with grenades. These teams were used to clear put pillboxes, fortified bunkers, caves and trenches. The Marines and U.S. Army troops called these tactics "blow torch and corkscrew" tactics. It was always bloody, costly, slow, difficult work flaming out and blasting the entrenched enemy.

[@harryschaefer5887]

My father was a SeaBee on Tinian and had to clean-out the pill boxes after the Marines had taken the island. The runways he helped build for the B29s to use can still be seen on Google Earth view.

[@visionist7]

Bet he saw him some crispy critters

[@johnballs1352]

Fake and gay

[@dongilleo9743]

Ian's parents when he was a kid: "Don't play with matches! It's dangerous!" Ian as an adult: "This flamethrower is so fun!"😀

[@ryandewald1]

My Grandfather was a flamethrower operator in Europe during WWII. It was very cool to learn the actual details about the weapon. Thanks once again Ian!

[@braincrashtv8377]

Danke to youn Herr De Wald

[@youtert]

"Gee, I sure would like to set those people on fire over there, but I'm way too far away to get the job done." -George Carlin

[@tomaszskowronski1406]

"Far away" is a bit relative here when it means- "i'm 40 yards away"

[@ZGryphon]

And it wouldn't have gone any farther, except he happened to mention it to his friend who was good with tools.

[@fordfan3179]

My dad was a flame thrower tech in a chemical weapons unit in the Solomon islands in WW2. My dad said the only thing the M1s were good for were parts and they needed to be checked out pretty close. He could explain the entire sequence of recharging the system like he did it yesterday. He'd get that far away glazed look in his eyes and mime the entire sequence as if the parts were in his hands.

[@alfatazer_8991]

"Brother, get the flamer... *THE HEAVY FLAMER.* "

[@jamesrasp2713]

Alfatazer _ we must purge the heretic with the cleansing flames of the God Emperors holy promethium.

[@HeIsAnAli]

*_PURGE THE UNCLEAN!_*

[@painintheass5884]

BURN IN HOLY FIRE

[@ChaplainPhantasm]

WE ARE THE ANGELS OF DEATH!

[@LAV-III]

UNTO THE ANVIL OF WAR

[@kingmiura8138]

On Okinawa, the flame thrower guys were big targets...they had a high casualty rate....one said he was using the flame thrower and heard shots hitting the tanks....fortunately the air tank.

[@MegaRazorback]

@Steven Jones could have been flanking fire or he turned around to ask a fellow squad member to check the tanks for him due to possible damage already sustained or one other thing falls into the second one i mentioned, could have had low fuel/air and needed an emergency refill (6 seconds is not a lot so in-field refills were not all that uncommon)

[@Ed_Stuckey]

One of the many weapons I trained on at Ft Dix, New Jersey in 1962. We 'dry fired' the unit just for feel on how it operated. For the 'dry fire' exercise, the igniter module had been adapted to use kitchen matches in place of the proper igniter. When the trigger was operated it caused the match to ignite and burn just the head of the match producing a small flash and puff of smoke, verifying you had actually operated the mechanism.

[@Luhsteesay]

16:11 I've seen too many of Steve's MRE videos... I immediately expected a hiss....

[@scottsanders4589]

LOL I thought the same thing! If you look for my comment I said nice hiss to pay homage to that brave man

[@ADHDWOOHOO]

Pull off that key.......and lift that tab. NICE!

[@scooter9537]

let's get this out on to a flame

[@raphuscucullatus7845]

@@scooter9537 Now that thing's really doing it's job.

[@mafistowaltz4857]

Man, I thought the Exact same thing! LOL

[@notdaveschannel9843]

I love how this guy's hair and beard make him look like he makes artisanal Birkenstocks out of hemp but he's on KZbin gleefully discussing weapons.

[@iiipercenterpatriot4266]

Sir, this is gun jesus.

[@mamarine81]

My wife: "Honey there's a huge spider in the garage." Me: 19:30 Wife: Me: "Got him."

[@sciencecompliance235]

Can't have a spider in your garage if you don't have a garage. *taps forehead*

[@metricchip8201]

UNCLE OWEN??????? AUNT BERU???????????

[@MrBioniclefan1]

Lmao

[@taylorwest6986]

LOL!

[@madcowrebel4216]

Ouch... that was dark

[@luismarioquintana2679]

You can laugh of the little orphan Ani joke now!

[@mattfairfield9103]

:(

[@bitfreakazoid]

For that slow mo shot you should of been chomping down on a cigar.

[@Werepie]

This ^

[@H-man414]

Brilliant

[@killerskillet]

"Should've" = Should + have

[@braydenh190]

Judson Joist good ol James bond (From Russia with love)

[@martialme84]

should "have"

[@leesuschrist]

A lot of US Military weapons that I see I can think of at least a few changes to the design that would make them better, but with this, I think they nailed it. Pretty amazing that they designed and started producing these so quickly.

[@godfreybouillon6722]

Nobody wanted flamethrower duty, it made you a prime target against the enemy.

[@General_Eisenhower1945]

I'll do it, but paint the tanks orange

[@MegaRazorback]

That and...They all heard the stories about the previous operators dying or breaking down completely once they saw the horrors this thing could inflict.

[@kentvesser9484]

@@MegaRazorback Yeah, I imagine that using this weapon at the close ranges it required not only required a lot of supporting fire to keep the enemy pinned down for you to get close enough to use it, but the screams and wounds this elicited likely gave the operators nightmares in the way few other weapons would. I wonder how many soldiers who used these ended up with horrible PTSD. You'd almost have to be inhuman to use this weapon and not have it quickly get to you no matter how bad your enemy is. Plus, you likely knew that if you were spotted wearing one every opposing solider that saw you was going to be targeting you.

[@benevolentrevenant474]

Even worse is that ~90% of the time, it wasn’t the flame that killed you, but rather the fact that it burnt away the oxygen this suffocating the target. That’s like two minutes of hell

[@NODnuke45]

@@kentvesser9484 That, and on a battlefield it's statistically unlikely that most of the people who you, an individual soldier, are fighting are guilty of any of the things that your enemies are known for. Most likely they are completely innocent conscripts who were forced into duty without a choice or were volunteers who joined their country's military with no intentions of committing any kind of atrocities that their military might be known for. So basically you might as well be fighting random people, most of the time, on behalf of your government.

[@FlynnMTaggart]

18:50 That laugh is a laugh of a man elated that he's shooting a flamethrower.

[@burningcouch8010]

He's giddy like a little kid, I know I would be too

[@loucypher1060]

None of us would respond any different.

[@admiraltiberius1989]

Typical response for a man from Krieg........Ordo Sinister is proud.

[@qasmokes]

Pyro unmasked

[@tictoc3148]

First time I've seen Ian giggle like a child when letting loose a weapon lol

[@petemcl99]

A great video. I actually fired one of these during training at Indian Town Gap MR in the summer of 1963. My reaction was the same. It is a really impressive and fearsome weapon. But that also inspires every enemy soldier want to take down the operator of this weapon in real combat.

[@oldgysgt]

The first time I fired a Flamethrower in Infantry Training I was very surprised how much heat came back in the face of the operator. Any solder who operated one of these on a regular bases must have had a constant sun burn.

[@mathewcurtis9401]

Love this guy, such manners "And now I've lit the ground on fire, excuse me one second". Please never stop making videos good sir!

[@montimuros2837]

"...And now I've lit the ground on fire, so excuse me one moment." xddd

[@calebhu6383]

"XD" really makes no sense lowercase.

[@vitriolicAmaranth]

it's funnier that way

[@Andrew-mw9is]

its not normie when its lowercase

[@bensmith4563]

That happens before the cool stuff starts

[@adam.ibanez]

champimuros Dry grass is not easy to light

[@aghostbro]

I would think it a rare treat to break the seals on those '67 igniters.

[@raytheron]

In 1970 in the South African Infantry we still trained with the British ackpack flamethrower, or at least a development of it. What was great about this one was that you could fire "dry" shots -- just fuel, no fire -- to soak your target before sending a jet of flame to ignite the whole shebang. It was super fun!

[@JugheadJones03]

Your presentation is so good. I never knew you got such a short amount of firing time. Thanks for uploading.

[@bushmant6279]

When he opened the igniter can: “No hiss”

[@wickediussickedius1016]

because it wasnt on a tray ^^

[@jackmurphy6510]

Time to werf some flammen.

[@julius855]

Zis is a Flammenwerfer it werfs Flammen!

[@kaindal545]

You don't understand german ICH LIEBE WIENER SCHNITZEL !!!

[@SpectrumArms]

16:05 "let's pull that key, lift that tab.... huh. No hiss."

[@peterson7082]

Spaceballs the flamethrower! *Fwooom* The kids love this stuff.

[@DarKm4773r]

+Nathan Peterson May the schwartz be with you.

[@WingmanSR]

I see your schwartz is as big as mine.

[@peterson7082]

We'll meet again in Spaceballs 2: The Quest for More Money!

[@DarKm4773r]

BAAARF!!!

[@petman515]

yogurt i hate yogurt even with straw berry's

[@PhilSallaway]

“Love The Smell Of Napalm in the Morning” .... says the Gun Hippie love it Ian

[@davidj9677]

"I hope you enjoyed the video" Not nearly as much as you did, I'm sure

[@zelashizzz1278]

When he opened that can, was waiting for steve1989 to come out and say "let's get this out on to a tray.... NICE!"

[@214TwoOneFo]

zelashi zzz nice hiss

[@kainhall]

oh ya... you can really see that "jet" in the high speed. this whole series is great....really a lot of amazing info

[@spidermann5000]

I've seen a lot of your vids bur you have NEVER been that excited! haha Love your videos, keep 'em coming!

[@trustmebroigoogledit2382]

spidermann5000 i was gonna say the same thing

[@sandozman6085]

My father mentioned that my grandfather didn't like having to listen to the Japanese screaming in their holes when the M2 lit them up. Now that is a reality for this new generation to chew on.

[@Derkman96]

I think it's very easy for a generation not so exposed to the so-called human element of war to forget about it. Stories like yours are very important and thank you for sharing. :)

[@Zaprozhan]

At the end of my life, I'm probably going to be cremated, and kept on a mantelpiece. Were you referring to that bronze-age goat-herder afterlife of praising-a-tyrant claptrap?

[@templarkiller2926]

Ian Macfarlane, I don't know how environmentally friendly it is, but it is at least efficient

[@udtuhanudtuhan826]

@Pacem Terris you don't understand you don't analyze whats the point of view. The Japanese first do violent killing mankind in war . And that is the answer weapon to counter attack . Use your brain sometimes👷

[@kylehurling68]

Earplugs

[@warshipsdd-2142]

Memories of a hot late summer day at Camp Pendleton in 1963. You did an excellent job. Anyone wanting to have the experience should pick a calm day without gusting winds. It is possible to be a self-immolating target dummy if the wind is too brisk and/or you don\t keep full pressure on the stream.

[@Birdy890]

Very cool stuff thank you. Horrifying but extremely cool. (There are practical uses for flamethrowers outside of combat, Roasting alien lifeforms is just one example)

[@TheErilaz]

I bet it works good on huge anthills too..

[@poppablue59kent75]

Of course they do...haven't you seen the sci-fi classic movie 'Them', 1954?!!! Giant ant killin' mofos!

[@albertoaguilar9773]

Roasting a rats hideout too

[@tostie3110]

PoppaBlue59 Kent Or when the thing appears agsin

[@firepower7017]

BirdyLegs It's most notable use is to roast weebs

[@salokin3087]

Didn't light a cigar: 0/10

[@Jmike3543]

They talked about that in the Q&A session. It probably isn't to healthy to light something you're putting in your body that ignites with a bunch of chemicals.

[@vaclav_fejt]

+Salokin Sekwah Spoils the taste. :-D

[@Guy_GuyGuy]

+Jmike3543 Well, tobacco isn't particularly good for your body to begin with..

[@TheGreatUtopiaCat]

you would need a big ass cigar for this puppy ahaha a regular sized cigar would be obliterated as soon as it got close enough to light....

[@robbiedickson3386]

they do realise what smoking entails?...

[@kippers1641]

Her: please dont be weird Me: 11:50

[@deadpixelc]

Also Me: 18:49

[@johnnybenavidez5486]

@@deadpixelc also: 19:09

[@votpavel]

can i use this for home defense?

[@Delve1414]

I'm serious when I say this, but in the United States most states do not have a law that says you can't own a flamethrougher. Take this opportunity now before it's too late, Google your states laws on it see if you can!

[@votpavel]

Brothers Of Courage wow,thats interesting-thanks for the info but i will pass for now,flamethrowers are probably expensive and im broke but maybe someday and even when i save up alot id rather get a 50 cal barrett)))

[@asneakychicken322]

You can see off intruders and burn down your house at the same time!

[@JRT176]

Lol maybe once. After that you won't have a house left

[@jamesmerrill3020]

RE-L Mayer They're not expensive, you probably have the shit to make an effective flame thrower in your house.

[@GeckoNovice]

Never seen Ian so giddy :P

[@TorquilBletchleySmythe]

Very interesting video on a rarely discussed subject. One thing not mentioned though was the psychological effect on those armed with these things. Granted, they were deployed for those situations where normal firepower was ineffective, such as pill boxes or tunnels. But from what I've read, the operators were often traumatised by the act of setting people on fire, and viewing the aftermath first hand. They were allegedly an unpopular weapon to use for this reason. I don't think I'd like to find out for myself, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

[@SMVB-cl6oc]

i can smell the freedom

[@jakeshaw6827]

I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like...Victory!

[@martondancs5500]

The Zone needs a flamethrower

[@johnathanblackwell9960]

...now all I can think about is Apocalypse Now...great movie.

[@chrisferatu1793]

@@Ignisan_66 Yep, that's what freedom smells like!

[@Nlck_Name]

i like the smell of napalm in the morning

[@Pitchlock8251]

You know I think I like calling it a Firearm , better than flamethower

[@MrSimondaniel3]

its not a fire arm though : )

[@SW-ii5gg]

@@MrSimondaniel3 he uses his arms to pick it up and it fires,it's a firearm.

[@randomdude2546]

@@SW-ii5gg ''A firearm is a portable gun that inflicts damage on targets by launching one or more projectiles'' i dont think fire counts as projectile

[@WickdPerfekT]

It really is a fire arm

[@randomdude2546]

@@WickdPerfekT Proof?

[@АлександрЯроСвет]

After a dismal first attempt at designing a flamethrower (the M1) in 1941, the US Chemical Corps along with several universities and industrial partners put in a lot of research to develop a more usable and effective flamethrower. The result was the M2, which went into production in early 1944. It would prove to be an exceptionally effective weapon in the island-hopping campaign towards the end of the war. The M2 was arguably the best flamethrower fielded by any military during the war, with a number of excellent design features. These included: * A constant-pressure regulator to ensure that the range stayed the same from the first to the last shot of a tank of fuel * An on/off main valve easily accessible to the operator * A supremely waterproof and reliable pyrotechnic cartridge ignition system * An auto-shutoff valve which sealed at the nozzle, preventing dribble (and cutting off fuel flow should the operator lose control of the weapon) The M2 would see service into the Vietnam War even as its successor the M9 was being issued. It was a truly outstanding design, and remains viable to this day. Thanks to Charlie Hobson for showing us the unit and teaching me to fire it, and also thanks to Adaptive Firearms for letting us use their range facilities!

[@ducksrgud]

The fact that you can look that stoic while operating a flame thrower says a lot about your firearms experience!

[@JesterNR1]

21:16 One point of clarification: While a flamethrower is literally an arm that shoots fire, it is not considered a firearm by the ATF and is not regulated.

[@dotz5241]

Would love to see the lighting this generates at night

[@aferdix]

*I am from Italy. I thank you, Forgotten Weapons, because of your PERFECT explanation, which is entirely understandable even by the ones who don't have a complete knowledge of English. Just like me. More: every time I'm about to ask myself something about this weapon, you prevent me by giving that answer. Bye!*

[@averageforzaplayer1048]

**searches up fast way to heat up food** Google: heat up In microwave *Bing: **19:36*

[@attilarischt2851]

Holy crow that laugh:D Like a kid seeing a candy shop.

[@TheErilaz]

A kid with 50$ in a candyshop :p

[@Sen_Kanashimi]

So calm xD "And now I've lit the ground on fire so excuse me one moment."

[@vaclav_fejt]

+Sen Kanashimi Those are some English genes speaking.

[@lieshtmeiser5542]

I agree that its pretty awesome that this has survived this long, and is still in working condition.

[@Skandalos]

The heat radiation from the flame must be enormous.

[@atol671]

Skandalos must be nice in the winter

[@aeddonmckaba9797]

WW2 soldiers and I'm guessing ones afterwards often rubbed fire retardants onto their faces, hands and other places of exposed flesh to try and counteract that.

[@thehungazza2628]

Hanz: hey john, im very kalt, can you please turn on ze heating? Danke, John:*grabs m2* no problem buddy

[@zatchbell622]

Keegan Townsend That’s why these are used in Antarctica. They are used to melt the ice from doors leading inside the outpost. The locks and handles often freeze during the winter, so the M2 is used to melt the ice.

[@AA-xk7gy]

Aeddon Mckaba considering it’s the 1940’s I doubt it

[@aserta]

If you guys head over to the SloMo Guys channel and find the flame thrower video, you can see the actual difference in flame dispersion between a military flamethrower and a commercial one. Note the focused path, the very tight pattern of the flame licks, in their video, it's wild, uncontrolled and very wide, unfocused. You can clearly see what Ian is talking about in regards to fuel making a difference and in regards to design, military VS commercial. I recommend opening the two videos side by side, both on the slow motion, very interesting comparison.

[@Blougheed]

man you look so bad ass in that slowmo footage!! great video

[@shakenbasher2751]

Gun jesus just had the power of hell fire at his fingertips

[@gigaslave]

REAL hellfire throwers would use FOOF.

[@joekurtz8303]

Needs a Nomex hood,to save those long locks of Hair

[@KevinCooper-nd6co]

The recall on that thing was unbelievable

[@alexalford7874]

These were really cruel to use,but at the same time extremely effective in smoking the enemy out

[@KPearce57]

1974 I was sent to a 1 week school to be qualified on the M2 there was 4 of them in the Arms Room .

[@KronosIV]

16:06 "Pop that tab up (nice hiss), and we just wind it like this."

[@thisguy4135]

Flamethrowers are actual forgotten weapons and, personally, I think that's for the better.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

As opposed to a thermobaric bomb?

[@vytas5584]

Agreed

[@ceu160193]

@@vytas5584 They aren't forgotten, but they are upgraded to incendiary bombs/shells. Why burn 1 room, when you can turn whole house into inferno? Or even whole city, if you got a bunch of bombers with incendiary bombs. It's closest you get to nuke without actually using one.

[@davidschmidt6013]

@ This guy Lemme guess... you never served, didja...

[@paulhollier6382]

"The Dragon's Breath: When it absolutely, positively *HAS* to be destroyed beyond any and all hope of repair, by tomorrow morning."

[@GeFlixes]

19:49 That goofy laught.^_^ You're really loving the experience, body and soul, right?

[@stone8597]

My dad, who is passed away now, was 3rd Marine Div. on Bougainville. He told me the Japanese had burrowed underneath these huge trees and they spent a day trying to get rid of them. He then told me , in sort of hushed, somber tone..."that's when they brought the flame throwers in". He didn't say much more...but it he seemed to be pretty upset about it.

[@od1401]

You got to be either insane or have balls of stellar core material in order to strap something like that to your back and start shooting i in combat. Truly these guys are made of different stuff for better or worse. I've heard the enemy wasn't very friendly to fire troopers either

[@slowhand1198]

Was that a prairie dog at 20:44? Maybe not. Anymore.

[@marshallperry2446]

This is Arizona, so unless its the northeast probably not.

[@MrBioniclefan1]

Marshall Perry yeah

[@cartermiller853]

slowhand11 i

[@MilsurpWorld]

Flamethrowers: so hot right now.

[@calebu-2357]

Gotta love that intro when Ian returns and his face is slightly more red then normal 😂

[@NinajimKG]

If anybody wants to see what flamethrowers were *before* this. I highly suggest you look up the Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector to get a real understanding on how brutal WW1 was in comparison.

[@SilentRazor1uk]

Flaming Hell !! (excuse the language please,) another great informative and researched video Ian, and a great thanks to Mr.Charlie Hobson too.

[@Synochra]

Razor1uk hell man

[@BKDocHoliday]

Once again very impressive video. This flamethrower series is outstanding.

[@Drelam]

In bunkers and caves many victims of this weapon died not from burning to death, but actually asphyxiation from the flame using up all the confined oxygen.

[@GarretGoodbarrel]

Do a 2 gun challenge with that and a 1911 haha!

[@willkenny5687]

Kyle Clark "where's the target?" "Gone" "gone where?" "Just... Gone"

[@GarretGoodbarrel]

Can't argue about points that way ;)

[@stalagna]

Too bad he didn't say "nice hiss" when he opened the can of flares...

[@eliezeririzarry247]

I bet those two would get along well

[@vikkimcdonough6153]

15:45 - Ian, nonchalantly: "And now I've lit the ground on fire, so excuse me one moment."

[@arnomaas6452]

I wish Ian would run some stages with it !!!!!

[@Theakker3B]

This was used in the Pacific Theater. Have you thought about doing a video on the M1A1 Flamethrower that was briefly used in the Normandy landings?

[@adamwest8711]

So, for 8 seconds, Ian’s life insurance premium increases by 6,000,000,000%

[@TheBurg229]

Meet the Pyro

[@itdosentmatter7107]

Ian's face is priceless, he's so excited