US Flamethrower Tanks of World War II
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
New Vanguard 203
Author: Steven J. Zaloga
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-78096-026-5
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 48
I remember ages ago, sitting in school and watching a film on the Second World War, and one of the most memorable scenes was of a tank in the Pacific, turning its turret and spewing a jet of flame from its gun. I have been fascinated by flamethrower tanks ever since, and this new title in Osprey's New Vanguard series helps to whet that appetite. This book looks at the story of US flamethrower tanks during the Second World War, from their initial experiments to the operational successes in the Pacific.
The book is split between the Pacific Theater and the European Theater, with a short introduction and a closing specification and bibliography. As the Pacific Theater saw the most extensive use of the flamethrower tank, the book leads off with that region. This includes initial testing, the E-4-5 Mechanized Flamethrower, and operations in the Philippines, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan. The European section covers the Sherman Crocodile and other auxiliary flamethrowers in that theater.
Throughout the book are plenty of photos, a handful of color profile illustrations, and some nice color paintings. A center section also has a cutaway of an M4 POA-CWS H1 that shows some of the equipment found on flamethrower tanks. For those looking for something a bit different in tank subjects, this is a nice addition to the New Vanguard series. My thanks to Osprey Publishing for the review copy.