flamethrowers

[Alpo]

Does the military still use them?

 

In the book that I am reading currently, they are in Iraq. Their outpost is set above a almost dry creek bed. The hillside going up to the outpost is covered with scrub brush. They figure they need to clean that away so that the hadjis don't use it for cover on a sneak attack.

 

But every time they go out there with their mattocks and their shovels to clear the brush, the hadjis on the other side of the creek shoot at them.

 

And I just idly wondered why they wouldn't take a flamethrower and burn the brush away. Iraq is a desert. They got a muddy creek bed at the bottom of the hill, and the outpost is at the top of the hill, and the outpost is made of rock, and the hill is made of rock, and I just couldn't visualize the fire getting out of control and burning hundreds of acres. Around here if the Army was to clear away brush with a flamethrower - that would be a bad plan. But in the desert?

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

I don't think flamethrowers have been in use since Ripley used them to clear out the Aliens. And not on this planet since maybe 'Nam. When I first enlisted in The Marines, (1977), there was a replacement for them called the M202 Multishot, but I never saw one. Schwarzenegger used one in "Commando".

 

from wearethemighty.com 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Here ya go Alpo.

 

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

Is the book fact or fiction

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

When my son was a Hotshot, they’d start backfires with a device that looked like a flare gun. It shot a projectile that looked like a ping pong ball, filled with a phosphorous-like compound. 

Adding on, a friend carried an M-79 in ‘Nam, which had a phosphorus round for burning up “stuff”. Pretty effective. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

Our military retired them in 1978.

 

Per the "AI Overview" they have been replaced with 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M202_FLASH

 

Why not burn the heavy brush just below them?  Well, the most obvious is that brush fires tend to move uphill. Like into their position.  So does smoke. And sparks.  

 

Also,  there can be a lot of brush in the desert.  You just described a hillside covered with scrub brush. It might not be just a narrow swatch, it might be hundreds of yards left and right.

 

Not a wash, but an overview 

 

 

that can burn pretty fast. 

 

Edited September 14 by Subdeacon Joe

[Alpo]

Thank you Joe. Both for your first statement, which answered my question. And then for your intelligent comment about why it would be a bad plan.

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

Got to demo one in RVN for the replacements*.  Boy, was it hot behind it!  would have hated to be in front of it

 

*The First Team Academy (TFTA), 1st Cav.  The brass put the "THE" in there; otherwise, it would have been FTA 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

 

2 hours ago, Alpo said:

Thank you Joe. Both for your first statement, which answered my question. And then for your intelligent comment about why it would be a bad plan.

 

I had about 2nd row seats to both the Tubbs and Glass Fires.

This was from about 600 yards. Could feel the heat. Glass Fire 

 

 

This was about 500 yards North of the scene in the video. Took about 20 minutes to get to this point. 

 

Another couple of hundred yards north. 

 

I know that it's a little different from what you described,  but it should give you a general idea.

 

Edited September 14 by Subdeacon Joe

[Cyrus Cassidy #45437]

18 hours ago, Alpo said:

Does the military still use them?

 

Oh Good Lord, Alpo. It was added to the Geneva convention back during the stone age. My dad didn't even use them, and I'm one of the ancient people in uniform!

Edited September 14 by Cyrus Cassidy #45437

[Alpo]

Have they changed the purpose of the Geneva convention? I thought it had to do with the prisoners of War.

 

Methods of War - what is and is not illegal - is the Hague convention.

 

Is it not?