M1A1 Flamethrower
In June of 1943 the U.S. Army issued the M1A1 Flamethrower, a modification of the previous M1 model. Approximately 14,000 M1A1s were produced, and the model was eventually replaced by the M2-2 Flamethrower.
The M1A1 Flamethrower used thickened gasoline as a fuel, and required two men to operate; an operator to wield the flamethrower itself, and an assistant to open the fuel source valves and carry extra fuel, tools, and weapons for the both of them.
Although most landing craft on D-Day contained a two-man flamethrower team, the weight of the equipment and the fear of the fuel igniting caused most of the soldiers to abandon their flamethrowers. There are few verifiable reports of flamethrowers being used on Omaha Beach.
Notes
Doyle, the flamethrower operator seen just after Captain Miller and his men clear the Dog One exit, appears to be without an assistant.
