This WWII era training film was produced by the Army Pictorial Service, a division of the Signal Corps within the United States War Department. “Flame Thrower in Medium Tank” instructs the viewer on how to properly maintain the flamethrowers then used in medium-sized Sherman tanks (the M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II). The narrator and on-screen tank maintenance crew chief first point out the individual components that make up the flame thrower before diving deep into the various maintenance and preventative measures necessary for the proper functioning of the weapon. (Note: The M4 A2 was typically equipped with bow mounted E4-5 flamethrowers. These were often referred to as “Ronson” or “Zippo” tanks and proved highly effective in clearing enemy positions in the Battle of Iwo Jima.)

(0:07) title card: “War Department Official Training Film / T.F.3 1453 / Army Service Forces”

(0:13) title card: “Produced by Army Pictorial Service / Signal Corps”

(0:17) title card: “Main Armament: Flame Thrower in Medium Tank”

(0:24) title card: “Part 2: Maintenance”

(0:29) a tank shoots a flame thrower in an open field

(0:50) crew chief points out the main components of a flame thrower: elbow brackets, feed manifold, vertical trunnion, main control valve, gun body, main piston chamber, main fuel valve, pilot valve, fuel firing button, ballistic plate, atomizer nozzle, atomizer control valve, and igniter pedal

(2:30) crew chief performs a flame gun nozzle replacement while also pointing out the sections of the nozzle and what those components do to make the flame thrower function correctly

(3:32) gun body, fuel valve, control valve, and gun nozzle

(4:59) fuel and air leakage maintenance measures

(6:18) instructions for gun re-assembly

(6:58) grease fittings, gun lubrication, and oil maintenance

(8:15) pre-mission flame thrower preventative maintenance measures

(9:22) disassembly, inspection, and reassembly of the control valves

(11:12) cleaning clogged filters and screens and inspecting for damage

(11:48) spare parts kits for flame thrower maintenance

(12:22) firing troubles as related to the main pressure regulator

(13:36) ignition troubleshooting

(15:33) final precautionary measures to clean out the entire flame thrower system demonstrated via two tanks in an open field

(15:46) a Sherman tank shoots its flame thrower

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com