Marienberg 1941

 Photo caption: "Sgt. [William] Loveland
operates a flame thrower as Sgt. [Ashley] Petit stands
by to assist him - near Aachen, Germany." This photo
was staged and likely taken in early November to show
the use of flamethrowers earlier in the Siegfried Line
campaign

An excerpt from the text of an actual employment of a
flamethrower by B Co.,117th Infantry. "The flamethrower
was carried by Private Andrew Chuckalovchak and
operated by Private Henry E. Hansen.

Hansen tested the flamethrower before he moved out,
and then advanced to the south side of the pillbox.
Hugging the wall, he worked around to the west side.
‘Two squirts did the trick there,‘ stated Hansen.

He then went to the north side and gave that embrasure
two additional squirts. Both Hansen and Chuckalovchak
decided it would be expedient to return at this point, but
Hansen, after he had reached the south side of the
pillbox, decided to take a quick look at the rear (east)
side again. One German seemed to be lying in wait there
for him, with raised pistol. Hansen was in position to
burn the German from the rear. One squirt caused the
enemy to whirl and one more full in the face caused him
to pitch forward into the open door of the pillbox."

Photo and text from "History of the 117th Infantry
1944-1945," published 1946, Army & Navy Publishing
Company