During the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific War, on February 27, 1944, the bodies of U.S. Marine flamethrower troops who had been killed lay scattered across the sandy beaches of Iwo Jima.

 　　During the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific War, on February 27, 1944, the bodies of U.S. Marine Corps flamethrower troops who had been killed lay scattered across the sandy beaches of Iwo Jima. During the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II, the U.S. Marine Corps seized Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army. This battle became the bloodiest in Marine Corps history, with U.S. casualties exceeding those of the Japanese forces. During the 47-day battle from February 19 to March 26, approximately 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed in action, with an additional 20,000 wounded, resulting in total casualties exceeding those of the Japanese forces. The Japanese suffered 19,000 killed, with only 1,033 taken prisoner.

　　Iwo Jima, the site of the fighting, featured a barren volcanic terrain. Flamethrower units, tasked with the dangerous mission of clearing Japanese positions, were indispensable. Simultaneously, they were extremely vulnerable targets for the Japanese. Intense combat resulted in widespread casualties across all units. Numerous instances exist where flamethrower units were attacked by Japanese forces. There is no record of an entire flamethrower unit being annihilated in February 1945.

　　Flamethrowers proved effective against Japanese fortifications, but many operators and squads were killed in action. Flamethrowers saw widespread use during World War II. In 1939, the German Wehrmacht first deployed portable flamethrowers against the Polish Post Office in Danzig. Subsequently, in 1942, the U.S. Army introduced its own portable flamethrower. Carrying flamethrowers into battle was an especially dangerous mission. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Piper soldiers, burdened with heavy, unwieldy equipment and advancing upright, became conspicuous targets. Operating flamethrowers was the most hazardous duty. They operated in pairs: one soldier threw grenades while the other delivered the flame.