How did they reload and refill the flamethrowers in the middle of a battle during world War 2?

[redskulldangerzone64]

[Curmudgeon]

The short answer is: in the middle of a battle, they didn't.

For the record, flamethrowers were *limited in use* to attacks on bunkers, "pillboxes", caves, and other entrenched but also enclosed enemy positions (with limited ability of the enemy to shoot out or shoot back), because otherwise they just didn't have the range of rifles, and an enemy soldier in a trench, in a foxhole, or behind trees or rocks would just run away - or shoot the flamethrower trooper long before he could get close enough. The flamethrower trooper in a squad also carried his pistol. Horrific and gruesome weapons, but sadly the brutality of war, particularly vs. Japanese forces in the Pacific Islands, was quite severe.

In a recent interview, Don Graves, one of the last survivors of that hellish time, an Iwo Jima veteran, tells his story. Note: In the next few years, all of these men will likely pass away:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/H7KlBGK7K80

[nolabels]

I don't have firsthand knowledge of this subject, but logic tells me that there would be organized logistical squads who would continually bring fresh tanks to then be quickly swapped out from the firing mechanism.

I'd further surmise that the weapon would carry two tanks, so that as one tank would be emptied, the system could switch, manually or even automatically, to a full tank, allowing the support personnel to switch the empty tanks out to full ones as the battle progressed.

Again, I have almost zero actual knowledge of flamethrowers.

[AviatorTom]

I believe that's what the Gerry cans were used for.