Although no standard maintenance forms and records are furnished, an improvised list should be kept of the number of times each flame thrower has been fired. The list indicates when it is necessary to provide the after-six-missions preventive maintenance and lubrication. It should be tacked or glued to the inside surface of the packing-chest lid and each flame thrower should always be returned to its own chest. Section II DESCRIPTION AND DATA 3. USES OF FLAME THROWERS. Flame throwers can: _a. Penetrate openings_, such as embrasures and gun ports, and fill the fortifications with flame and smoke. _b. Burn, asphyxiate, and blind enemy personnel_, causing casualties, shock, panic, and abandonment of a fortified position. _c. Ignite combustible parts of shelters and materiel_ and start detonation of sensitive ammunition and explosives. [Illustration: Fig 2. Firing with liquid fuel.] [Illustration: Fig 3. Firing with thickened fuel. Thickened fuel has longer range than liquid fuel and burns on target for several minutes.] _d._ “_Shoot around corners_,” when fuel is fired from dead or blind angles. This is made possible by the billowing and swirling movements of flaming gases. Blazing thickened fuels also ricochet from wall to wall in fortifications. _e. Cause the enemy to close ports_, temporarily putting the emplacement out of action and thus protecting the demolition party. _f. Mop up_ dug-in personnel. _g. Eliminate enemy nests_ in street or jungle fighting. 4. CHARACTERISTICS AND EMPLOYMENT. _a. Action._ Fuel is propelled into the target by a charge of highly compressed air or nitrogen. As fuel leaves the gun of the M2-2 portable flame thrower (Fig 1), it is ignited by contact with flame from charges of incendiary mix held in an expendable ignition cylinder. _b. Bursts._ A continuous stream or separate bursts may be fired for approximately 8 to 9 seconds, not including time between the bursts. The five incendiary charges in the ignition cylinder are controlled by the trigger and can ignite several bursts. _c. Range._ Portable flame throwers are fired at extremely close or point-blank range for best results. (Par 22) Effective range for liquid fuels (Fig 2) is as far as 20 yards, and for thickened fuels (Fig 3), 40 yards, but underbrush and adverse winds can reduce the distances. _d. Weight._ To keep the weight as light as possible and still provide strength to withstand very high pressures, most parts are made of aluminum or sheet steel. _e. Tactics._ Two or more flame throwers are generally used on a mission with other weapons of the assault squad. (See FM 31-50, “Attack on a Fortified Position and Combat in Towns.”)