Flamethrower effectiveness

[MOS was 71331]

My German town defense in a Quick Battle had a flamethrower team in a foxhole next to a light building. My hope was to torch the building after allied troops entered it.

For once, a hoped for event happened: My opponent directed a squad and a platoon leader section into the building next to my flamethrower. At the end of the turn everything was in place. I directed the FT team to fire into the building and watched to see what happened.

What a disappointment! The FT fired EIGHT times, alternating between the squad and the platoon leader. The building caught fire, and both US units ran away -- and then back toward the burning building, with the squad showing as in open ground although its base looked to be half inside the building. Its troop strength showed 9 okay and 3 casualties, while the platoon leader was 3 and 1. (As this was late in the battle, the two units probably didn't enter the building at full strength.)

Is this a typical result for a flamethrower attack? This looked to me like an ideal flamethrower attack: range well within the 32 meter FT limit and two units inside a light building. The building goes up in flames, and its occupants receive at most 25% casualties: four out of sixteen.

[Jarmo]

Quite typical. Although usually you can expect the house to catch fire a bit sooner.

[FriendlyFire]

Flamethrower teams have more of a shock effect than a casualty effect against infantry in CM. They're good at breaking up attacks, or routing building occupants so that your own infantry can go in and clean up. That squad and HQ unit were almost certainly panicking when they ran out of and back towards the building, for example - any of your infantry units could have walked all over them on the following turn.

[Goanna]

I would ask your opponent for the actual casualty details when you are through, but that result sounds pretty tyical (and good) to me as well. The shock value and 25% casualties would far exceed what I might expect from placing a similar cost infantry unit (team) in the same ambush location.

[Frenchy]

The results sound good to me. But as stated in other posts, have your infantry ready to pounce on the routed or panicked troops. A flamethrower alone won't do the trick.

I finally had a chance to use a flamethrower to good effect in a PBEM game. I had american GIs pinned in the woods with supressing fire hitting both of their flanks. With small arms fire hitting their front also. I snuck the flamethrower team into range and let loose with a good stream. The GIs hightailed it out and my infantry picked off the retreating troops. Quite effective...remember..."combined arms."

[The_Capt]

For the sheer rush, I did a tank assault scenario in close ground using FTs, zooks and 57mm RCLs. The enemy had Tigers, KTs, Jpanthers and JTigers. Two of each all veteran.

It was a massacre. Every German vehicle was taken out with about 10 US casualties. Anyway relevant to this thread...I watched a FT Team take out a JagTiger from the flank at about 40ms.

So I am beginning to re-think the use of those flame units. The key I believe is ground and sighting of these troops.

[MOS was 71331]

Thanks for all that info. I obviously expected far too much from the flamethrower team and the torching of a building containing enemy troops.

I appreciate the value of nearby troops to fire into the panicked soldiers fleeing from the flames. Unfortunately, the event I described happened very late in the game. The enemy entered the building after eliminating the remnants of a squad defending it, and there no other friendly units which could support the flamethrower team.