Attack by Fire

For the Pacific war against the ground-hugging Japanese, fire has become a primary U.S. weapon. From Tokyo to Okinawa to the Philippines to New Guinea Japanese burned in it last week.

East of Manila a hot rain of incendiary bombs fell into the jungles of Woodpecker Ridge, where Jap machine gunners had been holding up the 38th Division. Flame-throwing tanks probed the wooded draws hiding enemy positions. From catapults such as the Romans used, drums of fire were hurled into caves.

Core of the attack was the new U.S.-developed granular white powder which G.I.s call "fire roe." Mixed with gasoline it forms a jelly that sears and sticks to everything it touches. New instruments of war have been developed to handle the jelly--the M22 portable thrower with a revolver-type ignition system, the Ronson-type tank-mounted thrower, and airplane bombs ranging from six to 500 lbs.

Now the stuff turned the jungles of Woodpecker Ridge into a roaring mass of flame. Writhing Japs bolted from their caves, glowed, crisped and died.

Any chemical warfare officer who watched the searing attack might well have shaken his head at the thought that international treaties have barred poison gas as too inhumane for "civilized" warfare. Except for Washington official policy, Pacific field commanders in general would like to have a free hand to use gas, if using it would save U.S. soldiers' lives; not all of them would agree that gas is effective enough to be worth the trouble. But there are few arguments now about fire: it saves U.S. lives and it kills Japs.

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