January 15

  • M1 FLAMETHROWERS SEE FIRST COMBAT SUCCESS

    ByNorm Haskett Reading Time: 6 minutes

    Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands • January 15, 1943 On this date in 1943 M1 portable flamethrowers were used success­fully in com­bat for the first time rela­tively late in the 6‑month Battle of Guadal­canal (August 7, 1942, to Febru­ary 9, 1943). In one attack by U.S. Marines several 2‑man flame­throwing teams crawled close enough to 3 Japa­nese bunkers to burn…

  • MATTERHORN WRAPS UP OPERATIONS

    ByNorm Haskett Reading Time: 6 minutes

    58th Bombardment Wing HQ, Kharagpur, India • January 15, 1945 The final strategic bombing raid by American B‑29 Super­fortress heavy-bombers based in China occurred on this date in 1945. Targets of Opera­tion Matter­horn, as the bombing of Japa­nese assets by India- and China-based B‑29s was called, were on the Japanese-occupied island of Formosa (today’s Taiwan). Behind Operation…