The American man-pack flamethrower which initially became available about April 1944 which used compressed nitrogen as a propellant, compressed hydrogen an ignition gas and a battery–powered ignition system. All up, it weighed about 30kg (80 pounds) fully loaded. Only six are known to have been officially supplied before being superseded by the improved M2-2 flamethrower.

The M2-2 with an important local modification. was a type officially adopted for service with the Australian Army. The modification was the incorporation of a special non-return valve which prevented the expulsion of fuel under pressure in the case of a rupture disc failing. Spare pressure tanks were also manufactured in Australia, on the basis of six tanks per flamethrower. By early 1945, 162 M2-2 flamethrowers had been allocated to Australia under lend lease, allowing an issue of 36 per jungle division plus a reserve. These were supported by special truck-mounted, Rix Type K, three-stage air compressors which were allocated to each division to provide a supply of pressurised cylinders. Flame fuel was another item which was manufactured locally. Although most mechanised and man pack flamethrowers could be satisfactorily operated using diesel fuel, extensive experimentation showed that there was an optimum combination of operating pressure and thickness of fuel. The optimum combination for a particular type of flamethrower was considered to be the one which gave the maximum range and most burning fuel onto the target. While variations to the working pressure were not such a problem finding the best fuel type took a considerable of experimental effort. The result was Geletrol which was formally accepted by the General Staff as fuel thickener in October 1944. It was made by combining various weights of the dried chemical compound Aluminium Oleate with petrol, diesel or a petrol diesel mix. The type of fuel used and the percentage mixture depended on the intended use. Although Aluminium Oleate had previously been used in relatively small quantities for the manufacture of specialised paints and greases, its use in flame warfare was entirely new. As a result, the sudden increase in demand stretched production facilities in Australia to the limit. Not only had the Army found a use for it in both man pack and mechanised flamethrowers but both the RAAF and the Royal Navy (operating in the Pacific) had also found it useful for making drop tank incendiary bombs. Local manufacture was carried out by two companies: Fletcher Chemical Company of Melbourne, and Robert Corbet Pty Ltd of Sydney. By early 1945, they were supplying specially scaled tropic proof packs of the light brown, granular chemical in either 20-pound tins for mechanised flamethrowers or 2-pound tins for man-pack flamethrowers. The man-pack flamethrower proved a very effective weapon, being used on many occasions in the later stages of the war. Just how effective can he illustrated by the actions on Tarakan of the flamethrower team from 2/48th Infantry Battalion who, on May 5, 1945, attacked a bunker from a range of about 10m. The flame went over the first bunker and into three well-camouflaged bunkers in the rear, from which the Japanese troops hastily withdrew without firing a shot! Following the end of the war, the M2-2 remained on the inventory as the Australian Army's only man-pack flamethrower, although trials were carried out from time to time with equipment from other sources, including the British Lifebuoy-type flamethrower. The M2-2 was eventually modernised by upgrade or replacement, to M2A1 and M2A2 standard during, the 1950s. These remained in service until 1964, when a further upgrade to M2A1-7 standard took place.