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A hooded person in Freetown Christiania hurling a molotov cocktail at a police van.

Molotov cocktail, mockingly named after Vyacheslav Molotov, is the generic name for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, or Molotov bomb. Simple to make, they are frequently used by rioters.

In its simplest form a Molotov cocktail is a glass bottle containing gasoline fuel with a fuse consisting of a fuel soaked rag held in place by the bottle's stopper.

In action the fuse is lit and the bottle hurled at a target such as an enemy tank or fortification.

When the bottle smashes on impact, the ensuing cloud of gasoline droplets and vapour is ignited by the fuse causing an immediate fireball followed by a raging fire as the remainder of the fuel is consumed.

Other flammable liquids such as wood alcohol and turpentine have been used in place of gasoline. Thickening agents such as tar and motor oil have been added to the fuel, analogously to the use of napalm, to help the burning liquid adhere to the target and create clouds of thick choking smoke.

The original design of Molotov cocktail produced by the Finnish alcohol monopoly ALKO during the Winter War of 1939-40. The bottle has storm matches instead of a rag for a fuse.

During World War II, when Finland refused to surrender some strategic ports to the Soviet Union, the Soviets invaded in November 1939, after the Shelling of Mainila. The Finnish Army, facing Red Army tanks in what came to be known as the Winter War, borrowed an improvised incendiary device design from the 1936–39 Spanish Civil War. In that conflict, General Francisco Franco ordered Spanish Nationalists to use the weapon against Soviet T-26 tanks supporting the Spanish Republicans in a failed 1936 Soviet assault near Toledo, 30 km from Madrid.^[1]

When Soviet People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov claimed in radio broadcasts that the Soviet Union was not dropping bombs but rather delivering food to the starving Finns, the Finns started to call the air bombs Molotov bread baskets.^[2] Soon they responded by attacking advancing tanks with “Molotov cocktails.” At first the term was used to describe only the burning mixture itself, but in practical use the term was soon applied to the combination of both the bottle and its contents. This Finnish use of the hand- or sling-thrown explosive against Soviet tanks was repeated in the subsequent Continuation War. Molotov cocktails were eventually mass-produced by the Alko corporation at its Rajamäki distillery, bundled with matches to light them. Production totalled 450,000 during the Winter War. The original design of Molotov cocktail was a mixture of ethanol, tar, and gasoline in a 750 ml bottle. The bottle had two long pyrotechnic storm matches attached either side. Before use one or both of the matches was lit; when the bottle broke on impact, the mixture ignited. The storm matches were found to be safer to use than a burning rag on the mouth of the bottle.

A display of improvised munitions, including a Molotov cocktail, from the Warsaw Uprising, 1944.

They also saw use during the Nomonhan Incident, a border conflict ostensibly between Mongolia and Manchukuo that saw heavy fighting between Japanese and Soviet forces. Short of anti-tank equipment, Japanese infantry attacked Soviet tanks with gasoline-filled bottles. Japanese infantrymen claimed that several hundred Soviet tanks had been destroyed through the use of Molotov cocktails.^[3]

The Polish home army developed a version^[4] which ignited on impact thus avoiding the need to light the fuse before throwing. Ignition was caused by a reaction between concentrated sulphuric acid mixed with the fuel and a mixture of potassium chlorate and sugar which was crystalized from solution onto a rag attached to the bottle.

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, it was alleged that members of the Israeli Kibbutz Degania managed to stop a Syrian tank assault by using Molotov cocktails. Later studies revealed that it was a shell fired from a PIAT.^{[citation needed]}

It should be noted while Molotov Cocktails may be a psychologically effective method of disabling tanks and armored vehicles by forcing the crew out or damaging external components, most modern tanks cannot be physically destroyed by Molotov Cocktails, only disabled. Tanks and IFVs have specially designed Nuclear, Biological and Chemical protective systems that make them internally air-tight and sealed; well protected from vapors, gases, and liquids. Modern tanks possess very thick Composite Armour consisting of layers of steel, ceramics, plastics and Kevlar, which would make them extremely difficult to destroy by Molotov Cocktails alone, as these materials have melting points well above the burning temperature of gasoline. Damaging external components such as optical systems, antennas, or externally-mounted weapons systems is however possible and can make a tank virtually "blind", forcing the crew to abandon it.^{[citation needed]}

A mural in Derry, Northern Ireland of a young boy in a gas mask holding a petrol bomb during the Battle of the Bogside, August 1969.

Molotov cocktails played a big role in the Hungarian revolution. It was almost the only anti-tank weapon available and could destroy the Soviet T-34 tanks.

Petrol bombs were widely used throughout the Troubles in Northern Ireland in riots, directed towards the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) or the British Army.

• As of 2007 petrol bombs are still used against the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI, formerly the RUC) and army.^[5] They are frequently used in sectarian attacks on homes and businesses by both communities. Fireworks and homemade grenades, known as blast bombs now commonly accompany petrol bomb attacks on the security forces.

• In 1980s, South Korean protesters used Molotov cocktails as a tool to fight against the government of Chun Doo-hwan.

• During the highly violent and intense Oldham Race Riots on May 26, 2001 in Oldham, England, petrol bombs were the primary projectile used by youths against riot police.

• During the Columbine High School massacre, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold built and threw several Molotov cocktails; none of them, however, ignited successfully.

• Molotov cocktails were also employed against the police during the recent Copenhagen March-riots and during the Cigarbox riot in Copenhagen, Denmark

Molotov cocktail recipe from The Freedom Fighter's Manual, 1980s.

In "Steal This Book", Abbie Hoffman recommends the reader to make a Molotov cocktail "just to wipe the fear out of your mind and know that it works". His suggestions for thickeners are polystyrene foam, soap flakes, rubber cement, or sterno® (Canned Heat™). His suggestions for fuses include tampons, or if creating a delayed action incendiary device, to use a firecracker or cherry bomb held to the bottle with epoxy glue and fused with a cigarette, or a commercial dynamite fuse. He ridicules the classic rioter's technique of "stuffing a rag in the neck of a bottle, lighting and tossing" on safety grounds and recommends wiping the bottle with rubbing alcohol for the same reason, as well as to remove fingerprints.[1]

In The Freedom Fighter's Manual, the CIA taught Nicaraguan civilians how to make molotov cocktails.

The first Rage Against the Machine t-shirt had cartoon instructions on how to make a Molotov Cocktail. What was unique about this cartoon was that it was authored by the CIA and used by the Contras.^{[citation needed]}

As incendiary devices, Molotov cocktails are illegal to manufacture or possess in many regions. Their use against people is typically covered under a variety of charges, including battery, actual or grievous bodily harm, manslaughter, attempted murder, and murder, depending upon their effect and upon local laws. Their use against property is usually covered under arson charges. In the United States, Molotov cocktails are considered "destructive devices" and regulated by the ATF.

• No. 76 Special Incendiary Grenade
• Pétroleuses
• The Freedom Fighter's Manual

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