Editing Molotov cocktail (section)

==== Finland ====
[[File:Kasapano.jpg|thumb|right|Finnish soldiers in the [[Winter War]]. Tanks were destroyed with satchel charges and Molotov cocktails. The bottle has [[Match#Varieties of matches today|storm matches]] instead of a rag for a [[fuse (explosives)|fuse]].]]
On 30 November 1939, the [[Soviet Union]] attacked Finland, starting what came to be known as the [[Winter War]]. The [[Finnish Army|Finnish]] perfected the design and tactical use of the petrol bomb. The fuel for the Molotov cocktail was refined to a slightly sticky mixture of alcohol, [[kerosene]], [[tar]], and [[potassium chlorate]]. Further refinements included the attachment of wind-proof matches or a phial of chemicals that would ignite on breakage, thereby removing the need to pre-ignite the bottle, and leaving the bottle about one-third empty was found to make breaking more likely.{{sfn|Trotter|2003|p=73}}

A British [[War Office]] report dated June 1940 noted that:
{{blockquote|The Finns' policy was to allow the Russian tanks to penetrate their defences, even inducing them to do so by 'canalising' them through gaps and concentrating their small arms fire on the infantry following them. The tanks that penetrated were taken on by gun fire in the open and by small parties of men armed with explosive charges and petrol bombs in the forests and villages... The essence of the policy was the separation of the [[Armoured fighting vehicle|AFVs]] from the infantry, as once on their own the tank has many blind spots and once brought to a stop can be disposed of at leisure.<ref>Anti-tank measures; adoption and production of sticky bomb&nbsp;– [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/ExternalRequest.asp?RequestReference=WO185/1 WO 185/1], [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]]</ref>}}

Molotov cocktails were eventually mass-produced by the [[Alko]] corporation at its [[Rajamäki (village)|Rajamäki distillery]], bundled with [[match]]es to light them.<ref name="ilkka">{{cite web |last=Sirén |first=Ilkka |title=Finland's National Booze Is Bottled in a Former Molotov Cocktail Factory |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/finlands-national-booze-is-bottled-in-a-former-molotov-cocktail-factory/ |access-date=10 April 2022 |website=vice.com |date=7 December 2017 |publisher=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20230429070456/https://www.vice.com/en/article/9kdbyv/finlands-national-booze-is-bottled-in-a-former-molotov-cocktail-factory |archive-date=29 April 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> A {{convert|500|ml|abbr=on|USqt}} bottle was filled with a mixture of petrol and paraffin, plus a small amount of tar. The basic bottle had two long [[pyrotechnic]] [[Match#Varieties of matches today|storm matches]] attached to either side. Before use, one or both of the matches were 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. There was also an "A bottle". This replaced the matches with a small ampoule inside the bottle; it ignited when the bottle broke. By spring 1940 they had produced 542,104 bottles.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Heinonen |first=Keijo |date=2005 |title=Who Invented the Molotov Cocktail? |url=https://www.sshs.fi/pdf/Sotahistoriallinen%20aikakauskirja%2024%202005.pdf |journal=Sotahistoriallinen Aikakauskirja |issue=24 |page=151 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130033812/https://www.sshs.fi/pdf/Sotahistoriallinen%20aikakauskirja%2024%202005.pdf |archive-date=30 November 2022}}</ref>