Editing Molotov cocktail (section)

==== Great Britain ====
[[File:A squad of Home Guard soldiers training to defend a street with 'Molotov cocktail' petrol bombs, March 1941. H8128.jpg|thumb|right|A squad of Home Guard soldiers training to defend a street with 'Molotov cocktail' petrol bombs]]

Early in 1940, with [[British anti-invasion preparations of World War II|the prospect of immediate invasion]], the possibilities of the petrol bomb gripped the imagination of the British public. For laypersons, the petrol bomb had the benefit of using entirely familiar and available materials,{{sfn|Wintringham|1940| p=60}} and they were quickly improvised in large numbers, with the intention of using them against enemy [[tank]]s.<ref>{{cite video |date=1 August 1940 |title=Cocktails A La Molotov&nbsp;– News item about British Home Guard training |url=https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/47736/|medium=Newsreel |publisher=British Pathé |access-date=2010-09-09}}</ref>

The Finns had found that they were effective when used in the right way and in sufficient numbers. Although the experience of the Spanish Civil War received more publicity, the more sophisticated petroleum warfare tactics of the Finns were not lost on British commanders. In his 5 June address to [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|LDV]] leaders, [[Edmund Ironside, 1st Baron Ironside|General Ironside]] said:

{{blockquote|I want to develop this thing they developed in Finland, called the "Molotov cocktail", a bottle filled with resin, petrol and tar which if thrown on top of a tank will ignite, and if you throw half a dozen or more on it you have them cooked. It is quite an effective thing. If you can use your ingenuity, I give you a picture of a [road] block with two houses close to the block, overlooking it. There are many villages like that. Out of the top windows is the place to drop these things on the tank as it passes the block. It may only stop it for two minutes there, but it will be quite effective.{{sfn|Graves|1943|p=71}}}}

Wintringham advised that a tank that was isolated from supporting infantry was potentially vulnerable to men who had the required determination and cunning to get close. Rifles or even a shotgun would be sufficient to persuade the crew to close all the hatches, and then the view from the tank is very limited; a turret-mounted machine gun has a very slow traverse and cannot hope to fend off attackers coming from all directions. Once sufficiently close, it is possible to hide where the tank's gunner cannot see: "The most dangerous distance away from a tank is 200 yards; the safest distance is six inches."<ref name="PP 15 June 1940 p14" >Wintringham, Tom. Against Invasion&nbsp;– the lessons of Spain. Picture Post 15 June 1940 p. 14.</ref> Petrol bombs will soon produce a pall of blinding smoke, and a well-placed explosive package or even a stout iron bar in the tracks can immobilise the vehicle, leaving it at the mercy of further petrol bombs&nbsp;– which will suffocate the engine and possibly the crew&nbsp;– or an explosive charge or anti-tank mine.

By August 1940, the [[War Office]] produced training instructions for the creation and use of Molotov cocktails. The instructions suggested scoring the bottles vertically with a diamond to ensure breakage and providing fuel-soaked rag, windproof matches or a length of cinema film (then composed of highly flammable [[nitrocellulose]]) as a source of ignition.<ref>War Office. Military Training Manual No 42, Appendix A: The Anti-Tank Petrol Bomb "Molotov Cocktail." 29 August 1940.</ref>

On 29 July 1940, manufacturers Albright & Wilson of Oldbury demonstrated to the RAF how their white phosphorus could be used to ignite incendiary bombs. The demonstration involved throwing glass bottles containing a mixture of petrol and [[phosphorus]] at pieces of wood and into a hut. On breaking, the phosphorus was exposed to the air and spontaneously ignited; the petrol also burned, resulting in a fierce fire. Because of safety concerns, the RAF was not interested in [[White phosphorus munitions|white phosphorus]] as a source of ignition, but the idea of a self-igniting petrol bomb took hold. Initially known as an A.W. bomb, it was officially named the [[No. 76 special incendiary grenade|No. 76 Grenade]], but more commonly known as the SIP (Self-Igniting Phosphorus) grenade. The perfected list of ingredients was white phosphorus, [[benzene]], water and a two-inch strip of raw rubber; all in a half-pint bottle sealed with a [[Crown cork|crown stopper]].<ref name="WO MTM42 B p. 25" >War Office. Military Training Manual No 42, Appendix B: The Self-Igniting Phosphorus Grenade, The AW Grenade. 29 August 1940, p. 25.</ref> Over time, the rubber would slowly dissolve, making the contents slightly sticky, and the mixture would separate into two layers&nbsp;– this was intentional, and the grenade should not be shaken to mix the layers, as this would only delay ignition.<ref>Handbook for the Projectors, 2½ inch, Marks I & II September 1941. p. 26.</ref> When thrown against a hard surface, the glass would shatter and the contents would instantly ignite, liberating choking fumes of [[phosphorus pentoxide]] and [[sulfur dioxide]] as well as producing a great deal of heat.<ref name="WO MTM42 B p. 25" /> Strict instructions were issued to store the grenades safely, preferably underwater and certainly never in a house.<ref name="WO MTM42 B p. 25" /> Mainly issued to the [[British Home Guard|Home Guard]] as an anti-tank weapon, it was produced in vast numbers; by August 1941 well over 6,000,000 had been manufactured.<ref>Northover Projectors&nbsp;– [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/ExternalRequest.asp?RequestReference=WO185/23 WO 185/23], [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]]</ref>

There were many who were sceptical about the efficacy of Molotov cocktails and SIPs grenades against the more modern German tanks. Weapon designer [[Stuart Macrae (inventor)|Stuart Macrae]] witnessed a trial of the SIPs grenade at [[Farnborough Airfield|Farnborough]]: "There was some concern that, if the tank drivers could not pull up quickly enough and hop out, they were likely to be frizzled to death, but after looking at the bottles they said they would be happy to take a chance."{{sfn|Macrae|1971|p=120}} The drivers were proved right, trials on modern British tanks confirmed that Molotov and SIP grenades caused the occupants of the tanks "no inconvenience whatsoever."{{sfn|Macrae|1971|pp=84–85}}

Wintringham, though enthusiastic about improvised weapons, cautioned against a reliance on petrol bombs and repeatedly emphasised the importance of using explosive charges.<ref>Wintringham, Tom. Against Invasion&nbsp;– the lessons of Spain. Picture Post 15 June 1940 pp. 9–24.</ref>{{sfn|Wintringham|1940|p=59}}