Although the U. They contend that while the old form of napalm isn't used, a similar, reformulated compound, also a jelled incendiary substance, has been used, most notably in the form of the MK bomb. In , U. One American commander told The Independent newspaper that commanders like napalm for its "psychological effect" [source: Buncombe ]. In the same article, a Marine spokesman said that Mark 77 bombs -- specifically the MK Mod 5 used in Iraq -- were "remarkably similar" to napalm bombs although less environmentally harmful , but referred to them as "firebombs" [source: Crawley ].
There have been allegations that napalm was used when American forces assaulted Fallujah in November [source: Iraq Analysis Group ]. But there has been considerable debate about whether this is true. The use of napalm or napalmlike weapons has drawn some controversy for countries working with U. Protocol III but were working with or under the command of U. The eventual revelation that U.
Whatever the final verdict, napalm, like Agent Orange , has become a loaded word, symbolizing for many the carnage and brutality of war. But despite the ghastly images we've seen, some experts on the subject point out that while napalm produces horrific results, it's used as part of waging war, which itself contains numerous images and symbols of horror, death and destruction.
Yet even if napalm is a weapon like many others, something in particular about the substance and the images that have chronicled it, have lent it a special symbolism, unlikely to fade. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. How Napalm Works. He loves the smell of napalm in the morning -- Robert Duvall as Lt.
Kilgore on the set of "Apocalypse Now. Napalm's Effects on Health and the Environment " ". What Were They Thinking? Napalm in Vietnam " ". Kim Phuc, seen here with then-Sen. Joe Biden, stands in front of the famous photograph of herself as a child, being burned by napalm. Scott J. The MK and Napalm in Iraq " ". Images like this one, of napalm exploding in an area south of Saigon, became well known during the Vietnam War, but napalm hasn't exactly died out since then.
Napalm was used in Vietnam by American flamethrowers to burn down bushes and forests, neutralizing guerrilla fighters. How do you treat napalm burns? It's difficult to treat napalm wounds, as the chemical burns extremely hot. Doctors remove contaminated clothing to stop the continued burning. What is napalm? Napalm is a substance that can be used to create a bomb, also known as a firebomb fuel gel mixture.
It has a gel-like consistency that allows the attacker to stick it to a target. It is mostly used in combination with jet fuel or gasoline to produce a bomb that ignites easily.
What does napalm do to humans? That is why it produces awful burns on the human body. Even brief contact with napalm can cause second-degree burns, leading to keloids. Why is it called napalm? Its name is derived from the first ingredients used to make it — aluminum salts of palmitic and naphthenic acids.
Napalm Picture power: Vietnam napalm attack. Sources "Dow Drops Napalm. April 25, May 1, June 24, June 26, July 18, To their mixture, Byzantines added further refinements. Today, the ingredients are a lost secret, but it looks as if they used naphtha, pine resin and other chemicals including sulphur, projecting it long distances by forcing it through a nozzle under pressure, the original flamethrower.
High-boiling chemicals like pine resin would enable the mixture to burn for longer and reach higher temperatures than one purely based on petrol-like molecules. It would also cause the burning mixture to adhere to any surface - or person - unlucky enough to be in its way. This was used twice successfully to fight off the Muslim navy besieging Constantinople.
One of the less successful weapons was the gasoline flamethrower. The trouble with it was that it burned too fast. During World War II, American scientists re-investigated this weapon, in a team led by Louis Fieser who an older generation of chemists will associate with an organic chemistry textbook. Just like the Byzantines, they found that adding a thickening agent to the fuel created something that burned longer and also tended to stick to surfaces. Their thickening agent was a soap-like material based on aluminum naphthenate and aluminium palmitate.
The name napalm was derived from the first parts of the words naphthalene and palmitate. When they mixed this with gasoline, they got a viscous sticky brown liquid which burned more slowly and produced higher temperatures, making it a very effective weapon for fire-bombing cities, for example.
Brown-water navy deploying an ignited napalm mixture from a riverboat mounted flamethrower in Vietnam. Air Force and the U. Navy naval aviators had control of the air over nearly all of the Korean Peninsula. Hence, close air support of the ground troops along the border between North Korea and South Korea was vital, and the American and other U. Napalm B became an intrinsic element of U. The US Air Force and US Navy used napalm with great effect against all kinds of targets to include troops , tanks , buildings, jungles, and even railroad tunnels.
The effect was not always purely physical as napalm had psychological effects on the enemy as well. June 8, Phan Thi Kim Phuc , center left, after being burned in a napalm attack. When used as a part of an incendiary weapon , napalm can cause severe burns ranging from superficial to subdermal to the skin and body, asphyxiation, unconsciousness , and death. One of the main anti-personnel features of napalm is that it sticks to human skin, with no practical method for removal of the burning substance.
Napalm is effective against dug-in enemy personnel. The burning incendiary composition flows into foxholes , trenches and bunkers , and drainage and irrigation ditches and other improvised troop shelters. The firebombing raids on German cities , e. Dresden and Hamburg , frequently caused death by this mechanism. One firebomb released from a low-flying plane can damage an area of 2, square yards 2, m 2.
International law does not prohibit the use of napalm or other incendiaries against military targets, [21] but use against civilian populations was banned by the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons CCW in According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute SIPRI , states are considered a party to the convention, which entered into force as international law in December , if they ratify at least two of the five protocols.
Military Wiki Explore. Popular pages. Raaen, Jr. Project maintenance. Register Don't have an account? Edit source History Talk 0. For other uses, see Napalm disambiguation. Neer 4 April Nature
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