A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – see § Etymology) is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a fuse. It is typically a glass bottle filled with flammable liquids sealed with a cloth wick. In use, the fuse attached to the container is lit and the weapon is thrown, shattering on impact. This ignites the flammable substances contained in the bottle and spreads flames as the fuel burns. Due to their relative ease of production, Molotov cocktails are typically improvised weapons. Their improvised usage spans criminals, gangsters, rioters, football hooligans, urban guerrillas, terrorists, irregular soldiers, freedom fighters, and even regular soldiers; usage in the latter case is often due to a shortage of equivalent military-issued munitions. Despite the weapon's improvised nature and uncertain quality, many modern militaries exercise the use of Molotov cocktails. However, Molotov cocktails are not always improvised in the field. It is not uncommon for them to be mass-produced to a certain standard as part of preparation for combat. Some examples of this being done are the anti-invasion preparations of the British Home Guard during World War II and the Ukrainian volunteer units during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. During World War II, Molotov cocktails were even factory produced in several countries, such as Finland, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Sweden, and the United States; some featuring specially designed frangible containers and fuses (such as the US Frangible Grenade M1 for example).
Etymology
The name "Molotov cocktail" (Finnish: Molotovin cocktail) was coined by the Finns during the Winter War in 1939. The name was a pejorative reference to Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, who was one of the architects of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact on the eve of World War II. The name's origin came from the propaganda Molotov produced during the Winter War, mainly his declaration on Soviet state radio that incendiary bombing missions over Finland were actually "airborne humanitarian food deliveries" for their "starving" neighbours. As a result, the Finns sarcastically dubbed the Soviet incendiary cluster bombs "Molotov bread baskets" (Finnish: Molotovin leipäkori) in reference to Molotov's propaganda broadcasts. When the hand-held bottle firebomb was developed to attack and destroy Soviet tanks, the Finns called it the "Molotov cocktail", as "a drink to go with his food parcels". Despite the now infamous name, the formal Finnish military term for the weapon type was, and continues to be, "burn-bottle" (Finnish: polttopullo, Fenno-Swedish: brännflaska).
Other names The weapon most often known as the Molotov cocktail goes under a great variety of other names around the globe. Some are more formal than others but the weapon is often given a descriptive name in the respective language.
Synonyms and nicknames
Military nomenclature Finland – Finnish: polttopullo, ('burn-bottle') – Fenno-Swedish: brännflaska ('burn-bottle'). Nazi Germany – German: Brandflasche ('fire bottle') – Brandhandgranate ('fire hand grenade'). USSR – Russian: зажига́тельная буты́лка, romanized: zazhigátelnaya butýlka, lit. 'incendiary bottle' – Russian: буты́лка с горю́чей жи́дкостью, romanized: butýlka s goryúchey zhídkostyu, lit. 'bottle with combustible liquid'. Sweden – Swedish: brännflaska ('burn-bottle'). United Kingdom – No. 76 special incendiary grenade – incendiary hand or rifle grenade No. 76 Mk I. US – frangible grenade – incendiary frangible grenade – incendiary bottle grenade.
Design The simplest version of Molotov cocktail consists of a container that breaks when it hits a hard surface (usually a breakable glass bottle), a flammable and incendiary liquid (contained in the bottle), and a piece of porous cloth that acts as a wick (inserted into the neck of the bottle and which dips into the flammable-incendiary liquid, being completely impregnated with it). Sometimes, incisions are made on the glass bottle with a glass-cutting tool, to allow for easier shattering upon impact with the target. The flammable-incendiary liquid can have a highly variable composition, for example:
only gasoline (petrol) gasoline with gelling/thickening additives 2⁄3 gasoline and 1⁄3 motor oil or diesel fuel half gasoline and half kerosene mixture composed of petrol, paraffin and tar, obtained by mixing 1 part of the first two with 2 parts of the third mixture composed of equal parts of tar, kerosene and petrol, obtained by mixing tar and kerosene first, then adding the petrol, with the possible addition of sulfur improvised napalm, composed of a liquid hydrocarbon fuel (gasoline, fuel oil, diesel oil, kerosene, turpentine, benzol or benzene, toluol or toluene) mixed with soap powder or chips or with pieces of extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam (known colloquially as styrofoam). Other flammable liquids, such as, ethanol, methanol, jet fuel, acetone, and isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), have been used in place of, or combined with, gasoline. Gelled or paste type fuels are often preferred to raw gasoline for use in devices such as incendiary bottles: this type of fuel adheres more readily to the target and produces greater heat concentration. Other gelling/thickening agents, such as baking soda, petroleum jelly, strips of tyre tubing, nitrocellulose, rubber cement, have been added to promote adhesion of the burning liquid and to create clouds of thick, choking smoke.
For winter warfare, storm matches may be attached to the side of the bottle for ignition, as these are less likely to be put out by wind. Some bottles are fitted with ballast for improved throwing accuracy (such as filling 1⁄3 of the bottle with sand). Typically, the operator lights the piece of cloth just before throwing the bottle at the target (such as a vehicle or fortification), making sure it is well secured and burning well to prevent it from coming loose or going out during the flight: when the bottle breaks, the flammable and incendiary liquid catches fire, engulfing the target in flames. There also exist variations on the Molotov cocktail-concept where the bottle is filled with a smoke generating mixture such as sulfur trioxide dissolved in chlorosulfonic acid. These so-called "smoke bottles" do not need a source for ignition, as the mixture reacts with the air once the bottle is smashed.
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