That is napalm, many Soviet people learned only in the sixties, watching television coverage of the Vietnam belligerent.Terrible burns, injured and killed children, burning towns and villages caused justified indignation.Even a shot from a distance, looked terrible airstrike.Above the jungle "Phantom" or "Skyhawk" sign on the combat course, at some point on its belly separated a large cigar-shaped tank, similar to the additional fuel capacity, he randomly tumbled as long as does not touch the ground, and then burst, and fromIt spread over a sea of fire from which there was no salvation ... In general, napalm - a terrible weapon.
idea and implementation
In all that relates to methods for the destruction of their own kind, people show ingenuity, clearly deserves a better application.The first step to improve the efficiency of the murder, in addition to rapid-fire infantry and artillery weapons, flamethrowers steel, backpack, stationary and installed in special tanks.The idea is simple: a flammable liquid like water from a hose should be directed to the enemy.But in this case he concealed his uncomplicated trick.First, you need to get there, and secondly, to complicate the process of extinction.Petrol all good, but burns immediately.Local try to set fire to.It is necessary for a substance such that, when the ease of ignition lot of heat for a long time.By 1942, this problem was in general solved by experts from Harvard University, worked in the group of Dr. L. Fieser on orders USACC (US Army Chemical Corps).Soon, Japanese, keep the defense Tinian, learned what napalm.However, to talk about it could not all of them.
preparation technology
general technological idea was to add to the basic ingredients of combustible substances that slow burning, increases the viscosity and increases the ability to adhere.Very well suited for this purpose rubber he and sticky and viscous, and perfectly soluble and burns, but painfully expensive.This is a mixture of salts of palmitic acid and nafteinovoy proved to be very successful.The composition of napalm and gave him a name, it has nothing to do with the Russian word "shoot", and is formed from the first letters of chemical additives that make regular gasoline is much deadlier.
result of development efforts has become a kind of substance on its consistency is more or less dense, until jelly-like.The combustion temperature reached eight degrees Celsius.Additives accounted for approximately one-tenth of the total.It was successfully used in Europe, in battles with German troops and their allies, and in the Pacific theater of war against the Japanese.
What is "Napalm-B»
Progress can not be stopped, especially in the field of weapons.Here in education and medicine ... But now is not about that.
By the beginning of the Korean War, the composition of napalm was supplemented with new components, greatly improving its efficiency.Firstly, improved chemical stability upon prolonged storage, eliminated the possibility of the bundle fractions.Secondly, burn it became much brighter and hotter (1500 ° C).And third, the most important thing - this product is able to stick to everything.If an object pour water or sprinkled with snow, it is even better (that is, the worse for the object).The composition of napalm include alkali metals, which are known from the school chemistry course, when moisture gets a explode.As thickener "napalm-B" used usual polystyrene dissolved in benzene.All of this hellish mixture with sodium or potassium is added to gasoline is mixed, and you're done.Burns even steel.By the way, and inexpensive.
Common sense and ban
against so-called Vietcong (National Liberation Front), the US Army has used almost all of its arsenal, with the exception of weapons of mass destruction.However, knowing and understanding what napalm, it is difficult to give up the idea that it may well be attributed to this category.For this substance is immaterial whether its application in the area of one hundred thousand or more living beings, it will burn all that fall.It is for this reason that in 1980 the United Nations was approved by the Convention, which prohibits the napalm.The use of incendiary weapons was considered barbaric methods of warfare.But not all heeded the quiet voice of reason.But for this it needed only to present himself or someone from his family under a shower of napalm.Probably not all fancy enough ...
After 1980
Convention on the prohibition of the use of napalm took 99 states of the world, more than half of all represented in the UN.Among them are Russia (then the RSFSR) and Ukraine (the Ukrainian SSR), Belarus (BSSR) and the whole of Europe (San Marino and Andorra did not have an army, so in the process of restriction of lethal agents did not participate).Countries that are at war or awaiting her from signing or ratifying abstained.Among them are the United States, Israel, Turkey, the Republic of Korea, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Sudan, Nigeria, and others.After the collapse of the Soviet Union four former republics (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan) also acceded to the Convention (third protocol).
They used napalm Salvadoran Army (Civil War, 1984), Argentina (Falklands, 1982), Iraq (against the forces of Iran, 1980), as well as Britain and the United States (during the "Desert Storm" of 1991).As often happens in war, strikes were not always accurate enough, causing suffering civilians.
Another napalm
Finding successful brand goods manufacturers sometimes use the word well known to the townsfolk, but in a different context.For example, the means for controlling cockroaches once called "Koba" (party name Stalin), referring, obviously, his ruthless enemies.Among other specimens of household chemicals can be detected and "Napalm" weeds.This, according to the summary of advertising, effective herbicide, a real godsend for farmers and owners of summer cottages.Its main advantage, as in the present napalm, is holding a solid substance on the surface of plants and resistance to precipitation.How ethical is the name?About judged consumers.Perhaps not all have to remember the Vietnam War.
