| Molotov Cocktail | |
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| General Historical Information | |
| Type | Improvised incendiary weapon |
| Effective range | 10–20 metres |
| Rate of Fire | User dependant |
| General Ingame Information | |
| Used by | Soviet Union Germany Great Britain Hungary Poland Japan Finland France |
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The Molotov Cocktail is an incendiary weapon that is used by most factions in FHSW.
In game[]
In game, it can be thrown at a distance of 10 to 20 metres. When it hits, the glass breaks and leaves behind large flames that will damage players and vehicles alike. It lasts for several seconds before the fire goes out. Kits usually just have one, but can have two or even three.
Name[]
While petrol bombs had already been in common use during the Spanish Civil War and by the Japanese at the Battle of Khalkhin Gol the most popular name for this type of bomb, "Molotov cocktail" was coined by the Finns during the Winter War, called in Finnish: Polttopullo or Molotovin koktaili. The name was an insulting reference to Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, who was one of the architects of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact signed in late August 1939.
The pact with Nazi Germany was widely mocked by the Finns, as was much of the propaganda Molotov produced to accompany the pact, including his declaration on Soviet state radio that bombing missions over Finland were actually airborne humanitarian food deliveries for their starving neighbours. The Finns sarcastically dubbed the Soviet cluster bombs "Molotov bread baskets" in reference to Molotov's propaganda broadcasts.
When the hand-held bottle firebomb was developed to attack Soviet tanks, the Finns called it the "Molotov cocktail", as "a drink to go with the food"
History[]
On 30 November 1939, the Soviet Union attacked Finland, starting what came to be known as the Winter War. The Finns perfected the design and tactical use of the petrol bomb. The ingredients for the Molotov cocktail was refined to a slightly sticky mixture of gasoline, 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.
Early in 1940, with the prospect of immediate invasion, the possibilities of the petrol bomb gripped the imagination of the British public. For the layman, the petrol bomb had the benefit of using entirely familiar and available materials, and they were quickly improvised in large numbers, with the intention of using them against enemy tanks.
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