The Molotov Cocktail is an improvised bomb consisting of a bottle filled with a flammable material, such as cloth or a rag, that is ignited with a lighter before throwing at the target .
First originated during the Spanish Civil War, when Francisco Franco’s Nationalist troops used bottles loaded with petrol to destroy Soviet-supplied Republican tanks, the “Molotov Cocktail” did not get its name until the First Finnish -Soviet War, also known as the “Winter War,” 1939-1940 where the tactic was put to good use by Finnish troops to make up for the lack of anti-tank and incendiary weapons.
The name “Molotov Cocktail” was derived from the Soviet foreign minister himself, Vyacheslav Molotov, who claimed that his country’s cluster bombings of the Finnish Capital, Helsinki, were “food parcels” for starving Finns. Knowing that this was pure Soviet propaganda in response to international condemnation, the Finns, with a bit of black humor, mocked the food parcels as “Molotov’s bread baskets” while christening their drinks as “cocktails” to accompany the alleged food parcels. Usually effective in coordinated ambushes, Finnish soldiers would run up to a Soviet tank and smash the bottle against the vent before taking cover near some suitable terrain. Hence, turning the tank into a smoldering fireball.
About 540000 Molotov cocktails were produced during the Winter War. Today, it is widely used by civilian protesters, insurgents, and modern armies, such as Ukrainian soldiers during the Russo-Ukrainian war, who make Molotov Cocktails to be thrown at various Russian military vehicles in urban settings.
The Molotov cocktail demonstrates how simple, everyday objects can be turned into deadly and effective weapons.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Molotov-cocktail
https://www.historyextra.com/period/modern/molotov-cocktail-history/
Military Battle Zone 
Leave a comment