Incendiary bomb
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Incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus. Napalm proper is no longer used by the United States although the similar Mark 77 bomb is currently in use.
Incendiary bombs, also known as fire bombs, were used as an effective bombing weapon in WWII. The large shells of the bombs would be filled with an initial explosive, which would start off a raging fire. The fire would burn at extreme temperatures that could destroy most buildings. The bombing of Dresden in World War II, and to a lesser degree the 1943 bombing of Hamburg, remains a source of controversy to this day.
Modern incendiary bombs usually contain thermite, made from aluminium and Iron (III) oxide. The most effective formula is 25% aluminium and 75% iron oxide. It takes very high temperatures to ignite, but when alight, it can burn through solid steel. It is used to burn through heavy armor or as a quick welding mechanism.
White phosphorus is also used in incendiary bombs.
Use of incendiary weapons against civilian targets was banned by Protocol III of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
See also
- Firestorm
- Bombing of Dresden in World War II
- Bombing of Hamburg in World War II
- Bombing of Kassel in World War II
- Bombing of Frampol in World War II
- Bombing of Wieluń in World War II
- Bombing of Warsaw in World War II
- Bombing of Tokyo in World War II
- Bombing of Kobe in World War II
- Bombing of Chongqing in World War II
- Aerial bombing of cities
- Terror bombing
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