Units of French Army

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Units of French Army is coming

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French Légion Étrangère

The “Légion Étrangère” was historically formed of expatriate enlisted personnel led by French officers. Was founded on March 9, 1831 with aim of bolstering the strength of the French Army. At its inception the Foreign Legion was organized into a single regiment of seven battalions. Each battalion had eight companies of 112 men each. Each battalion was formed of men of specific nationalities or linguistic groups; the 1st Battalion was composed of veterans of the Swiss Guards and the Hohenlohe Regiment, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were composed of Swiss and German volunteers, the 4th Battalion consisted of those of Spanish extraction, the 5th Battalion consisted mostly of a mixture of Sardinians and Italians, the 6th Battalion was formed of Belgians and Dutch, and the 7th Battalion consisted of volunteers of Polish origin. The Foreign Legion was heavily involved in World War II, playing a large role in the Middle East and the North African campaign. The 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment was established by consolidating battalions stationed in Syria into a single battalion on October 15, 1939. The 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade was raised in February 1940 for the purpose of deploying to Finland. On May 13, 1940, the 13th Demi-Brigade participated in an amphibious assault on the shores of the Herjangs Fjord near Narvik. Six units of the Foreign Legion participated in the Battle of France: the 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment, the 12th Foreign Infantry Regiment, the Reconnaissance Group of the 97th Infantry Division, the 21st Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers, the 22nd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers, and the 23rd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers. Part of the Legion was loyal to the Free French movement, yet another part was loyal to the Vichy government.

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2. French Chasseurs Alpins

The French Alpine troops, whose actual name is Chasseurs Alpins, were (and indeed still are) an elite fighting force of the French army – having been specially trained for mountainous terrain and close-quarters combat. On December 24, 1888, the first Troupes de Montagne Corps were created from 12 of the 31 existing Chasseurs à Pied Battalions. Their head dress is a distinctive beret, referred to as a Tarte, because of its resemblance with the baked good of that name. The beret is decorated with a yellow bulge horn as music seems to be an important element in their unit culture. During WWII, the Chasseurs Alpins saw some action at the beginning of the war, specifically, they were part of the Allied forces who pushed back the Germans at Narvik where they clashed with German Gebirgsjager amid the frigid mountains surrounding the Norweigan harbour town, until they were withdrawn once the German offensive against France began. They also fought defensively that summer against the Italian attacks from the southeast, on the Alpine extensions of the Maginot line, where they managed to hold their position until the armistice was signed. On the 27th of November, the French army allowed by the Armistice (100,000 men) was disarmed and dissolved. The Vichy government ordered the commanding officers of every unit to surrender their hidden arms to the Axis powers. Contrary to most of his colleagues, Vallette d'Osia, commander-in-chief of the 27th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion in Annecy (Haute-Savoie), refused to comply and went underground where he set up the Local Armée Secrète.

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3. French Dragons First Line

The first battalion of Dragons Portés was formed in 1929; the idea was that those troops would form the infantry component which would be able to support tanks in their breakthrough and use the mobility of their transports to take control of advanced positions. A motorized infantry regiment bore a cavalry identity and the infantry were Dragons Portés. Digesting the lessons of the First World War, the French Army concluded that the days of horse cavalry were numbered. The motorized dragoon regiment had three battalions. Each battalion had three riflemen squadrons, including one that used motorcycles, the two others using either trucks, or, more rarely, armored transports. Another squadron was dedicating to operating heavier equipment, such as machine-guns and mortars. The Dragons Portés mostly relied on Laffly S20 TL light trucks, which, while fairly mobile and polyvalent (also serving as artillery tractors) offered absolutely no protection from enemy fire. The Dragons Portés were some of the best equipped regular infantry regiments of the French Army, usually being armed with some of the most modern French weapons (the new MAS 36 rifle was common in their ranks) and well-trained. They can be considered as the First Line units of the army. In the 1940 campaign they fighting in Belgium and giving the good account of themselves. They proved to be a match for the panzers in a stand-up fight, and in retrospect it seems clear that the French Army made a great mistake by not providing itself with more of them. The Dragons Portés were comparable to Panzergrenadiers in terms of either organization or battle doctrine, though a lack of investment and suited equipment vastly compromised the Dragon Portés’s capacity to match the Panzergrenadiers’s.

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4. French Regulier Second Line

In May 1940 the French Army embodied 101 infantry divisions (Division d'Infanterie), of which 91 were located in metropolitan France. They were classified by composition as Series A, B or C, and by organization and equipment as Northeast, Fortress or Overseas (i.e. stationed in the colonies). Several Northeast divisions assigned to the Army of the Alps on the frontier with Italy carried the unofficial designation Mountain (Division Alpine). The Series A divisions were "Regular Formations" that were maintained in peacetime at two-thirds strength. Upon mobilization they were brought up to full strength with reserve units. The Series B divisions were maintained in peacetime with only a small regular cadre; on mobilization they too were brought up to strength with reserve units. In peacetime Series C divisions existed only on paper, consisting entirely of reserve units. Series A divisions embodied regular soldiers and the youngest reservists, Series B divisions a mix of younger and older reservists (aged 30 and above) and Series C divisions mostly older reservists. The Northeast organization applied to all infantry divisions in metropolitan France except mountain and fortress divisions. Regardless of classification, however, all infantry divisions had the same basic triangular organization: three infantry regiments, each with three battalions. The Northeast infantry division was the most numerous types and it was quite similar to the German First Line infantry division. The principal points of difference concerned the divisional artillery and antitank units. The foregoing description applies mainly to the Series A Northeast infantry divisions, which embodied active soldiers and the most recently trained reservists, and had the latest equipment.

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5. French Reservistes Conscripts

France had a large conscript army with the potential to mobilize 6.7 million men from metropolitan France and its colonies. The French High Command calculated that they could raise 100 divisions plus 16 divisions of fortress troops. France was not just disadvantaged by the discrepancy in manpower, but also in the highly variable quality of its army. It was only after 1935 that the conscription period was increased from one to two years. Hence, the bulk of reservists called up in 1939 had only received a year's training. Upon mobilization the army was strengthened by the creation of Series A and Series B regiments. Series B regiments were made up of the oldest military classes of men in their mid-30s and 40s and with very few regular officers. These units were of considerably inferior quality compared to the active units in terms of their training, equipment and morale. Many of the French units which held the Dunkirk perimeter were Series B or Regional Regiments. The more serious problem was that the mobilization was entirely indiscriminate. This meant that at a vital period of the military build-up, the French armed forces were short of promised new hardware and equipment, had insufficient ammunition and ordnance for many of their weapons and even faced shortages of basic equipment such as uniforms and boots. Hence, it can be seen that France was in no position to honour its agreement with Poland, i.e. that the French Army would start preparations for a major offensive within three days of general mobilization.

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6. French Tirailleurs Coloniale

The term "tirailleur" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French colonial territories during the 19th and 20th centuries, or for metropolitan units serving in a light infantry role. France made extensive use of tirailleurs in its colonial campaigns. The uniform was the hot-weather light khaki with yellow braiding. Tirailleurs from North and Central Africa fought with distinction in Europe during World War II, notably in the Italian campaign. The Indo-Chinese tirailleur regiments were destroyed or disbanded following the Japanese coups against the French colonial administration in March 1945. Algerian, Moroccan and Senegalese tirailleurs served in Indo-China. The recruitment of Muslim tirailleurs was mainly voluntary, although a selective form of conscription was introduced in Algeria and continued until the end of French rule in North Africa. Prior to 1939 up to 90% of the rank and file of each battalion had been indigenous. The proportion of French European (both metropolitan and pied-noir settlers) to Maghrébin (North African) personnel had however increased to about 30% by the end of World War II, as the tirailleur units became increasingly mechanized. The Tirailleurs most numerous, after the "tirailleurs algériens", were the "tirailleurs sénégalais" (who were recruited from all of the French possessions in West and Central Africa). Regiments were recruited from the regions of French Indochina: Annam, Tonkin, and Cambodia. The regiments were named after the territory in which they were recruited. Thus "tirailleurs Annamites", "tirailleurs Tonkinois" and "tirailleurs Cambodgiens".

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7. French Heroes

Gabriel Brunet de Sairigné was a French Army officer of the French Foreign Legion. He was born in Paris, and was killed in the line of duty close to Lagnia Bien Hoa (Viêt Nam). During World War II, he participated with the Free French Forces in the East African Campaign (in Eritrea and Ethiopia) and the Syria-Lebanon Campaign during 1941, the Battle of Bir Hakeim, then the Tunisia Campaign during 1942, the Allied invasion of Sicily during 1943 and the Operation Dragoon and the campaign of Alsace during 1944. He finished the war with the rank of lieutenant colonel, commandant in chief of the "Première division française libre". Was awarded with the Commander of the Légion d'honneur, the Croix de guerre 1939-1945 (7 citations), the Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Extérieures (4 citations), and the Commemorative medal of the 1939-1945 war, with "Norway", "Africa", "France", campaign in Indochina clasps.

Marcel Émile Deslaurens was a French brigadier general. On 1 January 1940 he was given the command of the 60th Infantry Division, located in the north of France. After the Dutch capitulation, the division retreated into south Zeeland and found itself on the islands of Walcheren and South Beveland on 15 May. Under severe pressure, the troops retreated to Vlissingen; orders were given to embark on French warships that evening. Amid the chaos of French troops that continued to pour in, and given the demoralized state of those troops, Deslaurens himself grabbed a rifle and covered the retreat, setting up a position with whatever soldiers and officers he could detain, some four hundred meters from the embarkation. By 22:15 hours all had been evacuated except for Deslaurens and his small defensive group, who were all killed. He was one of thirteen French generals who died in May/June 1940.

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8. French Crews

In 1939, the French armored force was most important of the Allies, as the USSR was formally a German ally at the time. A total force of nearly 5,800 tanks, many of which were based overseas, in operational reserve or second line. Trench warfare vision, without surprise, emphasized slow (infantry pace), but well armored vehicles, only armed for close support, mainly against pillboxes and trench fortifications. The prime doctrinal use was still related to a methodical set of rules based on the trench warfare of 1916-1918. This was favored by the old age of the French staff. Only the young Colonel De Gaulle stood apart, writing memorandums, reports and a book about armored warfare. He saw the full potential of medium and heavy tanks screened by a force of lighter, but faster tanks, in independent, mobile armored divisions. All his ideas were ignored by senior officers. The French fought hopelessly, completely disorganized by the speed of the German combined attacks. This was deepened by lack of training, weak and poorly coordinated air support, inadequate tanks, lack of modern equipment and, most of all, outdated tactics. Entire units were immobilized and many tanks abandoned due to the absence of fuel supplies. The ensuing losses where an incredible waste of military might, reproduced almost to the letter by the USSR in the summer of 1941. The failure of French tanks was owed to obsolete tactical concepts, compromises which led to undermanned tanks and busy commanders, lack of air support and very poor communication aggravated by a rigid, scattered chain of command. French armor could have had prevailed if better commanded and with better coordination and supplies.

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9. French Snipers

The French snipers have been issued at the battalion level (1 for about 800 men then) in 1939/1940 and several served also in the Corps Francs. The rifles issued to the snipers had the special mount for the scope and specially selected rifles with higher level of engineering in order to increase the accuracy. Each rifle was adjusted and fitted with a dedicated scope which had the number of the rifle marked on it. The semi-automatic R.S.C. Mle1917/1918 rifle was used during WW1 and during the Rif war and several were still used in France in 1939/1940 and issued to the best sharpshooters but probably never to snipers (with a scope). In May-June 1940 there were also trials with the experimental MAS40 rifle (semi-automatic, 7.5x54 mm, 5 rounds clips, 10 rounds magazine or an other version with a 25 rounds magazine) and a new prismatic APX M686 scope. The Free French (1941-1943) used mostly British SMLE .303 n°3 MkI(T) and .303 n°4 MkI(T) rifles, at least for the French SAS and commando-marines who operated with the British forces. From 1943 on (French Army) the main sniper rifle became the Springfield 1903A4 (2.5x M73B scope). A few civilian Lyman Alaskan scopes should have been used and designated M73. Redfield delivered about 2000 mountings for them but Lyman never delivered the scopes. The common scope found on the Springfield 1903A4 is therefore the civilian Weaver 330C (marked '330C') but the majority of them had the military markings (M73B1). During late WW2 and after WW2 the Springfield 1903A4 mounted also the scopes used on the Garand M1C and M1D rifles (M81, M82 and M84). Several Springfield 1903A4 were also equipped with a French scope designated M73B2, it had the "OPL France" markings (OPL = Optique de Précision de Levallois).

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10. French Medical Service

The experience of a battle casualty in the Second World War was not radically different to that of the First World War. The most common injuries were caused by shells and bullets, and a casualty was evacuated through a similarly-organised chain of medical posts, dressing stations and hospitals. At the fighting fronts, specialist surgical facilities were closer to the front line and transport was by motor vehicle, sometimes even by air. For those who experienced psychological trauma, psychiatrists were closer to the front line. The ‘shell shock’ of the First World War had become ‘battle exhaustion’ – a reflection of the better understanding of the complexity of mental trauma. Blood transfusions became commonplace, with the Army Blood Transfusion Service providing expertise and large quantities of blood across the globe. Penicillin was developed into a mass-produced medicine, transforming the treatment of infection. Diseases were combatted more effectively, with DDT sprayed over large areas to lessen incidences of malaria and typhus amongst troops and civilians. Specialist treatment on the home fronts also improved, with more advances in plastic surgery and the treatment of burns. Training of medical personnel, equipment, literature and training aids used were excellent. There was also a large Staging Area and Port of Embarkation nearby, and frequent visits to both places were made in order to learn about operations, transportation, and conservation of materiel and supplies. Extensive medical training took place, including physical conditioning and development of stamina in all ranks, with road marches, calisthenics, drill, sports, and lectures around organization and functioning of a General Hospital in a Communications Zone.

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11. French Scouts

It can be said that the Voltigeurs are the origin of the French scouts. The Voltigeurs were trained to be elite skirmishers and formed an integral part of the Grande Armée's basic building blocks, the Line and Light infantry battalions. The voltigeurs were skilled at sharpshooting and received specific training in marksmanship, using cover and taking the initiative. The interwar period introduced the concept of cavalry reconnaissance units without horses. On the eve of World War II, almost all armies assumed that mechanized or motorized reconnaissance units needed to be light to move fast and gain information primarily through stealth. The French deployed a mix of mechanized and hybrid horse, mechanized, and motorized reconnaissance units at the army, corps, and division levels. The French scouts was to discover the German dispositions and delay the German advance until the French could prepare countermeasures. In this mission, these units failed. Even in the restricted terrain of the Ardennes, the Germans, moving fast and bypassing opposition whenever possible, managed to reach the Meuse River and cross it in 3 days. The scouts also failed to discover the extent of the German armored deployment in the Ardennes. The French High Command, therefore, did not realize the location of the enemy’s main effort until the panzers were across the Meuse, and then, there was nothing the French could do about it. Most telling, light reconnaissance forces often could not survive to effectively use their speed and nimbleness. As the war progressed, organizations adjusted, and most armies became heavier, either in design, by fielding heavier equipment, or through habitual augmentation.

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12. French Spotter

As with all modern armies, the French have the normal complement of Officers, Medics, and Forward Observers. A military artillery observer or spotter is responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire, mostly at opportunity targets, and may be a Forward Air Controller for close air support and spotter for naval gunfire support. Also known as "Forward Observer", "Fire Support Specialist", or "Fister". Most commonly observers accompany a tank or infantry manouvre unit. On land, artillery observers are considered high-priority targets by enemy forces, as they control a great amount of firepower, are within visual range of the enemy, and may be located within enemy territory. Because artillery is an indirect fire weapon system, the guns are rarely in line-of-sight of their target, often located miles away. The observer serves as the eyes of the guns, by sending target locations and if necessary, corrections to the fall of shot, usually by radio. Each battery command post converts the fire orders into firing data for its own guns. The "Fire for Effect", also called FFE, is the volume of fires delivered on a target to achieve the desired effect. The game Squad Leader gives a very good demonstration of the difference between spotting rounds, harassing fire and fire for effect. First the Forward Observer establishes contact with the artillery unit. Then a spotting round is called for. Spotting rounds are then "walked" on to the target. When the spotting round is either on the target or the necessary adjustment is small enough to be within allowable limits, the Forward Observer calls for a fire mission, often with the phrase, "Fire for effect."

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13. French Leaders

The French military school of Saint-Cyr did not encourage its students, the future officers of the French army, to think outside the box. They were instead encouraged to follow the prescribed doctrine without questioning it. Tactics were simple and consisted of following a group of guidelines to the letter. The French military leadership repeatedly made mistakes. French officers very often reacted extremely slowly, not knowing how to quickly muster their forces to attack, were unable to adapt to changing circumstances, and showed poor individual leadership skills. Such poor leadership on the battlefield can be explained by doctrine, poor individual decision-making, or a mixture of both. French frontline officers on the ground could have hardly done any better. In battle, frontline junior officers and non-commissioned officers often fought with valor and determination. Even senior and general officers could show courage. They overall did what was asked of them, and performed as best as they could, given the critical circumstances they were facing. On the other hand, other factors, such as some units’ poor training, would unlikely have had a dramatic impact on the campaign if corrected. For instance, better training for reservists would probably have improved some of the units’ chances of holding their ground or inflicting more casualties.

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14. French FM 1924/29 LMG

The Fusil-mitrailleur Modèle 1924 M29 was the standard light machine gun of the French Army from 1925 until the 1960s. It fires the French 7.5×54mm round. The Chatellerault FM Mle 1924-29 was the French military’s replacement for the 1915 Chauchat automatic rifle. After testing of all the major designs available (Madsen, BAR, Hotchkiss, Lewis and Berthier), the Chatellerault was designed with the best parts of the Hotchkiss and BAR. It fed from a 25-round magazine, with a deliberately slow 450 RPM rate of fire. The FM Mle 1924 entered production in late July 1925 and saw first operational use in Morocco in May 1926. It was immediately well-received and even favorably compared in performance with the much heavier Hotchkiss machine gun. However, problems created by the new 7.5mm ammunition did appear. In particular, 8×57mm Mauser ammunition which was used in captured Mauser rifles carried by auxiliaries in Morocco during the Rif War from 1920–26, could be chambered and fired with disastrous results. This situation led to the development of a slightly shorter 7.5×54mm round, which was retained in 1929 as the standard ammunition for all future rifles and light machine guns in French service. The FM 24/29 was the standard squad-level automatic weapon of the French infantry and cavalry at the start of World War II. After the French surrender in World War II, the Germans captured large quantities of this weapon, which they used operationally until the end of the war. From 1943 on, as the French army was re-equipped and reorganized in North Africa with Allied support, the FM 24/29 was kept in service, as French troops considered it superior to the Browning Automatic Rifle.

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15. French Vickers MMG

The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The machine gun typically required a six- to eight-man team to operate: one fired, one fed the ammunition, the rest helped to carry the weapon, its ammunition, and spare parts. The Vickers machine gun was based on the successful Maxim gun of the late 19th century. After purchasing the Maxim company outright in 1896, Vickers took the design of the Maxim gun and improved it, inverting the mechanism as well as reducing its weight by lightening and simplifying the action and using high strength alloys for certain components. A muzzle booster was also added. The gun was 112 cm long and its cyclic rate of fire was between 450 and 600 rounds per minute. The Mark VIIIz cartridge, which had a boat-tailed spitzer “streamlined” bullet, could be used against targets at a range of approximately 4,115 m. The gun and its tripod were carried separately and both were heavy. The Vickers Mk I was 13.6 kg without the water and tripod, and weighed 18.1 kg with the water. The original design did not anticipate it being carried up jungle-covered mountains on men's backs, but such was the weapon's popularity that men were generally content to pack it to all manner of difficult locations. The tripod would be set up to make a firm base, often dug into the ground a little and perhaps with the feet weighted down with sandbags. The water jacket would be filled with about 4 liters of water from a small hole at the rear end, sealed by a cap.

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16. Browning M2HB (0.5)

The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun is a heavy machine gun designed by John Browning. The Browning M2 is an air-cooled, belt-fed machine gun. The M2 fires from a closed bolt, operated on the short recoil principle. The M2 has varying cyclic rates of fire, depending on the model. The M2HB (heavy barrel) air-cooled ground gun has a cyclical rate of 450–575 rounds per minute. The M2 has an effective range of 1,830 meters and a maximum effective range of 2,000 meters when fired from the M3 tripod. In its ground-portable, crew-served role as the M2HB, the gun itself weighs 38 kg and the assembled M3 tripod another 20 kg. In this configuration, the V-shaped "butterfly" trigger is located at the very rear of the weapon with a "spade handle" hand-grip on either side of it and the bolt release in the center. The spade handles are gripped and the butterfly trigger is depressed with one or both thumbs. When the bolt release is locked down by the bolt latch release lock on the buffer tube sleeve, the gun functions in fully automatic mode. Conversely, the bolt release can be unlocked into the up position resulting in single-shot firing (the gunner must press the bolt latch release to send the bolt forward). Troops in the field have been known to add an improvised safety measure against accidental firing by slipping an expended shell casing under the butterfly trigger. Because the M2 was designed to operate in many configurations, it can be adapted to feed from the left or right side of the weapon by exchanging the belt-holding pawls, and the front and rear cartridge stops (three-piece set to include link stripper), then reversing the bolt switch.

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17. French Flamethrower

The French used flamethrowers extensively during WW1 and there are mention of flamethrowers being held in the engineer park of one or two of the armies in 1940.
Flamethrowers really were not prevalent in WW2 especially early war. The British didn't have them till 44 and then the things didn't work to well. The Japanese didn't use them much. The Italians had loads on paper but hardly used them. Even the US which was the biggest manpack user struggled with their use throughout the war. When maintained fueled properly and got into the right place they worked. But doing so seems to have been a constant problem.
The French saw the flamethrower as a very specialized weapon, only of use in prepared attacks on fortified or heavily entrenched positions. As they had not the slightest intention of doing anything like that before 1941, the French Army saw no call to encumber combat formations with them.
In 1942, the U.S. Army introduced its own man-portable flamethrower. The French Army used flamethrowers in Europe in small numbers, though they were available for special employments. Flamethrowers were deployed during the Normandy landings in order to clear Axis fortifications. Also, most boat teams on Omaha Beach included a two-man flamethrower team.

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18. Satchel Charge

A petard is a small bomb used for blowing up gates and walls when breaching fortifications, originally invented in France in 1579. A typical petard was a conical or rectangular metal device containing 2–3 kg of gunpowder, with a slow match for a fuse. Pétardiers were deployed during sieges of castles or fortified cities. Petards were often placed either inside tunnels under walls or directly upon gates. The petard's shape allowed the concussive pressure of the blast to be applied entirely towards the destruction of the target structure. Depending on design, a petard could be secured by propping it against the wall or gate using beams, as illustrated, or nailing it in place on a madrier (a thick wooden board fixed in advance to the end of the petard).
A satchel charge is a demolition device, primarily intended for combat, whose primary components are a charge of dynamite or a more potent explosive such as C-4 plastic explosive, a carrying device functionally similar to a satchel or messenger bag, and a triggering mechanism. In World War II, combat engineers used satchel charges to demolish heavy stationary targets such as rails, obstacles, blockhouses, bunkers, caves, and bridges. Part or all of this charge could be placed against a structure or slung into an opening. It was usually detonated with a pull igniter. When used as an anti-tank weapon, charges were sufficient to severely damage the tracks. 4 kg charges were enough to destroy medium tanks. The demolition charge assembly consists of 8 block demolition charges, 8 block demolition charge hook assemblies, and 2 demolition priming assemblies.

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19. French Molotov Cocktail pack

A Molotov cocktail, also known as a petrol bomb or just Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of bottle-based improvised incendiary weapons. A Molotov cocktail is a breakable glass bottle containing a flammable substance such as gasoline, alcohol or a napalm-like mixture, with some motor oil added, and usually a source of ignition such as a burning cloth wick held in place by the bottle's stopper. The wick is usually soaked in alcohol or kerosene, rather than petrol. Incendiary bottles are one of the simplest and most reliable means for destroying tanks, armored cars, transport trucks, warehouses, landed airplanes, and enemies in cover. In the hands of a brave partisan, they are a fearsome weapon. Skilled and sudden use can not only strike the enemy, but cause panic and compromise enemy organization. When the bottles hit a solid object, the bottle breaks, and the liquid inside of it ignites, either with a match attached to the bottle, a special metallic igniter, or a capsule inside the bottle. In action, the wick is lit and the bottle hurled at a target such as a vehicle or fortification. When the bottle smashes on impact, the ensuing cloud of fuel droplets and vapor is ignited by the attached wick, causing an immediate fireball followed by spreading flames as the remainder of the fuel is consumed. Other flammable liquids such as diesel fuel, methanol, turpentine, jet fuel, and isopropyl alcohol have been used in place of, or combined with petrol. Thickening agents such as solvents, foam polystyrene, baking soda, petroleum jelly, tar, strips of tire tubing, nitrocellulose, XPS foam, motor oil, rubber cement, detergent and dish soap have been added to help the burning liquid adhere to the target and create clouds of thick, choking smoke.