Department of the Army - U.S. Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare

Good incendiaries can be improvised more easily than explosives and the materials are more easily obtained. On a pound for pound basis, incendiaries can do more damage than explosives against many type targets if properly used. There is a time lag, however, between the start of a fire and the destruction of the target. During this period the fire may be discovered and controlled or put out. An explosive once detonated has done its work.

Incendiaries are cheap and little training is needed for their preparation and use. Used in very carefully excuted operations, the act of sabotage may be concealed in the ashes of an accidental fire.

Fires may be started quickly and have reasonable chance of success if the following few simple principles are observed:

1. See that there is plenty of air and fuel to feed the fire.

2. Use an incendiary that supplies a prolonged and persistent heat.

3. Start the fire low in the target structure and let it spread naturally upwards.

4. Use reflecting surfaces, such as corners, boxes, shelves, to concentrate the heat.

5. Use drafts to spread the fire rapidlynear stairways, elevator shafts.

6. Protect the fire from discovery during the first few minutes by good concealment and timing.

In preparing improvised incendiaries observe basic rules of safety. Chemicals that must be powered should be ground separately with clean tools and then mixed in the indicated proportions. Chemicals or mixtures should be kept tightly sealed in jars or cans to protect them from moisture. Damp materials will work poorly if at all.

Sulfuric acid, which is useful for chemical delays and to ignite incendiaries or explosive detonators, can be obtained by concentrating battery acid. This can be done by boiling off the water in the battery acid in a glass or porcelained pan until dense white fumes begin to appear. This operation should be done out of doors and the resulting concentrated acid should be handled carefully.

The paragraphs which follow will describe the preparation of several igniter (or first fire) incendiary mixes, some basic incendiary mixes, and a thermate metal-destroying incendiary.

The subject of incendiaries has been treated much more exhaustively in other publications. The intent of this handbook is to provide only a few techniques.