Napalm Napalm Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a gelling agent and a volatile petrochemical (usually gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel). The title is a portmanteau of the names of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: co-precipitated aluminium salts of naphthenic and palmitic acids. Napalm B is the more modern version of napalm (utilizing styrene derivatives) and, although distinctly different in its chemical composition, is often referred to simply as "napalm". Napalm was originally developed in 1942 in a secret laboratory at Harvard University, by a team led by chemist Louis Fieser under the United States
Incendiary ammunition VI incendiary were used until production increased to sufficient levels. By 1942 the standard loading for fixed .303s was half loaded with AP and half with incendiary bullets. One fighter pilot who was shot down by incendiary ammunition while flying in the Battle of Britain describes his experience: The British Mk VI bullet was copied by the United States in simplified form, for both their .30 and .50 aircraft bullets. The British then adopted the simplified design as the Mk VII bullet. Incendiary projectiles, in particular those intended for armor penetration, are more effective if they explode after penetrating a