MOLOTOV COCKTAILS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 May 1941, Page 5

MOLOTOV COCKTAILS

SPECTACULAR HOME GUARD TRAINING YESTERDAY’S HALF-DAY PARADE. COUNTRY PLATOONS AT OPAKI RACECOURSE. The Masterton Homo Guard Battalion held its fortnightly half-day parade yesterday morning at the Hood Aerodrome. The most spectacular part of the day’s work was the training given to C Company in the use of the “Molotov Cocktail" as an anti-tank weapon. The "Molotov Cocktail" is an improvement. devised by the Finns on the petrol bottle used in the Spanish civil war. The method is to throw it on to the tank from a ditch or other cover. The usual mixture is one-fourth tar and the remainder equal parts of petrol and kerosene. A large number of “cocktails" had been prepared in advance by filling quart bottles with the mixture and partly covering them with sacking to act as a wick. Each section was supplied with the "cocktails” and at the signal to attack the wick ends were dipped in petrol, ignited, and thrown on the target representing the tank. As the bottles shattered the burning mixture spread over the tank and.it was soon enveloped in a sheet of flame. It was found necessary only to ignite the first one or two “cocktails.” The others ignited as they broke. It was clearly seen that the effect would be to make the tank untenable through' heat, smoke and burning liquid seeping through the apertures. It is said that it takes five or six “cocktails” to deal with one tank, and it was found that the best bottles to use were those of thin glass which shatters easily and completely, rather than thicker glass such as in beer bottles. The instructor pointed out that although a tank appears, and is, a formidable weapon, it has its weaknesses, chief among which is its ihability to depress its armament sufficiently to bring it to bear at very close quarters. A man could not be hit when within a few yards. Also vision was restricted, to about ten per cent of the whole field of view. This, no doubt, explained the successful "tank stalking” by the Anzacs in Libya and Greece. After the above work. Sergeant Major Osborne, of Trentham Camp, gave instruction in erecting barbed wire entanglements. including the “double-apron" entanglement. the Dannert. concertina type and others. His demonstration was greatly appreciated. "A" Company spent the morning in extended order drill and rifle exercises. “D" Company, which consists of units from the country districts of Kaituna. Mt. Bruce, Rangitumau. Kopuaranga and Matahiwi, held its first combined exercises at the Opaki Racecourse under the command of Company Commander H. J. W. Lord. The Battalion Commander. Lieut. A. L. Hibbs. D.C.M.. and other officers wore also present ancl were greatly pleased at the progress shown. Tn view of the fact that this was the first combined parade, he stated that the work in extended order deployment was' really excellent. A short. Empire Day address was given at the Hood Aerodrome by the Ven. Archdeacon E. J. Rich, a report of which appears elsewhere in this issue. Morning tea was served by a ladies' committee. I