Napalm During The Vietnam War

Over the course of modern military history, many questionable forms of weaponry have been created and used in warfare. One such weapon is Napalm, the flammable gel-like substance that has been used, in various forms, since World War I. Napalm has proven to be an effective means to destroy bunkers and military buildings, but it also has a storied history for its use against civilians. To further the controversy surrounding the use of Napalm, the very creator of the substance has spoken out against the ways the military has put it to use. Military leaders are fond of the substance as it has proven to be very effective, but the controversy surrounding the misuse of Napalm seems to be forever a part of the history of this weapon.

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During this war, N0245748apalm was used to clear military outposts, buildings, jungles, and tunnels. Of course, Napalm-filled bombs also eliminated numerous troops. During this conflict, the effects of Napalm were discovered to go beyond the physical damage the liquid would inflict. The psychological effects of its use also had a major impact on the enemy and those that witnessed the war. The death of those covered by Napalm was not quick and was excruciatingly painful. For those that witnessed these deaths, the mental effects were long-lasting. In the Vietnam War, approximately 388,000 tons of Napalm bombs were dropped between 1963 and 1973. This figure is nearly six times the amount of Napalm bombs that were used in both the Korean War and in Japan. While the use of Napalm bombs resulted in some of the most successful United States attacks during this war, it was one of the first occasions that Napalm was criticized on a large, public scale. While some media outlets hailed Napalm as the number one weapon of the war, Winston Churchill spoke out against its use. He asserted that Napalm was cruel and that it was being used to torture masses of people. He accused the United States and the United Nations forces of “splashing it all over the civilian

The development and use of Napalm happened to coincide with the rise of televised media and media coverage of the war. With the increase in access to world news, the images of Napalm attacks were reaching screens in homes all across America. The images of civilians either dead or dying from the effects of Napalm changed the mindset of many Americans and resulted in a drastic decrease in support of the war. The average person simply could not support what looked like absolute torture of innocent men, women, and children. Even the lead scientist responsible for the creation of Napalm spoke out against its use against people. He stated that he fully intended for the substance to be used against buildings and structures, but never people. He also said that he was not in a position to judge the military for the way they decided to use his invention simple because he was the inventor, but he did come to feel like a pariah for having become known for this invention. With the public now against the use of Napalm and its creator not willing to provide his full endorsement for its use, the United Nations was not far behind. In 1980, at the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, the United Nations banned the use of Napalm against civilians. Further, Protocol III was established to ban the use of all incendiary weapons.