U.S. Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare: Devices and Techniques for Incendiaries

by U.S. Department of the Army

Unconventional warfare is a unique and important part of US Special Forces. Aimed at exploiting hostile forces' economic, psychological, and political vulnerabilities, its tenacious and brutal tactics infiltrate, erode, and exhaust the enemy from many angles. Special Forces personnel spreading subversion deep behind enemy lines must be prepared to navigate and survive bone-chillingly dangerous situations at any moment; knowing how to handle, improvise, and modify incendiary devices is a crucial component of their training.

"US Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare: Devices and Techniques for Incendiaries" surveys the multifaceted and varied design of incendiary systems. Intended for use by Army Special Forces in the field, this concise and informative manual covers a wide range of incendiary devices and materials, initiators, ignitors, improvised constructions and material sources, delay mechanisms, and just about anything else you'd need to know about turning a cigarette and a matchbox into a delay or a shoelace into a fuse.

Technical information is also provided about incendiary materials such as napalm, gelled gasoline, fire fudge, sugar-chlorate, thermite, paraffin-sawdust, and more. Jam-packed with detailed information, "The US Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare" is a fascinating read for the curious mind and a fascinating glimpse into the high-stakes, clandestine world of Special Forces ops.

Genres: Military Fiction, Survival

164 pages, Hardcover

First published May 20, 1966

About the author

The Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Department of the Army is the Federal Government agency within which the United States Army is organized, and it is led by the Secretary of the Army who has statutory authority 10 U.S.C. § 3013 to conduct its affairs and to prescribe regulations for its government, subject to the limits of the law, and the directions of the Secretary of Defense and the President.

The Secretary of the Army is a civilian official appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The highest-ranking military officer in the department is the Chief of Staff of the Army, who is also a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Other senior officials of the Department are the Under Secretary of the Army (principal deputy to the Secretary) and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army (principal deputy to the Chief of Staff.)

The Department of War was originally formed in 1789 as an Executive Department of the United States, and was renamed by the National Security Act of 1947 to the Department of the Army on September 18, 1947. By amendments to the National Security Act of 1947 in 1949, the Department of the Army was transformed to its present-day status.

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an army training manual for methods of making and setting off incendiary devices. Includes formulas for combustible compounds and fuses. I got it to expand my military manual collection. Easy to follow directions.

[Wendy Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yep. I read it and took notes. Being a new #NavyMom for almost a year, an interest in "survival of the fittest" was birthed. I have learned a lot on this journey, and I'll admit there are some things I wish I didn't know. This manual has a lot of info and tips that I made note of in my journal that I take when I go overseas for medical missions. Many times these missions are off the beaten path, and you can never have enough speciality skills and hacks to protect yourself. Side note: As tax payers most of the U.S. Armed Forces Training Manuals are available for view electronically online at internet.org. *