Are Napalm And White Phosphorus Weapons Still Part Of Western Armouries?

[sandyRoe]

Or is the thought of people being burnt to death with such weapons so abhorrent that they've been discarded?

[jim360]

As far as I can tell both are still part of the arsenal, although napalm hasn't been used for some time. White Phosphorus rounds were fired by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[andy-hughes]

Interesting that the makers and users of such weapons have degrees of sensibility about the seriousness of the death and destruction they deliver.

"Mr President, we think that burning people to death with napalm and white phosphorus is inhumane, so we are reverting back to good old bombs and bullets. The end result is exactly the same, but we feel a little better about it, which is what really matters."

[dannyk13]

The original purpose of napalm was to destroy the foliage in Vietnamese forested areas.

[sandyRoe]

And the burnt children were collateral damage?

http://media.syracuse.com/news/photo/2012/06/11123645-large.jpg

[youngmafbog]

Not alwasy so collateral though Sandy, unless you forget the other side used kids.

[youngmafbog]

//The end result is exactly the same, but we feel a little better about it, which is what really matters." //

Assuming you mean death as the end result ok, but the way of getting there is totally different. Would you prefer to die by bullet or Napalm? I can't think of many that would choose Napalm

[paddywak]

Napalm was first developed in 1942 and used in Europe and the Pacific in WW 11 then Korea well before Vietnam.The main defoliant in 'Nam was the infamous Agent Orange the effects of which still being felt today

[andy-hughes]

youngmafbog - "//The end result is exactly the same, but we feel a little better about it, which is what really matters." //

Assuming you mean death as the end result ok, but the way of getting there is totally different. Would you prefer to die by bullet or Napalm? I can't think of many that would choose Napalm"

My point is, the crassness of powers-that-be debating the finer points of destruction of other human beings.

"Would you prefer to die by bullet or Napalm? I can't think of many that would choose Napalm"

I'd prefer not to die violently at all, since you ask!

[anotheoldgit]

Perhaps they would be usefully used against ISIS, perhaps then they would find out what it was like to be burned alive.

[anotheoldgit]

andy-hughes

Reverting back to your views on the "Should The Video Of The Jordanian Pilot Be Watched" thread.

What are your feelings about the burnt children in Vietnam images, should we have been shown those images at the time or just told about them?

[RandyMarsh]

Phosphorus grenades and mortar rounds are still used.