Napalm: its devastating effects – on-screen and off

The 1979 movie Apocalypse Now is about the horrors and psychological trauma of the Vietnam War. A major cause of trauma on both sides was the widespread use of napalm – the chilling scenes of burning fields, property and people from the news reels are unforgettable. In the film, a US Army officer, Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, exclaims ‘I love the smell of napalm in the morning’. It’s an often quoted line, but with knowledge of napalm’s devastating effects, it is a viewpoint we should find appalling. So what is napalm and how is it really made?