Flame War

A search for methods to combat tanks began as soon as the tanks themselves reached the battlefield. The first anti-tank rifles and anti-tank cannons were already created during the First World War. They turned out to be quite bulky and could not be used by an individual to combat armoured vehicles. The Germans were the first to design improvised anti-tank grenades that could be used by one person. Bottles of incendiary fluid came later. They also turned up during the First World War, but then they were used for a very different purpose. These bottles were first used against armoured vehicles in Ethiopia and then in Spain. They were quite an effective weapon against first Italian CV 33 tankettes and then Republican T-26 tanks. The Japanese also used bottles filled with gasoline during the battles at Lake Hasan and Khalkhi-Gol. "Bottle artillery" proved its effectiveness once again.

Trials of Molotov cocktails against an A-34 tank, April 1940. The trials were not entirely successful.

Molotov Cocktails

If you ask people that know next to nothing of history, they will tell you that Molotov Cocktails are a Russian invention. People that know a little bit more will tell you that they are a Finnish invention. Keep going further, and you will be told that the original use of petrol bombs dates back to the Spanish Civil War.

Turns out, the first group was correct. However, these bombs came around long before Molotov accomplished anything of value, and didn't even have a proper name. In late May of 1915, Stavka's General on Duty wrote to the head of the Chief Military-Technical Directorate:

"The High Command Headquarters received several proposals for measures of repressing the enemy in response to their use of poisonous gases. These measures consist of burning the crops that are currently growing in Germany and Austria. In order to achieve this, we require widespread manufacture of incendiary devices of various weights..."