![[Book #45969] Engineer Field Manual FM 5-25; Explosives and Demolitions. U S. War...](/images/noimage.png)
Engineer Field Manual FM 5-25; Explosives and Demolitions
Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1942. Presumed First printing thus. Wraps. iv, 143, [1] pages. Wraps. Illustrations. Diagrams. Index. Covers scuffed. This manual was issued on January 12, 1942, and represents the state of knowledge and state of practice at the commencement of the Second World War. IT supersedes FM 5-25, June 18, 1940. Shows the set-up and placement of explosives on structures. Though early thermal weapons, such as Greek fire, have existed since ancient times, the first widely used explosive in warfare and mining was black powder, invented in 9th century China (see the history of gunpowder). This material was sensitive to water, and evolved lots of dark smoke. The first useful explosive stronger than black powder was nitroglycerin, developed in 1847. As nitroglycerin was unstable, it was replaced by nitrocellulose, smokeless powder, dynamite and gelignite (the two latter invented by Alfred Nobel). World War I saw the introduction of trinitrotoluene in naval shells. World War II saw an extensive use of new explosives (see explosives used during World War II). In turn, these have largely been replaced by modern explosives such as C-4. The increased availability of chemicals has allowed the construction of improvised explosive devices. More