Napalm is an incendiary mixture composed of a gelling agent and volatile petrochemicals (such as gasoline), widely used as a weapon in warfare. Napalm burns at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1,200 °C (1,470 to 2,190 °F), making it highly destructive. Louis Fieser, a chemist, led the team that developed napalm in 1942 for the US Chemical Warfare Service at Harvard University. During the Cuban Revolution, Fulgencio Batista’s military used napalm against Fidel Castro’s guerrilla forces in the Sierra Maestra mountains. The aim was to destroy the hiding spots of the rebels, burn forests, and flush out the revolutionaries who were fighting a guerrilla war.