On a winter excersize in arctic Norway, I was ordered to help a 2nd leutenant pitch the officers tent. As obviously they did not cover that topic during their basic training.
Anyway, we got the tent up, and since this officer was actually not that bad, once you told him how to do stuff, he could basically manage piece things together, he placed the field wood stove in the center of the so called "8 man tent". Then he proceeded with stuffing it chock full of semi wet birch wood, stuffing the cracks with some paper, and out came a zippo lighter.
The result was pretty much predictable. The paper lit up, the wood did cath fire and then it died out, leaving a few embers...
Now this particular officer had picked up a few soldiers tricks. Too bad he had not quite fathomed a few basics about this particular one.
In our field stove at the time, there was an ash tray under the wood chamber. Excellent for making cheese and ham toast sandwiches, and to fill a little of what we call "Red Spirit" in, its an alcohol used for cleaning paint brushes ammong other things and highly flamable. But will burn safely if you just light it when cold, as then there will be no VERY flamable vapours. We used it to dry up the wood, as it will burn quite safely and for a long time.
But our officer, being what he was filled the ash tray with the stuff, and thats when I tried to intervene, as the stove was hot, and I could smell the vapours.
Our officer would have none of that...a mere private, telling a 2nd Leutenant what was safe and what was not...UNHEARD OFF!
So I exited the tent, waiting outside...and sure enough "POOOF!", a yell from inside while the tents fabric almost lifted from the ground. Then he stumbled out of there, sans all his facial hair, including his eybrows, and most of the hair the front of his head....
And me...well I was to busy rolling in the snow, luaghing....did a lot of guard duty in the snow at 4 o'clock in the morning during that excersice....
Anyway, we got the tent up, and since this officer was actually not that bad, once you told him how to do stuff, he could basically manage piece things together, he placed the field wood stove in the center of the so called "8 man tent". Then he proceeded with stuffing it chock full of semi wet birch wood, stuffing the cracks with some paper, and out came a zippo lighter.
The result was pretty much predictable. The paper lit up, the wood did cath fire and then it died out, leaving a few embers...
Now this particular officer had picked up a few soldiers tricks. Too bad he had not quite fathomed a few basics about this particular one.
In our field stove at the time, there was an ash tray under the wood chamber. Excellent for making cheese and ham toast sandwiches, and to fill a little of what we call "Red Spirit" in, its an alcohol used for cleaning paint brushes ammong other things and highly flamable. But will burn safely if you just light it when cold, as then there will be no VERY flamable vapours. We used it to dry up the wood, as it will burn quite safely and for a long time.
But our officer, being what he was filled the ash tray with the stuff, and thats when I tried to intervene, as the stove was hot, and I could smell the vapours.
Our officer would have none of that...a mere private, telling a 2nd Leutenant what was safe and what was not...UNHEARD OFF!
So I exited the tent, waiting outside...and sure enough "POOOF!", a yell from inside while the tents fabric almost lifted from the ground. Then he stumbled out of there, sans all his facial hair, including his eybrows, and most of the hair the front of his head....
And me...well I was to busy rolling in the snow, luaghing....did a lot of guard duty in the snow at 4 o'clock in the morning during that excersice....
