In the midst of World War II, the British government had a very British problem on their hands: they needed a way to keep their soldiers safe during tea time. Before this point in history, British troops, who wouldn’t skip tea time even when Nazis were afoot, had to climb out of their armored cars and tanks to brew the leafy beverage on the roadside, which led to the creation of the British Boiling Vessel (BV).
The story goes that the British forces were taking heavy blows after the Invasion of Normandy in 1944. After losing two tanks already, the rest of the battalion was heading deeper into France and was about 18 miles away from Caen when they stopped to have some tea, which forced them outside of the vehicles. In the bushes across from them was a German tank fleet watching everything they were doing and saw the opportune moment to attack. In 15 minutes, 14 British tanks were destroyed, reports Medium.
Near the end of the war, a study found that 37 percent of all casualties to vehicle regimens were caused by crews leaving vehicles. These findings prompted the British government to create the Brewing Vessel, which looks like this:
Basically, the BV, as it’s called, is a small square box that boils a gallon of water and keeps it hot for long periods of time. The first tank to have one installed was the Centurion, which debuted in the 1950s. Since then, the makeshift tea makers have been included in every Army vehicle.
The BV allows crews to remain inside the vehicle for longer periods of time by providing them a way to brew tea, wash themselves or heat up rations. The British loved the addition so much that they continue to feature them in tanks today. In fact, other nations around the world, such as the U.S., have started adding BV’s to their tanks as well to keep soldiers inside for as long as possible.
(h/t Medium)
