Benghazi burner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Benghazi burner or Benghazi cooker was an improvised petrol stove or brazier used by British Army and Imperial troops in the Second World War, during and after the North African Campaign.
As used in the Western Desert campaign, the Benghazi burner itself consisted of an empty steel fuel can—usually the 4 imperial gallons (18.18 L) type, known as a "flimsy"[1]—or a biscuit tin. The sides of the top half would have some holes pierced in it, and the bottom half would be filled with sand. Petrol would be stirred into the sand and ignited. A second can of the same size would be secured on top and used as a cooking vessel.[2] It was fashioned because the standard pressure stove issued to armoured vehicle crews, officially designated "Cooker, Portable No 2", was prone to blockages caused by sand.[3] The Benghazi burner was superior in that empty cans, sand and fuel were readily available in the desert, it was very easy to construct, and it functioned silently.[4] Its primary disadvantage was that it was unpredictable and the fuel would often burn out too early; soldiers were often tempted to add petrol to the hot sand, which could result in an explosion.[5] An additional use was as a beacon to illuminate desert airstrips.[1]
