When Tea-Drinking Prompted a Military Innovation

Tea rationing did not stop the British from enjoying an afternoon tea at Lyon's Corner House in London, 1942. Public Domain

Ever since the East India Company brought tea to Britain in the 1600s, the drink has become increasingly embedded in the country’s society. Today, the British consume over 100 million cups a day. Over the last couple of years, social media posts have made fun of the fact that tea-making equipment has even been installed in all British tanks. While technically true, the intended purpose for  boiling vessels (BVs) in tanks and other military vehicles was to heat food rations and water for cleaning.

During World War II, British soldiers maintained their daily tea times. After a devastating defeat in June 1942 in the Libyan Desert, veteran soldiers recalled that their tea rations were the only thing that kept up their spirits. In fact, in that same year, Britain bought up all of the tea from every country in the world (except Japan), which equated to nearly 700 million pounds of tea leaves. In a single night during the war, the British dropped 75,000 tea bags over the German-occupied Netherlands with the message, “The Netherlands will rise again, chins up.”

However, at times the British soldiers’ love for tea became detrimental on the battlefield. On June 13, 1944, just days after D-Day, the British 22nd Armored Brigade was ordered to drive through the German line and head to the French city of Caen. The troops had progressed far into the French countryside when they were ordered to halt. The soldiers took the time to exit their tanks and start brewing morning tea.

But, the troops didn’t know they were being watched. German commander Michael Wittmann was waiting in a hidden tank just 600 feet away and knew he had to make a move. He ordered the other tanks in his group to hold their ground and chose to advance on the British himself.

Destroyed British tanks on Point 213 after the Germans ambushed the British troops. Arthur Grimm/CC BY-SA 3.0 DE

Wittmann led his tank through the group of the parked British fleet and opened fire while they were outside of their vehicles enjoying their cup of tea. In the mere 15 minutes of the ambush, the British lost 14 tanks, two anti-tank guns, four gun carriers and nine half-tracks.

To allay the number of causalities that took place outside of military vehicles—a study corroborated in a 1946 study showing a 37 percent rate for such casualties—the military installed BVs in tanks shortly after the end of WWII. The BV uses the electrical system from the tank to draw power for heat and can be used even when the vehicle is turned off via a special generator. Soldiers could brew their tea without leaving the safety of their armored vehicles.

Boiling vessel on display at the National Army Museum, in London. Tallmale188/CC BY-SA 4.0

Through the years, BVs have become the norm in most British military vehicles. Some U.S. military vehicles also come equipped with BVs, but sources suggest that Americans use them to make coffee more than tea.

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