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Tania Admin
Again another article I stumbled across. This one being for condoms and other uses other than sexual protection by soldiers.
Here are a few snippets from the article. Full story on link below.
The Combat History of the Condom
A rubber could fix all sorts of problems when a soldier wants to make war, not love.
This story originally appeared on Nov. 27, 2015.
The humble condom — a U.S. soldier’s companion for a hot night out on leave since the military began issuing them in the 1930s as a barrier against infection. But for decades many soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines often used condoms as field-expedient fixes when other solutions weren’t found in the manual.
A rubber is elastic, waterproof, comes in a handy packet and doesn’t usually break – qualities that make it perfect for all kinds of non-regulation uses.
For example, during World War II some G.I.s placed condoms on the muzzles of their weapons. “Condoms will certainly cover the muzzles, and G.I.s were definitely issued condoms for other purposes, so there is no reason that they could not have been used to protect their ‘other weapons,’” said Alan Archambault, former supervisory curator for the U.S. Army Center of Military History.
The idea wasn’t to keep out water. One good dunking would flood any firearm – but the water usually would drain out, particularly from weapons designed to fire with an open bolt.
However, a barrel clogged with mud, grit, sand or some other foreign material could be disastrous. Firing a weapon in that condition could cause the barrel to explode, severely injuring or killing the soldier.
Slapping a piece of tape on the business end of a rifle was one recommended way of keeping the gunk out. But a soldier or Marine might not have any tape handy, whereas the military made sure every fighting man had his “prophylactic kit” containing a condom.
Source And Full Article: War Is Boring https://warisboring.com/the-combat-history-of-the-condom/
Here are a few snippets from the article. Full story on link below.
The Combat History of the Condom
A rubber could fix all sorts of problems when a soldier wants to make war, not love.
This story originally appeared on Nov. 27, 2015.
The humble condom — a U.S. soldier’s companion for a hot night out on leave since the military began issuing them in the 1930s as a barrier against infection. But for decades many soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines often used condoms as field-expedient fixes when other solutions weren’t found in the manual.
A rubber is elastic, waterproof, comes in a handy packet and doesn’t usually break – qualities that make it perfect for all kinds of non-regulation uses.
For example, during World War II some G.I.s placed condoms on the muzzles of their weapons. “Condoms will certainly cover the muzzles, and G.I.s were definitely issued condoms for other purposes, so there is no reason that they could not have been used to protect their ‘other weapons,’” said Alan Archambault, former supervisory curator for the U.S. Army Center of Military History.
The idea wasn’t to keep out water. One good dunking would flood any firearm – but the water usually would drain out, particularly from weapons designed to fire with an open bolt.
However, a barrel clogged with mud, grit, sand or some other foreign material could be disastrous. Firing a weapon in that condition could cause the barrel to explode, severely injuring or killing the soldier.
Slapping a piece of tape on the business end of a rifle was one recommended way of keeping the gunk out. But a soldier or Marine might not have any tape handy, whereas the military made sure every fighting man had his “prophylactic kit” containing a condom.
Source And Full Article: War Is Boring https://warisboring.com/the-combat-history-of-the-condom/
