Why Did US Soldiers Use Machine Guns to Light Their Cigarettes? - Video

Why did US soldiers sometimes use their machine guns to light cigarettes? At first glance it looks unbelievable. Many people assume it was to cool down overheated barrels during intense combat. But the real reason is much more practical and surprising.

During long battles and heavy rain, soldiers’ matches often became completely soaked and useless. After extended firing, the barrels of their machine guns became extremely hot—hot enough to ignite a cigarette. In desperate conditions, soldiers improvised and used the heated metal as a makeshift lighter.

This short reveals the unexpected reality behind a strange wartime habit.

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