Benghazi burner

As used in the Western Desert campaign, the Benghazi burner itself consisted of a single empty steel fuel can - usually a 4 gallon (18 litre) type, known as a "flimsy"[1] – or a biscuit tin.

[2] It was used because the standard pressure stove issued to armoured vehicle crews, known as the "Cooker, Portable No 2", was prone to blockages caused by sand.

[3] The Benghazi burner had the advantages that it was silent, fast and that empty cans, sand and fuel were readily available in the desert.

[4] The disadvantage was that it was unpredictable and the fuel would often burn out too early; it was tempting to add petrol to the hot sand with explosive results.

The Benghazi burner was superseded by the introduction of the boiling vessel or "BV" which supplied hot water heated by a vehicle electrical system,[6] however the Benghazi burner design had a brief revival by British forces in the Gulf War of 1990–91, albeit made from ammunition boxes.