Case Study: Why Septic Tanks And Pit Latrines Necessary

 

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

During World War II, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel led a tank force in North Africa against the British. He lost the conflict because of poop.

What happened was that, the British army on their side had strict regulations on where you were allowed to poop. The manual outlined the procedure for building a simple latrine out of a small hole, a box with a hole cut in the top, and a burlap flap to cover the hole when you weren’t using it. 

Below is a picture of a fancy one with an actual wooden lid.

Contrarily, the Germans soldiers just pooped in the desert. There was lots of room after all. However, there were also lots of flies. The flies landed on the poop then flew onto the German food including Rommel’s food apparently. As a consequence, he took ill in early 1943 and by May had to return to Germany for medical treatment.

Therefore, their lack of sanity in terms of pooping made them to lost the battle against the British. 

Lesson: If you don’t use a proper latrine, everyone around might soon get sick with the diseases spread by flies.