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SAND STORMS were whipped up by the khamsin, a wind which blew from the Sahara region for about two months during spring. The word khamsin is often used to refer to a sand storm.
During a bad sand storm vision was often limited to a few feet and activities on the ground usually ceased - sometimes for days. For visibility, a sand storm was the equivalent of a heavy London fog. It was easy to become lost in a sand storm. Sometimes the storm would lift for a moment and the enemy's activities would become suddenly visible. Because of the dust in the air, breathing became difficult and some troops were known to wear gas respirators.
The onset of a sand storm was also accompanied by a rise in temperature. Sometimes electrical disturbances occurred during the sand storms, which sometimes affected compasses. In May 1942, electricity generated by a khamsin was blamed for the destruction of an
allied ammunition dump. |
