The Corner

Only The Best Snipers Smoke Camels

Great ad from 1938.

Update: I can’t get anything past our readers:

Jonah,

Actually, the best snipers don’t smoke–not because its bad for the 

lungs (that too, though) but because it can shorten a sniper’s life 

expectancy in other ways.  First, a sniper has to remain hidden for 

many hours at a time, and the urge to light up does not lend itself 

to that.  The opportunity to light a cigarette without giving away 

one’s position is hard to find, while the smoke of a cigarette 

wafting up from a bush is a (literally) dead giveaway.  Finally, 

tobacco has a distinctive smell, and American cigarettes generally 

smell different from those made in Europe, Asia or the Middle East.  

Since the smell adheres to clothing, a smoker can be detected at a 

distance by that means alone, even when otherwise concealed.

And:

Jonah:

As pointed out in the commentary following the ad, he isn’t a sniper, but a competitive marksman.  His weapon and peripheral equipment support this.

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