Sometimes a massive mistake can lead to a huge advantage.
At the Battle of Chosin during the Korean War, a really unfortunate mix-up between the soldiers and those in charge of sending supplies lead to crates of Tootsie Rolls being dropped down to US Marines. US troops sometimes called mortar ammunition “tootsie rolls” but perhaps in this instance they should have been a little more specific.
Luckily, the screw-up worked in the Marines favor as the troops found a different use for the chewy treat.
[via The Awesomer]