tallinn, estonia<u+2014>it is the solemn duty of every estonian soldier on the battlefield to leave no sauna behind. <u+201c>whatever the price, it doesn<u+2019>t matter, just get it back home,<u+201d> said maj. kuido p<u+00f5>ldoja, a three-tour veteran who has personally disassembled some of his army<u+2019>s most celebrated saunas, including one now in a museum. among certain armies in northern europe, it is a truism that you cannot win a war without a spa. when setting up camp in a war zone, a sauna is typically the first thing<u+2014>after housing<u+2014>that estonia<u+2019>s military builds. saunas are such an integral part of estonian war-making, in fact, that the ideal aspen and pine interiors and heavy, volcanic hot stones are shipped in specially from the baltics. to promote camaraderie and hygiene, the estonians implemented a rule in 1998 requiring each soldier take to a sauna at least once weekly. the rule is no longer in effect, but the practice continues. during deployments, groups of soldiers take turns stripping down to roast together, generally while naked (towels are frowned upon). these days, estonian soldiers serve in some of the world<u+2019>s hottest places, including the sahara and the middle east. the country doesn<u+2019>t have a great history of desert warfare. but it does have a tradition of operating saunas in the face of all obstacles<u+2014>something it has now accomplished in the deserts of afghanistan, in lebanon, and the central african republic. stepping into a sauna that can reach temperatures of around 250 degrees fahrenheit might not seem like an appealing<u+2014>or altogether rational<u+2014>thing to do on a blistering middle eastern afternoon. that is the idea, soldiers say: <u+201c>after a sauna, afghanistan doesn<u+2019>t feel so warm,<u+201d> said sgt. kalle huudma, who helped assemble a sauna from shipping palettes during the battle of nawzad, one of the toughest campaigns in the afghan conflict. lately, the war sauna has become a point of pride for a military that has been bullied a bit. on his presidential campaign, donald trump questioned whether tiny estonia has made worthwhile contributions to the north atlantic treaty organization. that has bruised estonian morale, and commanders note they have sent more troops per capita to afghanistan than some of nato<u+2019>s mightier states. they even have a national museum dedicated to their participation in the afghan war. the centerpiece? a pair of saunas, recently taken from helmand province. one of them is velesann<u+2014>a nom de guerre meaning <u+201c>brother sauna<u+201d><u+2014>which also served in bosnia, and is generally recognized as estonia<u+2019>s most-distinguished combat sauna. veterans regularly stop by to turn it back on, <u+201c>just for nostalgic evenings,<u+201d> said the sauna<u+2019>s tour guide, julius kits. one of estonia<u+2019>s most controversial saunas served on the israeli border, in a peacekeeping mission, but had poor ventilation, the troops complained. it produced a harsh, unpleasant heat. within weeks, their government, working with neighboring finland , dispatched a replacement sauna, and flew in the prime ministers of both countries to inaugurate it. they all sat naked together in the steam, the troops satisfied. sauna-soldiers say they<u+2019>re simply following the commands of maj. gen. aleksander t<u+00f5>nisson, a freedom fighter in estonia<u+2019>s 1919 war of independence. that year, typhoid fever swept the russian soldiers stationed in nearby st. petersburg, and threatened to cross the border and ravage the fragile young republic, according to military historian igor kopotin. so gen. t<u+00f5>nisson created sanitary squads tasked with capturing russian soldiers, and taking them into the sauna. saunas aren<u+2019>t generally recognized as a treatment for typhoid, but the epidemic nonetheless eased and sauna sessions have been standard for estonian troops ever since. <u+201c>it doesn<u+2019>t just clean your body, it also purifies your mind,<u+201d> said mr. kopotin, himself a veteran of afghanistan and its saunas. <u+201c>it has a kind of mystical meaning.<u+201d> across the narrow baltic sea, finland is more of a naval sauna power. every finnish warship packs a sauna, usually several. most have aspen wood interiors. its naval academy boasts one of the world<u+2019>s largest saunas, an 80-seater. it is where many of the biggest military and diplomatic decisions in northern europe are made, said lt. col. konstantin bellini, the german military attach<u+00e9> to finland. <u+201c>normally a finn will not look at you, or talk to you, but then he<u+2019>ll go butt naked with you into the sauna,<u+201d> he said. recent shifts in warfare have complicated the timeworn tradition. female conscripts complain of being closed out of important discussions: saunas are strictly gender-segregated. men tend to hog the schedule, too: <u+201c>the guys have it pretty much all day,<u+201d> said sgt. andra udek<u+00fc>ll, an estonian peacekeeper serving on the border of israel and lebanon, who saunas about half as often as her male counterparts. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s hard to get time.<u+201d> another problem: allies find it weird. estonians and finns have repeatedly invited the irish serving with them in lebanon to come sauna. unsuccessfully. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s not our thing, really,<u+201d> said an irish officer who has spurned several invitations. <u+201c>especially the nakedness.<u+201d> on a recent afternoon, a group of finnish and estonian peacekeepers sat in a sauna overlooking the israeli border. their commanding officer used the gathering to discuss a planned convoy through territory controlled by hezbollah. the convoy was bound to run through hostile villages, said the officer, who, like everyone else present, including a reporter, was wearing nothing but a pair of flip-flops. <u+201c>stay out of trouble,<u+201d> he ordered. to give the air a sugary smell, a sergeant poured a can of nonalcoholic beer on the hot, volcanic rocks. steam filled the 203-degree fahrenheit room. <u+201c>if you closed your eyes,<u+201d> said capt. taavi karotamm, <u+201c>you wouldn<u+2019>t know we<u+2019>re in the middle east.<u+201d> <u+2014>liis k<u+00e4>ngsepp contributed to this article. write to drew hinshaw at drew.hinshaw@wsj.com
estonian troops have never fought a cold war<u+2014>thanks to pop-up saunas - wsj
drew hinshaw