On August 27, 1896, the British Empire engaged in what remains the shortest recorded war in history, lasting between 38 and 45 minutes against the Sultanate of Zanzibar. While Royal Navy gunboats bombarded the Sultan's palace with devastating precision, an absurd logistical mishap unfolded behind the lines. A quartermaster tasked with distributing rations and ammunition reserves realized he had misplaced the brass key to the primary supply chests aboard HMS St George.
As coastal artillery shelled the shore, quartermasters frantically searched for the missing key, refusing to break open the custom oak chests without explicit authorization. By the time the Zanzibari flag was hauled down and the war officially concluded at 9:40 AM, the conflict was completely over, yet the British sailors had still not received their morning breakfast or tea rations. The key was eventually discovered later that afternoon inside the pocket of a junior officer's discarded tunic.
This tiny bureaucratic snag highlighted how rigid Victorian naval protocol could cause supply disruptions even during a conflict shorter than a standard television episode.