Starting engines in cold weather was simplified at major air bases by internal combustion preheaters, although their use was curtailed during the latter part of the war due to fuel shortages. Maintenance personnel sometimes employed electrical heaters, though these proved impractical because of the need for dispersal of aircraft and difficulties in providing sources of electricity.
In Russia the Germans sometimes resorted to using a dangerous method employed by the Soviet air force: They simply built a fire under the engine. The Russians often just stacked up some logs, while the Germans usually built fires in old oil or fuel drums.
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Text: History.net