The food of Japanese soldiers in World War II evolved from imported canned beef to starvation

Mondo Military Updated on 2024-02-04

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, our army resisted stubbornly in a difficult environment, and despite the difficult conditions, it also showed tenacious vitality and combat effectiveness.

Our army's food is mainly coarse grain millet porridge and wild vegetables and corn on the cob, and meat food is extravagant, not to mention beef with excellent taste and particularly high protein content.

And the canned beef of the Japanese army, whether it is the soldiers of our army or the national army, are very envious. If you can seize a few cans, you are lucky. The Japanese army's canned beef became a valuable asset on the battlefield in China, and we can also hear this term in some TV dramas.

In the TV series "Bright Sword", Zhang Dabiao boasted that he ate Japanese canned beef every day and was raised to gain weight. And Shun Yu once boasted about Haikou in front of the Kuomintang soldiers, saying that the New Fourth Army had braised pork and canned beef captured from the Japanese army.

Despite the difficult living conditions, our soldiers still maintain high fighting spirit and indomitable spirit, and their heroic deeds will always be remembered.

The canned beef of the Japanese army seems delicious but difficult to eat, what is inside? It turned out that this canned soup was made from ox blood and mixed grains, which was better than pig food, but it was extremely unpalatable.

However, Chen Dalei was encouraged to see these unpalatable canned beef, because they were a symbol of the scarcity of supplies for the Japanese army, indicating that they were underfunded and had become increasingly difficult to support the war.

In fact, at the beginning of World War II, the Japanese army had sufficient military resources and was the best ration for front-line soldiers. However, due to the lack of supplies, they could only import canned beef from the United States to meet the needs of the army.

The size of these canned food boxes is 150g, and there are not only beef but also vegetables in it, and the nutritional combination is very reasonable.

For soldiers on the battlefield, high-protein beef is the best meat for energy, and canned beef in the United States has formed a mature industrial chain, which can not only be exported to domestic soldiers, but also to export.

Therefore, it is probably these canned beef that made Zhang Dabiao obese.

At the beginning of World War II, the front-line soldiers of the Japanese army had the opportunity to receive small snacks twice a week, although it was only toffee and biscuits, but it was more than the conditions of our army and **. As the war progressed, these provisions gradually became unfulfillable.

Toshiro's diary complained about the Japanese army's food, saying that the logistics department was inefficient, which led to frequent food shortages for the soldiers. Except for toffee, biscuits, and canned beef, the soldiers did not even see the crumbs for days during the hardships.

Therefore, only during exercises or in the rear, the front-line soldiers of the Japanese army could enjoy high-class dietary treatment. However, the delicious canned beef did not last long, relations between the United States and Japan deteriorated, and the Japanese soldiers said goodbye to canned beef.

Despite this, Japan still tried to stabilize the mood of the front-line soldiers, producing low-quality canned beef. Although these cans are rudimentary, they are still difficult to meet in Japan, where resources are scarce.

Most of the soldiers had to carry dry food and rice balls with them to satisfy their hunger.

Chen Dalei pointed out in the play that although the Japanese army at that time seemed to be strong on the surface, it had actually reached the point of exhaustion. In order to stay alive, they can only snatch food and property from the homes of ordinary people.

In the sweep operations of the Japanese army, we can often see their smug expressions carrying chickens, while the Chinese people are suffering greatly.

This logistical problem was even more pronounced when the Japanese army marched into the Southeast Asian theater, because of the lack of food, they were isolated on Kuah Island, and could only rely on hunting and gathering wild fruits to satisfy their hunger, and many soldiers were even forced to eat the corpses of prisoners of war and comrades.

Although these conditions only existed at the grassroots level of the Japanese army, the upper echelons still lived a life of luxury.

For example, in Unit 731, even the lowest** enjoyed fresh meat, eggs, seafood, and rice in 1944, while the highest** enjoyed green tea and dessert every day.

This is in stark contrast to their cruelty to the Chinese people, which is simply mad and inferior!

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