Cola Military - In 1942, the head of the Nazi press and propaganda, Otto Dietrich, said: "America has given the world nothing but chewing gum and Coca-Cola."

An inaccurate description at best, but Dietrich hits on something real: a love of ice-cold Coca-Cola and sheer joy.

Cola Military

Cola Military

U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, seeing the early successes of bottling plants established in 44 countries before entering World War II, sent a press telegram from Union headquarters in North Africa to Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta. His June 29, 1943 request called for 10 mobile factories, 6 million bottles of Coke a month, and ingredients and ingredients that would give American GIs refreshingly cool, crisp suds with every sip.

Uso Subway Coca Cola Proud To Support Camo Shirt Large T Shirt Army Military

Workers at the Coca-Cola bottling plant on Saipan. Gift from Priscilla Porche/Courtesy of National WWII Museum Inc.

Eisenhower became an accidental Coke drinker and entered In 1941, Coca-Cola president Robert Woodruff had the opportunity to fulfill his promise. Woodruff wanted to see "anyone in uniform get a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents anywhere and cost to the company." Despite the difficult logistics, a small group of civilian professionals came up with not just a sugary soda, but a symbol that united Americans with their allies around the world.

They loaded supplies and parts onto transport ships to survive on essential gear, equipment and food. Every inch of space has been meticulously prepared for going abroad to participate in hostilities. Anything that hasn't been used for survival - or that hasn't been shot, exploded, propelled or flown - isn't essential, including boxes of cocaine. When Eisenhower received a request from Coca-Cola's top management, they devised a plan to bring the soft drink into the combat areas.

Six months after the news, a representative of Coca-Cola flew to Algiers, the capital of Algeria, to implement paper plans for the construction of the first bottling plant. Eisenhower believed that only 10 would be enough, but surprisingly, 64 bottling lines were installed by the end of the war. Soon, 148 representatives of Coca-Cola filled the official ranks of "Technical Observers" or TO.

Chines Soldiers Get Ready To March Surrounded By Coca Cola Signs Stock Photo

A coking plant operated by 64th SEBIs Refrigeration Group in Tubabao, Samar, Philippines. Gift from Joseph Cohen/Courtesy of the National WWII Museum Inc.

OTs were given a military uniform, were considered officers, and had one duty: to serve Coke to every American military man, no matter where they were. Their reputation spread as they moved from North Africa to the Pacific and European theaters. The Americans shouldered their weapons and accepted the TOS without prejudice. Their inclusion in these units earned them the nickname "Colonels of Coca-Cola" and they worked tirelessly for days, taking them back home in coffins decorated with flags.

For overseas shipping, war supplies and food were prioritized, so like coke, mail sent between GIS and loved ones needed a different method of delivery. Victory Mail or V-Mail satisfies this need as much as possible by using microfilmed copies of one-page letters without traditional mail. Upon arrival at a post office or military installation, they are "exploded" before reaching the recipient. The 37 mailbags that previously held 150,000 letters and weighed 2,575 pounds have been reduced to a single compact bag weighing just 45 pounds.

Cola Military

An email from the National World War II Museum read: "Dear folks, you'll never guess what I'm going to have to drink today. Not whiskey, but gin, Calvados [French brandy], not beer, good old-fashioned "Coca Cola" in a handmade bottle. A few minutes before we left our platform to board the boat, I bought a couple of Cokes and drank bottles of Coke, believing that next time it would be in America. But not like that! This week's PX rations each man received two Cokes for which he paid four francs, although some may argue that rye or bourbon are America's national drinks, but seeing the excitement about the cola affair and his comments about coke at the corner drugstore I didn't think the national drink was so strong. "

Coca Cola Howdy Friend Military Sdvertisement/

This cartoon greeting makes it easy to censor emails. Instead of cutting out parts of the letter, the text of the V-mail was truncated so that the forms would not go through the microfilm machine. Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Email had its downsides, namely the lack of personal affection. The machines caused the microfilms to crumble when girlfriends and wives kissed, releasing lipstick stains. It happened so many times that it was called "Scarlet Storm".

A typical letter, written in Paris by a private Spencer Coombs and sent home to his wife, reads: "Well, I just got back from a coke bar. If I haven't told you before, they removed the beer bar and put in a coke bar. But boy, will they taste good after a long time without them. I'd rather cola than beer. I bet you're surprised to hear that, but it's true.

Coca-Cola colonels brought soda to the front and to nearby aid stations; Once upon a time, foxes and dugouts were replaced by unsmiling lumps that would one day return home. Soldiers in the South Pacific and in remote places did not miss what their friends around the world entertained - OT had plans for them too.

Vintage Print Ad Coca Cola Coke Military Army Matson Cruise Hawaii

This is the year

A bottling plant in Brisbane, Australia, offered B-26 pilots to fly home in soda fountains, popular for drugstore gatherings. The small, green-painted dispensers have been improved, including an ice maker for the best drinking experience even in harsh environments. Pilots praised the new "Forest Falls" and the Army urgently requested 100 more. Many of the 1,100 mobile units issued were placed in the back of a military jeep, which quickly became known as "Jeep and Nickel Coke!" He collected this sentence.

In 1943 in Naples, Italy, soldiers assigned to the 178th Field Artillery, Dudley Glover and John Glenn, were given some GIS drinking via complicated means. When they opened the mail, they found two Coke bottles from a friend in their socks. He came home early. They treasured every bottle and kept the second bottle for big time - but their teammates kept offering to buy it. It was Glenn's idea to hold a raffle for the last mini bottle of Coke to raise money for the battalion boys who died in action.

Cola Military

The auction raised over $4,000, largely through word of mouth and crowdfunding. Coke added another $2,000, and noted war correspondent Ernie Pyle, who was with the unit, wrote of the event: "One Coke cost the equivalent of 80,000 bottles. Sergeant de Schneider won the coveted award, but later said he intended to take it home as a souvenir.

Nascar Salutes Returns For Coca Cola 600 At Charlotte Motor Speedway

Coca-Cola's patriotic advertisements, which portrayed fellowship and camaraderie among service members, drew citizens home to experience the morale associated with the drink. In targeted promotions, they marketed the "American way of life" in Life magazine, and in 1944 Coca-Cola was named "the world's best brand".

Their destinations stretched beyond the war zones to Iceland, Newfoundland, Panama - wherever the Americans were deployed, Coca-Cola and IT were within reach. The "Have a Coke" promotions featured unique art with the meaning of the word. An ad showing US pilots laughing at members of the Chinese Air Force reads: "Have a 'Cola' = good wind here... Your way of saying 'we're friends' to the Chinese."

Another ad read, "Coca-Cola represents a pause, a refreshing return to one's own way of life." All smiling people with Coke bottles, ads targeting the host country demographic with a message aimed at both civilians and military. By the end of World War II, more than 5 billion bottles had been distributed to people in uniform, and Coca-Cola had converted wartime factories into fully operational facilities. The combined efforts of Coca-Cola executives and the Coca-Cola Colonels helped make what is now the world's largest beverage company a success — and gave law enforcement members a taste of home.

Editor's Note: This article has been edited to reflect the fact that Robert Woodruff was the president of The Coca-Cola Company, not the founder.

Boko Haram Tried To Stop Nigeria From Eliminating Polio. They Failed

He prides himself on inventing amazing stories.

Military retirement cola calculator, military cola increase, military cola rates, retired military cola, military retired pay cola, military retiree cola increase, military cola, military pension cola, coca cola military, military pay cola, military cola calculator, military retirement cola history