Hello, I have a question. Does anyone know how many cigarettes per day/week issued to the GIs in the European Theater?
"mini" packs of cigarettes were included in each ration box. So, say, 60 cigarettes a day. You could trade your smokes for somebody's candy bar. Other deals existed, of course.
Two of the reasons that all armies issued tobacco to their soldiers was to reduce perceived anxiety and also hunger pangs.
Sorry, you seem to have assumed something I didn't apply. For example, guys could get extra cigarettes for standing somebody's watch. It was almost a cash income for non-smokers.
I lifted this from wiki. Accessory pack The inclusion of additional accessories and condiments led to the development of an accessory package. The brown butcher paper accessory pack contained sugar tablets, halazone water purification tablets (for a brief period in 1945), a flat wooden spoon, a piece of candy-coated chewing gum, 3 "short" sample 3-packs or one "long" sample 9-pack of commercial-grade cigarettes and a book of 20 cardboard moisture-resistant matches, a paper-wrapped P-38 can opener printed with instructions for its proper use, and typically 22.5 sheets of toilet paper (compared to 3 sheets for the British Army).The P-38 can openers were generally worn on the GI's "dog tag" chain to facilitate opening the next meal's cans. In 1945, the accessory pack was modified. Per the order of the Surgeon General, the halazone tablets were removed and salt tablets were added. Also, feedback from the field revealed that some soldiers opened up accessory packs just to get the cigarettes and threw away the rest of the items. To reduce waste, the accessory pack was now divided into the "short" pack with cigarettes and matches, and the "long" pack containing the other accessories. Cigarette brands issued included Camel, Chelsea, Chesterfield, Craven A, Lucky Strike, Old Gold, Philip Morris, Player's, Raleigh, and Wings. So, it looks like if a soldier was issued three (3) rats (GI slang for C-rations), he came into the possession of 27 smokes a day according to the above mentioned formula. In addition to cigarettes issued in C-rations, I've read that the tobacco companies donated bazillions of cartons of smokes to be disseminated to the troops free of charge at the front, usually at places such as R&R camps, hospitals, reppel/deppels, etc. It was an ingenious marketing plan to increase their customer base when the boys came marching home. Most GIs smoked it seemed. My 18 year old draftee Dad wasn't a smoker until he got to Korea. After spending 18 months in Korea fighting commies before earning enough points to go home, he became extremely partial to Camels (no filters). Read all about it! C-ration - Wikipedia
I didn't think that was what you meant, it's just that my mind sometimes in nasty little ways. Sorry.
I recall an anecdote in which soldiers preparing for D-Day were each issued a carton of cigarettes. One fellow demurred, saying he didn't smoke. The sergeant said "You will", and the story finishes with him saying "By the end of the day, I did,"
Cigarettes are "soothing" for nicotine addicts. The young man above would probably have just been nauseated. "On the other hand, I might be dead by dawn tomorrow." Worst excuse to start smoking ever.
I think they may have, but not nearly to the extent the Germans did. In Gulf War 1, pilots who flew and bombed by night were given speed when they got up to fly and barbiturates to help them sleep during the day. After the war they had to go through an addiction program to get back to normal.
Very interesting, that seems like a lot of cigarettes. I smoked for many years, but rarely more than 15 cigarettes a day. I tried smoking Lucky Strikes for a little while in college. I don't know if it was the same formula from the 1940s, but I didn't like them. I know the soldiers used cigarettes (and liquor) as currency, in addition to jackets, coats, and other assorted items of gear. I also know in Vietnam the VC were often able to locate patrols by the cigarette butts and stench. I don't know if that was true for WWII. There was a Gulf War I vet from NYC in our college fraternity. He told us methamphetamine use was pretty common in the Army at that time. They used it to withstand long marches in the heat. He did not say how they obtained it. Sadly I heard he committed suicide a couple years ago. We lost two Gulf War veterans from our college fraternity to suicide.
Smoking rates vary. I was three packs a day before I quit in '88. The younger men would often trade their smokes for the chocolate bars. The Germans often used meth for their forced marches.
My Dad smoked heavily until 1963 when he had his annual physical while at the Pentagon. His doctor told him he was losing long function, his blood pressure and heart rate were elevated, and he should stop smoking. So he did, cold turkey. Before that I remember snuggling into bed with Mom and Dad and the first thing he would do was light a cigarette before he got out of bed...he smoked more than three packs a day - Camel unfiltered - at that point. I also have a couple of wartime photos of him, always with a cigarette in hand, except for one where he has a .45 in his hand on the range. Note that each division also operated a PX in its zone, where certain luxuries were available if a soldier was off the line. So additional cigarettes were also available for purchase if the regular issue wasn't enough.
