Contents
World War II – battles on the fronts, the movement of a huge number of troops, soldiers and officers. The plans of the General Staffs, the course of battles, the work of intelligence and counterintelligence.
All this was taught to me at school, in history lessons. But the life of real people was not covered in any way.
How did those who were in the trenches live, implemented the plans of the command, what was their life like, what did ordinary soldiers who were on different front lines drink?
Where did the front-line 100 grams come from
The history of the “front-line 100 grams” is rooted in the distant past. In the Russian Empire, the use of alcohol in the army was not considered shameful, and moreover, vodka was given to the rank and file for warming and “courage”.
It is worth noting that in Tsarist Russia the issuance of alcohol was also limited in wartime, ordinary soldiers of combat units received three cups of vodka per week, and servicemen of non-combat units received two.
In the Navy, due to the difficult conditions of service, the rate of alcohol consumption was somewhat higher and amounted to seven cups a week. In addition, in the army and navy, additional distribution of alcohol for the lower ranks was carried out on holidays and after campaigns.
The issuance of vodka for ordinary soldiers in Russia was discontinued in 1908. The reason for this decision was the defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese War. It was necessary to find the reason for the defeat and it was found – drunkenness in the army.
What did Soviet soldiers drink?
32 years after the introduction of a ban in the Russian army on the issuance of alcohol for personnel, vodka was “rehabilitated” and returned to the troops.
During the Soviet-Finnish armed conflict, in the winter of 1940, on the initiative of People’s Commissar of Defense Voroshilov, a decision was made to issue special rations for combat units participating in battles on the Karelian Peninsula – daily 100 grams of vodka and 50 grams of fat.
Such rations were issued to military personnel from January 10 to mid-March 1940.
With the advent of World War II on the territory of the Soviet Union, the issuance of vodka to military personnel was resumed from July 1941, although the official decision was adopted at the end of August 1941.
The issue rate for units participating in combat clashes, both ground forces and aviation, remained the same – 100 grams.
The norms for the issuance of alcohol for the soldiers of the Red Army were revised several times. So, from the spring of 1942, the daily alcohol ration was increased to 200 grams – only for units leading active offensive combat operations.
For other units, “Voroshilov 100 grams” were issued on holidays.
Before the start of the offensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad, the “People’s Commissar’s ration” was revised and amounted to: 100 grams of vodka in combat units and 50 grams for rear and reserve units, as well as for the wounded.
In the units fighting in Transcaucasia, it was decided to replace vodka with a local product – wine, white or port wine. Beginning in May 1943, drinking in the Red Army was restricted.
Daily “People’s Commissar’s 100 grams” began to be issued only in units that were directly involved in the battles, and for other units, vodka was issued on holidays. Since May 1945, the issuance of alcoholic beverages in the armed forces of the USSR was discontinued.
What did the Germans drink?
At the beginning of World War II, the German army was famous for its “iron” discipline. Officially, alcoholic beverages for the needs of the Wehrmacht soldiers were not supplied, and one of the reasons for this restriction was that the “leader of the German nation” Adolf Hitler did not drink alcohol.
Not all German officers (although they personally swore allegiance to the Fuhrer) shared his views on drinking alcohol and, having access to the captured resources of a defeated enemy, did not disdain to replenish their luggage with his stocks of light and strong alcoholic beverages.
The rank and file did not lag behind their commanders and, acting on their own initiative, simply requisitioned the found alcoholic product for their own use.
Despite the fact that alcohol was not officially supplied to the German troops, and the personnel had to make do with local resources, there were still cases of issuing strong alcohol in a centralized manner: in the autumn-winter period of the Battle of Stalingrad, soldiers participating in the battle were given schnapps.
The norm of issuance: one bottle of schnapps for three, and later, for two people.
From what and how the soldiers drank
Every soldier must be prepared for life in the field. Both the Soviet soldier and the soldier of the German army had utensils for eating, including a mug, in their equipment.
In the Red Army, a mug is necessary for the allowance of tea, and in the German army – coffee, which, like tea, was part of the diet of a soldier.
Metal army mug – dishes from which the soldiers of the warring parties drank alcohol. But the process was somewhat different.
In the Soviet army, “combat 100 grams” were given out in portions, each person and most of the soldiers drank the prescribed norm at once, a few steps from the dispenser – so as not to spill.
In the German army, the distribution of schnapps was in bottles and therefore the soldiers themselves shared the drink among themselves.
As we can see, strong alcoholic drinks were used in the armed forces of the two opponents, but in different quantities.
This corresponds to both national traditions and weather conditions. But what do you think, would the absence of vodka in the rations of the Red Army soldiers affect the duration of the entire Great Patriotic War?