Preface
If there is one country whose military personnel in World War II are the most enviable, it must be the United States!
Can you imagine? Even on the battlefields of Europe, American soldiers were able to eat candy cakes, which was a well-deserved "luxury" in the eyes of the armies of other countries.
But even so, on the battlefield, there were so many types of German items that these American soldiers couldn't put down.
American soldiers love German chocolate the most
Speaking of which, the origin of chocolate is today's Mexico, but unfortunately, with the destruction of the Mayan civilization in Mexico, there is no trace of chocolate in North America.
So much so that it was not until the 18th century that chocolate, which had become popular in Europe, re-introduced to the United States and became popular among Americans.
It's just that chocolate at that time was not only a snack, but also a medicine and nutrition, which was a luxury.
It wasn't until World War I, in order to be able to produce more convenient food with more calorie storage, that chocolate gradually became popular and became a military ration.
However, the chocolate in the armies of most countries at that time did not taste very good, for the simple reason that if the chocolate was too delicious, then these soldiers should have nothing to do and should use the military rations as snacks.
So, until the Vietnam War, American soldiers hated the military chocolate they were given by their country, which tasted like boiled potatoes.
And in order to prevent the chocolate from melting at high temperatures, and also to strengthen the soldiers, a lot of oats were also put in it, so that the chocolate completely became an emergency food similar to compressed biscuits, which was criticized by the soldiers.
In contrast, the Germans attach great importance to the delicacy of military chocolate, for example, in World War II, the military chocolate Scho-Ka-Kola rationed by German soldiers is not only high in calories and easy to be filling, but also tastes similar to today's chocolate, which is deeply loved by the majority of soldiers.
By the way, although it is said that Americans can eat cake on the battlefield, it is conceivable that it is always those officers who can enjoy these high-end desserts such as cakes.
For the vast majority of ordinary soldiers, their best food is canned food, as for candy or something, then don't think about it, so on the battlefield, when American soldiers search for their trophies, they don't care about guns, cannons, or whatever, but for the German army's chocolate, they must be in their pockets.
It can be seen that the temptation of food really knows no borders, so what else did the German army have that would cause Americans to compete for it, besides chocolate?
The Iron Cross, a symbol of honor
The Iron Cross was the supreme honor of German soldiers of that period, and even in a war in which millions of soldiers participated, less than a thousand people could receive this second-class Iron Cross!
And the vast majority of them were middle and high-ranking officers, and it was really rare for Hitler to be awarded a medal at once.
In World War II, in order to cheer up his subordinates, Hitler and the German army's achievements in the early stage were too brilliant, so the Iron Cross was also awarded.
There are about 1,000 second-class medals, and a total of 5 million medals below the second-class level!
Although it seems that there is already a suspicion of indiscriminate distribution, many highly motivated American soldiers are still happy to collect these medals from the German army as a symbol of their glory.
If you are lucky enough to find a second-class medal, then you will really have to blow it after you go back, because in World War II, for some reasons, Hitler never issued a first-class medal, even if a field marshal like Rommel, he could only get a second-class medal!
So, in addition to the medals that represent honor, what other good things about the German army make American soldiers ecstatic?
German lighters are just fine
German lighters are also a favorite of American soldiers, and the treatment of American soldiers is so good that not only is there enough food to ensure that, but even ordinary soldiers can receive cigarettes regularly.
This is an extremely rare enjoyment on the battlefield, but what is a bit pitiful is that the smoke is not given fire, and the soldiers are not equipped with lighters.
Although military lighters had already appeared on the European theater of war I in World War I, the United States did not have its own lighters until 1932.
And because it was developed too late, in World War II, the performance of American lighters on the battlefield was really unsatisfactory, and they often exploded because of the violent movement of soldiers.
Although it is said that it is not fatal, it is really disgusting, which made many American soldiers in World War II prefer to use matches rather than use their own country's lighters.
In contrast, the lighters equipped by the German army were so good that at least there was no need to worry about safety, and the lighters equipped by those officers were not only easy to use, but also very good-looking.
Therefore, in the war, American soldiers, especially those who are addicted to cigarettes, have a rather strong demand for German lighters.
So much so that later there were second-hand dealers in the US military, specializing in the business of German lighters.
It can be seen from this that the American lighters at that time were so bad, so then again, whether it is lighters, medals, or chocolates, these do not seem to belong to the material of war, can it be said that there is nothing in the German weapons that can make the US military look at it?
Postcard-like Ruger P08 pistol
First of all, the weapons of the German army in World War II do have a lot of merits, but the problem is that under the industrial war, due to the different production standards of military products in the United States and Germany.
Therefore, even if the U.S. military captured German weapons, it would be difficult to put them into use immediately, unless the Americans were willing to redesign new production lines for these German weapons.
But it is clear that the Americans will not do this when they have enough weapons.
As a result, the vast majority of German weapons were not attractive to American soldiers, with a few exceptions, such as the Ruger P08 pistol.
This pistol was once the standard equipment of the German army in World War II in film and television works, but in fact, for various reasons, this pistol was actually only equipped by a few German officers, and was more of a status symbol.
To be able to capture this pistol is to take out a German officer.
Of course, the reason why American GIs liked this pistol was not for the so-called honor, but for the Dollar.
In the forties and fifties of the 20th century, one such pistol could be sold in the United States for thousands of dollars!
You must know that in those days, even the more high-end sports cars in the United States were only a few hundred dollars!
In addition to the above four items that were deeply loved by Americans in World War II, I wonder if you also know about other German equipment that was sought after by American soldiers?
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