We often say that people are iron, rice is steel, and a meal is not eaten and hungry. In the army, the quality of food support directly affects the physical fitness of soldiers, and then affects combat effectiveness.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chinese soldiers often had poor food security, weak and sickly officers and soldiers, although our average height was one head higher than that of the Japanese army, but the weight was more than ten or even more than twenty pounds lighter than the latter.
Taking the Central Army, which was the best guarantee at that time, as an example, the Ministry of Military Affairs had planned to provide 1.5 kilograms of rice per person per day, plus canned meat, pickles, oil and salt, etc., but in fact, most of the soldiers could not even guarantee 1 kilogram of staple food, let alone side food.
The general supply of the Japanese army is 660 grams of polished rice, 210 grams of refined wheat, 210 grams of fresh meat, 600 grams of vegetables, plus all kinds of oil and salt tea. Of course, according to the military discipline of the Japanese army, they can also rob the common people.
The gap in food supply directly affects the combat effectiveness of soldiers, such as in white-knife warfare, our army often has several people to fight with the Japanese army, not to mention the skill level, the gap in physical fitness can be seen.
During the entire War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, there were also chinese soldiers who far exceeded the food supply of the Japanese army, and at the same time they were also a unit that created good records, that is, the Chinese army stationed in India.
The Chinese army in India consisted of the new 22nd and 38th divisions that were defeated in Burma in 1942 and retreated to India, as well as the 14th, 50th and new 30th divisions that were subsequently airlifted, and later organized into the famous New 1st Army and The New 6th Army.
The Chinese garrison in India has implemented the joint anti-Japanese thinking of the Allied forces sending troops from China, the United States with weapons, and britain with logistics, and in addition to obtaining a large number of advanced weapons and equipment made by the United States, the troops stationed in India have also obtained extremely high food support standards.
At that time, Chinese soldiers in China basically could not eat meat several times a month, but in the Chinese army stationed in India, they could eat meat every day.
At that time, in the normal training state, the food of the low-ranking officers and soldiers of the Indian Army was: beef plus rice or rice, canned meat with potatoes and cabbage; each meal was served with hot soup, sometimes bread, and these staple foods were all full, especially the canned meat could basically be distributed twice a day per person.
In wartime, field rations are distributed. Taking the C-type ration at that time as an example, it included a total of 3 canned meat and 3 canned staple foods, which were also equipped with chewing gum, chocolate, matches, cigarettes, napkins and other accessories, which could meet the calories required for a single soldier's day.
This is only the treatment of lieutenant officers and ordinary soldiers, while above the school level, the food is more elaborate: in addition to the milk, bread, meat, and fruit provided at each meal, there are also high-grade cigarettes, sweets, and even champagne.
Although the school-level officers in the national army are better even in the country, they are surprised by the food security in India.
The big fish and meat and the full food made the officers and men of the Chinese army stationed in India even get tired of eating, and some soldiers also went to the field near the training site to dig wild vegetables to "improve their lives.", which completely reversed the state of the domestic troops.
Because the United States and Britain provide a large salary for chinese soldiers stationed in India, and there is no customary deduction of military salaries by domestic troops here, many officers and men of the Indian army will also go to nearby Chinese restaurants or Indian restaurants to eat other improved meals when they rest.
At that time, some Chinese dishes were expensive, such as a plate of fried pork liver for 3 rupees, but the monthly salary of a lieutenant officer was enough to make him eat fried pork liver for a month.
It is precisely because of the abundant heat supply that the physical strength of the officers and men of the Indian army far exceeds that of the domestic troops, and at the same time far exceeds that of the Japanese army in the jungles of northern Myanmar.
Relying on American equipment and American supplies, the Chinese army stationed in India achieved greater results with fewer casualties, creating many examples of Japanese casualties far exceeding the losses of our army.