Alcohol.

This is coolbert:

Throughout the history of western armies, it seems the desire to consume alcoholic beverage has a been a major obsession.

I have blogged about the role that substances have played in militaries THROUGHOUT the world as a means to assuage the effects of combat for the trooper. But what I am talking about here goes way beyond the milieu of combat when it comes to alcohol consumption by the soldier common and otherwise [the officer class].

Alcohol is of course the substance of choice for western armies. Has been for a long time, and probably always will be. The desire for soldiers to get their hands on alcohol and consume SEEMS to be almost an overwhelming need. TOO much so in some cases. Soldiers HAVE always had the image of hard-drinkers, given to drink in excess. Overwhelming excess, as I have said.

Consider these bits of trivia, as taken from the CIC of Al Nofi:

[My comments as usual in bold.]

* "The 12,000 British troops who occupied Boston in the winter of 1775-1776, during the American Revolution, consumed an officially attested 468,750 gallons of porter and another 95,000 of rum."

* "During the reign of Charles II of Sweden (1697-1718), the daily army ration amounted to nearly two pounds of meat and two pounds of bread, plus small amounts of peas, butter, and salt, all of which could be washed down with two-and-a-half quarts of beer."

* "Declaring that "Many battles have been fought and won by soldiers nourished on beer, and the king does not believe that coffee drinking soldiers can be depended upon," in 1777 Frederick the Great barred his troops from imbibing of the latter beverage."

* "The daily ration of an English soldier during the late fifteenth century included two-thirds of a gallon of beer."

* "During World War II beer production in Syria, a mostly Moslem country, rose from 2.4 million liters a year to 7 million, largely to supply the needs of Allied troops stationed in the Middle East."

* "At the onset of the seventeenth century a soldier in one of Spain's famed tercios received a daily ration of two pounds of bread, a pound of meat, and a botella of wine, more than a half-gallon."

* "During the mid-seventeenth century it was common for Spanish troops to have a daily wine ration of 2-4 pints, which was actually less than that for day laborers back home, who usually got 6!"

* "During 1941, the British Empire devoted 80,000 tons of precious shipping to carry beer to its troops in North Africa."

* "In 1846-1847 the U.S. Navy reported 5,936 instances of flogging, 80 percent of which were somehow related to alcohol abuse."

Eighty percent of all offenses where flogging was mandated as a punishment were alcohol related!!

[during the first Gulf War, the commander of the MP battalion was asked how law abiding the troops in Saudi Arabia were. This commander replied that, "without women, cars AND ALCOHOL, there are almost no offenses committed by U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia!!" That would seem to say a lot.]

* "Observing a militia muster in the early 1800s, an American officer later wrote "I could wish that our Militia, instead of celebrating their feasts to Mars did not too much to Bacchus with carousing and drunkenness."

One of the MAIN reasons for joining the militia would BE to get drunk and carouse!!

These items of trivia concerning alcohol and the soldier could probably go on and on!!

As you might expect, for soldiers in the nations of northern Europe, beer is the drink of choice. For soldiers in the southern nations of Europe, wine is the drink of choice. For the officer corps, I might expect that the drink would be either distilled spirits or FINE wine of expensive taste.

It must be understood that until recently, the drinking of WATER was of itself a dangerous act. As I have said, in war, historically speaking, feet and water are the two biggest killers, even more so than combat itself. In the case of water, either not having enough water to drink, or drinking BAD water is the killer. Water, fouled, and laden with germs, was a greater danger to the average soldier than a musket ball on the battlefield!! Drinking beer or wine IS a viable alternative, and pleasurable for the troop at the same time.

[personal note: Alcohol, in the form of beer or wine, IS an excellent way to preserve perishable agricultural products. Beer from grains of course, and wine from grapes. Wine and beer DO provide a lot of calories. Essential in societies where there was NO dental care. Persons without teeth could get the necessary calories to conduct everyday activity from drinking alcoholic beverages. Alcohol, in whatever form, WAS and IS now an everyday part of daily meals in many parts of the world.]

That photo at the start of this blog is of the statue of Bacchus, god of wine. He offers you a drink - - - TAKE!!

coolbert.