Taste of War: World War II and the Battle for Food Paperback – July 30, 2013

Perhaps because my childhood memories are permeated by World War II, I find myself reading (and listening to) many books, both fiction and non-fiction, centered on that event. It took me a long time to read this one, not because of its length or because it wasn't interesting, it was just so dense and surprising that I could only absorb short sections at a time. It offers an entirely different, and new to me, perspective on that war, and indirectly, on war in general. It seemed that each section included information and analysis that were enlightening. I had vowed never to read another Holocaust book, and although this book of course included significant reference to that aspect of the war, it was in the context of many other aspects. Of course the Holocaust was the ultimate horror and must never be forgotten or discounted, but this book makes clear how devastating were the effects on many other countries and populations. The extensive footnoting and documentation account for some of the length of the book, but the footnotes do not contain additional text so do not have to be read or referred to for other than scholarly puposes. In fact, the documentation is awesome in itself.

Beyond the immediate impact of the war itself, the continuing effects of the events and strategies undertaken in pursuit of its outcome are noteworthy -- such as the consequence of changes to the food preferences in the South Pacific, as only a single example.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone with patience and even a passing interest in World War II.

Shows another cause of war and the staggering numbers associated with the starvation caused by it, something I never considered

This book is ostensibly about the 2nd World War but it is actually about global food logistics and nutrition before, during and after the war. For the WWII buff this may not be as interesting as the strategies and battle descriptions that characterize most war histories. But the central thesis - that the decisive factor in the victory of the United States and Great Britain (and their Soviet and Colonial allies) over Germany, Italy and especially Japan was precisely-measured caloric intake programs developed by the fledgling science of nutrition and distributed according to policies developed and administered by relatively unknown bureaucrats - should cause anyone interested in the war to rethink much of what we know about why the victors won, why the losers lost and what the war was really all about to begin with. For example, while we dwell on every detail of the Battle of Midway or the assault on Iwo Jima and conclude that the US military was tougher, better organized, superior in term of strategy and backed by an "arsenal of democracy" producing an inexhaustible supply of ammunition and technologically advanced hardware, Ms. Collingham points out that the vast majority of Japanese military (and for that matter civilian) deaths were due to starvation caused by logistical and nutritional decisions made by Japanese political leaders and the military high command long before the first shots were ever fired. Because of this Ms. Collingwood concludes that food factors and not Allied military prowess were decisive in the defeat of Japan. And although the Germans did better in planning for the feeding of their army and civilian population, they nevertheless failed to plan for food supplies to support a lengthy war and so were eating at starvation levels well before 1945. Germany continued to starve for years after the war until the Allies began feeding the Western sectors as a counter to any possible sympathies that the German population might have for Soviet communism in the East. Of course the Soviet satellite states were starving too as was most of the Soviet Union until the post-Stalin period.

Most interesting and chilling is Ms. Collingwood's recasting of the holocaust. Though envisioned by Nazi leadership as far back as the 1930's, the actual rounding up and deportation of Jews was triggered by food shortages and the desire to have fewer mouths to feed as declining caloric intake in Germany and by German troops in the occupied territories became a crisis in 1941 -1942. German leadership also planned to consolidate its hold on its newly-captured lebensraum by depopulation though deliberate starvation of 30 million Russians and Ukrainians. The Germans estimated that this could be accomplished in less than a year once the territory was under German military control because it only took nine months on average for a person to starve to death. The Battle of Leningrad, which drove the Russian population to cannibalism, was only one part of a much large master plan.

Another interesting narrative that surfaces regularly throughout the book has to do with the American impact on the war and its aftermath. Whether it be lend-lease, the decision to drop the atomic bomb or the post-war Marshall Plan, Ms. Collingwood is not as impressed as most historians by the American war effort. In her view America was spared most of the real pain of the war (including severe rationing, the bombing of cities, etc.) and emerged mostly unscathed as the dominant world power with a booming post-war economy. Most of the other winners as well as all of the losers didn't fare nearly as well. Interestingly she gives much credit to American efforts to feed and supply the Soviets who, in her view, were the ones who suffered the most but also did the most to defeat the Nazis. But even here she thinks that the Soviet victory was ultimately due to the astonishing resilience of Russians and Ukrainians who learned to endure endless suffering under the Bolsheviks, Soviets and Tsars. In her view sub-human misery became a sustainable culture when Soviet society faced an existential threat. Of course the American food aid helped too. But Ms. Collingwood claims that the global post-war spread of American war diet (processed, dehydrated, refrigerated, etc.) was/is the main cause of many of our most pressing health problems today (diabetes, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, tooth decay, etc.) She has particular contempt for the Coca-Cola Company. A moderately successful regional company before the war, "Coke" took advantage of war opportunities both domestic and foreign to become the world-wide drink of choice. Global consumption of sugar skyrocketed as a result.

This is a well-researched and meticulously documented book. The footnotes, which include a selective chronology, fill 80 pages with small print with an additional 40 pages dedicated to the Bibliography. The index is short but reasonably thorough. The author makes excellent use of material from the Mass Observation study which started in Britain in 1937 and documented responses to questionnaires by 3000 people throughout the war years. Many of the Mass Observation respondents also kept diaries. Their insights and commentary are fascinating and help illuminate attitudes and activities on the home front (reactions to government propaganda, food queues, etc.) that more traditional military and battle histories often ignore. But be warned; much of Ms. Collingwood's narrative is grim. There are stomach-turning descriptions of the stages the human body goes through as it starves, descriptions of how to cook tree bark and prairie grasses (and how they destroy the digestive system), etc. This is not a fun narrative of a series of resounding military victories. Vegetables were so scarce even in England that a single onion, a staple of English cooking before the war, was often given as a birthday present. But on the lighter side you will meet nutrition advocates Mr. Carrot and Potato Pete and listen in on the most popular radio show in England during the war - "The Kitchen Front." The show aired daily at 8:15 a.m. and starred two English housewives (Gert and Daisy) who struggle with issues of food sufficiency and nutrition while their hubbies are "in service." They dole out recipes and a variety of nutritional messages, all garnished with humor. Meanwhile the Japanese were eating `Five Colour Rice' which consisted of white rice, yellow (old) rice, green beans, red grains [probably millet] and brown insects." No wonder the Allies won.

This is a terrific book if you like this sort of stuff, five stars without reservation.

This book has taken something I have thought I had a decent understanding of, World War two, and has completely changed my understanding of it. I will not be able to remove the lens of food as I continue my study in the subject. It address the highs and lows. The sacrifice and the greed. The evils of speculation and hoarding and of those who seek to gain out of suffering. It also talks about those who see a better way. A fascinating book that I highly recommend.