Specifically, World War II Navy ice cream. It looks pretty good, and the powdered milk and powdered eggs don't look like they are inferior substitutes for the fresh ingredients. Plus a discussion of just how important ice cream was to morale. Pretty cool.
Pah. The Royal Navy did it better. The HMS Menestheus was a converted passenger liner. After earlier duty as a minelayer it was converted for troop support duties in the Pacific theater. It had a movie theater, canteen and an onboard brewery that served ale at its own Davy Jones' Bar.
ReplyDeleteTacitus
One of my favorite facts about WWII is that while Japan was struggling to field a fleet after it was decimated by the US Navy, and couldn't supply their troops the provisions that they needed to not live a life of misery on the godforsaken islands that they were defending, the US was experiencing such a surplus of shipping that they were able to dedicate several entire ships to nothing more than being mobile ice cream factories.
ReplyDeleteIt was important to troop morale, but more importantly, devastating to enemy morale.
I know it probably never happened, but I just can't help but imagine a starving Japanese troop sitting in a cave on Iwo, trying to figure out why there was a small fleet of ships circling the island playing "Turkey in the Straw" 24/7.
To those that aren't aware, "Turkey in the Straw" is the ice-cream truck song. You know the one. The one they all play.