The taste of war : World War II and the battle for food
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references ( p. 581-620) and index.

Food, and in particular the lack of it, was central to the experience of World War II. In this richly detailed history, Lizzie Collingham establishes how control of food and its production is crucial to total war. Tracing the interaction between food and strategy, on both the military and home fronts, Collingham demonstrates how access to food was a driving force within Nazi policy and contributed to the decision to murder hundreds of thousands of "useless eaters, " and brings to light the fact that famine was not only caused by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, but was also the result of Allied mismanagement and neglect, particularly in India, Africa and China. She also shows how the war subsequently promoted the pervasive influence of American food habits and tastes in the post-war world.--From publisher description.