Naturally, it depended on where you were, from 30 degrees below zero outside Leningrad to over 100 sweltering degrees in parts of China and on Pacific Islands, which were jungle covered and crawling with bugs and snakes and full of swamps. In Western Europe the winter of 1944-45 was the coldest in one hundred years, American troops had no proper winter clothing until March of 1945 in many cases, and foot soldiers were living in little holes in the ground they had to dig themselves after walking and fighting all day, called foxholes. They lived on canned survival food, C Rations and K Rations. A very professional and proficient army was doing its dead level best to kill them. It was unpleasant. Foot soldiers of every army everywhere had it very, very rough. Jobs behind the lines were better, with maybe a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head, maybe hot food, a chance to take a shower. Airmen were the envy of the foot soldiers for the creature comforts, the proximity to London, the availability of women who were not half-starved and fear-crazed. Sailors had a cushy life, especially on larger ships, compared to riflemen at the front, unless their ship sank.
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