The cheapest and most expensive drinks
19411On February 7th, the Japanese army raided Pearl Harbor, the naval base of the United States, and the United States was directly involved in the whirlpool of the world war. The tense war put Coca-Cola in trouble. Domestic sales are not good, and foreign sales are even more helpless. Robert, the second chairman of Coca-Cola? Woodruff was very anxious. At the time of "internal troubles and foreign invasion", woodruff's old classmate called him from the war zone and said something that made woodruff both sad and grateful: "I don't miss you, I miss your Coca-Cola every day." Woodruff's heart was suddenly enlightened by a word of true colors: If the soldiers at the front can drink Coca-Cola, then the local people can naturally drink it, so why sell it?
The next day, woodruff issued a special statement: "No matter where our army is, no matter how much our company spends, we will ensure that every soldier can buy a bottle of Coca-Cola for only 5 cents." To this end, the Coca-Cola Company printed a booklet entitled "The Importance of Completing the Hardest Combat Task and Rest". The pamphlet emphasizes that Coca-Cola is not only a leisure drink, but also a necessity of life, as important as guns and ammunition, because it is the need of soldiers who have worked hard on the battlefield.
Coca-Cola Company wants to directly export bottled Coca-Cola, but despite their privileges, they still can't enjoy the priority of military transportation. Woodruff has designed another plan: to imitate the way the US military uses dehydrated food, export bottled concentrated Coca-Cola, and try to set up bottling plants in the stationed areas. The Coca-Cola Company sent 248 people abroad with the army. Later, these people traveled with the army, from the jungles of New Guinea to the officers' club in Rivera, France, and sold 654.38 billion bottles of Coca-Cola. In addition to the North and South Poles, Coca-Cola also established 64 bottle decoration factories in wartime.
For convenience, the US military granted these Coca-Cola representatives fake military posts as "technical observers". It is really unbelievable to compare the workers in the Coca-Cola factory with the soldiers who repair planes and tanks. But soldiers and officers are grateful to these technical observers, because it is these people who brought unforgettable hometown flavor when their war was fierce.
The Coca-Cola Company also paid a heavy price for this 5-cent bottle of Coca-Cola. Technical observers, like soldiers, suffer from the fear of danger and death. It is said that many technical observers gave their lives. Although Coca-Cola has sent a large number of military technical observers, the supply of Coca-Cola is still in short supply. There's a letter from David? Edward's letter to his brother from Italy (dated 1944) reads as follows:
"I must write to tell you that today is our special festival, because everyone has received Coca-Cola. Soldiers who have been overseas for 20 months, holding Coca-Cola bottles in their hands and sticking them on their cheeks, look at this lovely dark brown elf like a holy spirit. No one started to drink, because after drinking, they could not see. " Coca-Cola inspired the morale of American soldiers, but also firmly grasped the hearts of every soldier. These soldiers can maintain a high degree of loyalty to Coca-Cola all their lives.
During World War II, Coca-Cola became attached to many celebrities. Barton, a five-star general, regards a cellar of Coca-Cola as a necessity. Wherever he goes, the technical observer will take the bottling factory with him. Barton once said half jokingly, "We should send Coca-Cola to the front so that we don't have to shoot those bastards."
More legendary, the intimate relationship between woodruff and American hero Eisenhower was also based on Coca-Cola. 1On June 9th, 945, Eisenhower returned triumphantly from the battlefield, and the Americans hosted a sumptuous luncheon for their heroes. After lunch, General Eisenhower was asked if he wanted anything else. "May I have a coke?" Eisenhower blurted out with a smile. After gulping it down, Eisenhower said seriously, "I have one more request." The waiter stood silently listening, but the result was: "I want another bottle of Coca-Cola."
It is said that the reason why Coca-Cola observers can successfully enter the army is also inseparable from Eisenhower. 1On June 29th, 943, Eisenhower sent an urgent telegram to Marshall, chief of staff of the US Army in North Africa: "Our army needs 3 million bottles of Coca-Cola first, and can produce twice as many complete bottling and sealing equipment every month. Please provide an escort. " Marshall immediately executed the telegram and ordered the military department in a more euphemistic way: "The listed necessities and conveniences must be delivered to overseas legions in appropriate quantities."