pjbooks Chapter 131: The Secrets of World War II Military Rations Revealed
Chapter 131: The Secrets of World War II Military Rations Revealed
Chapter 131 Unveiling the Secrets of World War II Military Rations
Because that guy had lost so much money, the bidding frenzy among the treasure hunters plummeted.
This mentality is no different from that of a stock market crash. Even if people know that the current stock prices are very cheap, only a few dare to use real money to buy at the bottom, because they are afraid that the price will continue to fall after they buy.
After a few scattered bids, the price only managed to break through $300.
"Aren't you guys going to try your luck?" Ma Jie asked his friends.
"NO." Max shook his head: "I don't make money from things outside my understanding. This kind of unboxing is essentially no different from gambling."
“Me too,” Fiona chimed in. “If my kids knew their eldest sister was spending money on this, they’d probably buy a plane ticket overnight from Chicago and force me into a mental hospital.”
"I don't have that worry," Sandy said, puffing out her cheeks. "Unfortunately, I don't have any money."
"Alright, then I won't be polite." Ma Jie looked at Grace, who had a blank expression. "350 dollars."
"OK, Jack has bid $350, anyone else want to go for it?"
"400 dollars." Even though the painful lesson just now deterred most people, some still refused to believe it.
Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw that the person bidding was Duncan Morton. He gave me the impression that the guy was both steady and cunning.
"$500." I tried raising the price once, but this old bastard wouldn't let it go and raised it another $50.
This made Ma Jieke a little uncomfortable; if he continued to add to the bet, it would only make him feel like he had made the right bet.
In a moment of desperation, Jimmy suddenly shouted from the side, "600 dollars!"
"What?" Grace exclaimed in surprise, "Jimmy offered $600? What's going on with these two? If I remember correctly, they were a team yesterday."
The man smiled and didn't say anything, passing the problem to Duncan, "Fine, I don't want it anymore, go ahead and continue if you dare."
The latter hesitated and raised his hand several times, but in the end he didn't dare to raise it. As a senior expert, what he was afraid of was not losing money, but damaging his image.
After all, I was humiliated by an amateur yesterday, so I can't afford to lose face again today. I'd rather make a mistake than lose face.
"Do you still have $600?" Grace looked around. "OK, deal. This treasure chest is yours, Ji. Good luck."
Huh? Jimmy was a little confused. I just wanted to have some fun talking, how did this fall on my head?
Seeing that he seemed a bit off, Ma Jie asked with a mischievous grin, "Are you afraid of ending up like that guy, driving out a bunch of empty air?"
"Yes." Jimmy nodded earnestly: "600 US dollars. Do you know how many cans I have to collect to earn that? I've never spent so much money at once in my entire life."
"OK." He rolled his eyes and continued, "If you really don't have the guts, you can ask me to take the risk. Of course, if we make a profit, you'll have to share in the profits. Fair enough?"
The kid glanced at the airdrop crate with its uncertain outcome, then patted his empty pockets, and decided, "Alright, how much are you planning to offer?"
"We'll each pay half of the $300."
"Wait a minute, I want to participate too." Seeing that the two were planning to share the risks and profits, Fiona suddenly took out $100.
"Me too! Me too!" Sandy joined in the fun.
"And you, Max?" MaJack looked at her with a smile. "You're not planning to be a loner, are you?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking." Max scoffed at this: "I'm a man of principle. I said I wouldn't gamble, and that's final. If I had been able to control myself back then, I wouldn't be in this sorry state now."
"Okay, Mom, you said it."
After a brief discussion, the airdrop crate was divided into four parts, with myself and Jimmy each paying $200 and the two children each paying $100.
If there is a loss, it will be deducted according to the investment ratio; if there is a profit, it will be divided according to the investment ratio. It is fair, reasonable, and honest.
"Wait a minute, I can do it myself."
Jimmy took the claw hammer from the staff and chose to open the box himself.
After painstakingly removing all the nails, he closed his eyes and made the sign of the cross on his chest, leaving the person staring in disbelief.
No, it's only 200 yuan, bro. It can't be that big of a deal. God is busy, he can't afford to bother with such a small thing.
The box was opened, and everyone's eyes were drawn to it.
The contents of the box were neatly arranged, with a mountain of luncheon meat cans stacked on the far left.
Not small jars, each jar weighs 1KG, a large-capacity, economical pack.
Right in the middle is the legendary K military ration, with hard, compressed biscuits underneath.
Further to the right are bags of chocolates and a box of cigarettes mixed together, which smells musty.
In the remaining nooks and crannies, adult magazines and explicit recruitment posters were scattered.
The poster cover features a vintage-style color comic strip depicting a group of sexy women in Wonder Woman style, each carrying a gun in one hand and a stretcher in the other as they traverse a jungle. On the stretcher sits a wounded American officer.
This is a PIN-UP girl poster meticulously designed by high-ranking U.S. military officials for recruitment purposes during World War II.
Its strategic significance lies in using gender attraction as a psychological motivator.
After all, young men are the main target of recruitment, and the sexy female image in the poster can arouse their protective instincts or desire to perform.
This is often accompanied by provocative slogans, such as "She wants you!"
This implies that joining the military can attract women's favor and that military status can draw women's attention.
Another point is to simplify the concept of war. After all, the general level of education of the people at that time was not high, and they might not understand what "anti-fascism" meant. But if you tell them that they are soldiers fighting to protect the women at home, anyone can quickly understand it.
Furthermore, by packaging the arduous battlefield as a romantic and adventurous experience, the true cruelty of war is concealed, which can effectively lower the psychological threshold for joining the army.
These things weren't worth much back then; they were mass-produced handicrafts, and they were plastered all over the streets.
Depending on their condition and version, they have now evolved into a type of art collectible.
Generally speaking, an original wartime item, without creases, fading, or damage, could probably sell for two or three hundred US dollars.
If it's a famous original poster, like Uncle Sam's, and it's well-preserved, the price will be at least ten times higher.
Another type, with a designer's signature or related to historical figures, can also be quite valuable.
Besides these posters, there were also quite a few adult magazines. The group picked them up curiously and flipped through them, but all of them blushed and put them back.
It contains both visually stunning color illustrations and beautifully crafted text by the author.
One can imagine how American soldiers of that era would have reacted upon seeing these things.
Underneath each person's pillow and in their wardrobe in the barracks, there are probably many intriguing personal items hidden.
"Are these canned luncheon meats still safe to eat?"
Fiona tossed aside the magazine, picked up a can of meat, and sniffed it, but didn't detect any obvious odor.
"It should be fine," Ma Jie said confidently. "But the taste is less than ideal. It's usually bought by military enthusiasts for collection. I just checked on eBay, and the same kind, with the SPAM military logo and the production year on the bottom, can sell for about $50 a can."
"Oh my god, let me count how many cans there are."
Upon hearing that they could sell for $50, Jimmy quickly counted them. After getting the exact number, he was overjoyed and practically jumped for joy: "Fifty cans! A full fifty cans, guys! That's $2500! We've already made a killing just from these cans!"
In Ma Jieke's opinion, the price of $50 was not expensive, after all, it was a military supply during World War II.
Unfortunately, too much was produced at the time. So much so that the American soldiers were sick of eating it and wanted to throw away the cans of luncheon meat on the spot.
But this stuff is a delicacy for soldiers and civilians in other countries.
Especially on the war-torn peninsula, many South Koreans were starving and often wandered around the vicinity of US military bases.
Whenever the U.S. military threw out expired food, they would rush to grab it, taking home any edible bread, luncheon meat, and cabbage.
After washing them clean, add some seasonings and cook them into a big pot of mixed stew, and you have a meal.
This dish later evolved into what is known as "army stew," and to this day, it remains a signature dish in Korean restaurants.
Seeing so many cans of luncheon meat that Jimmy opened, every single one of the treasure hunters put on their self-isolating masks.
After all, not many people participated in the bidding just now, and even the most eye-catching bargain hunter didn't continue bidding.
As a result, without realizing it, this kid actually managed to snag a huge bargain. It's infuriating to even think about it.
However, the value of this supply box goes far beyond that. Ma Jieke picked up a bag of military rations tightly wrapped in plastic film, pointed to the three tin boxes inside, and explained with a smile: "If I remember correctly, this is more expensive than canned meat. It's a genuine full set of K military rations, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One of the highlights of this military ration is that it uses colored packaging boxes: brown for breakfast, green for lunch, and blue for dinner, making it easy for soldiers to quickly distinguish them when eating."
"Among all the wartime individual rations of the U.S. military, the K series is of the highest quality. It was originally only supplied to airborne troops. In the movie 'Band of Brothers' that you have seen, the paratroopers carried this kind of ration. At that time, a ration like this could even be exchanged for a sheepskin jacket on the black market."
"Alright, alright, great military strategist, everyone already acknowledges your expertise in this area." Max, annoyed at missing out on the investment, glared at him. "Just reveal the answer already. How much is it worth?"
"At least eight hundred dollars!"
"How much?" Jimmy stared in disbelief at the estimated price. This piece of junk could sell for 8...
$00?
"Dude, are you sure you're not talking nonsense?" Fiona was also a little incredulous.
Faced with these two idiots, Ma Jie was utterly speechless: "Do you really think its value is just the cookies and oats inside? This is history, don't you understand?!"