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At the outbreak of World War II, Coca-Cola
was bottled in 44 countries, including those on both sides
of the conflict. But far from devastating the business, the
war simply presented a new set of challenges and opportunities
for the entire Coca-Cola system.
The entry of the United States into the war brought an order
from Robert Woodruff in 1941 "to see that every man in
uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for 5 cents, wherever he
is and whatever it costs the Company."
This effort to supply the armed forces with Coke was being
launched when an urgent cablegram arrived from General Dwight
Eisenhower's Allied Headquarters in North Africa. Dated June
29, 1943, it requested shipment of materials and equipment
for 10 bottling plants. Prefaced by the directive that the
slipments were not to replace other mifitary cargo, the cablegram
also requested shipment of 3 million filled bottles of Coca-Cola,
along with supplies for producing the same quantity twice
monthly.
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Within six months, a Company engineer had flown to Algiers
and opened the first plant, the forerunner of 64 bottling
plants shipped abroad during World War II. The plants were
set up as close as possible to combat areas in Europe and
the Pacific. More than 5 billion bottles of Coke were consumed
by military service personnel during the war, in addition
to countless servings through dispensers and mobile, self-contained
units in battle areas.
But the presence of Coca-Cola did more thanjust lift the morale
of the troops. In many areas, it gave local people their first
taste of Coca-Cola-a taste they obviously enjoyed. And when
peace returned, the Coca-Cola system was poised for unprecedented
worldwide growth. From the mid '40s until 1960, the number
of countries with bottling operations nearly doubled. As the
world emerged from a time of conflict, Coca-Cola emerged as
a worldwide symbol of friendship and refreshment.
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Novelty
items produced in the 1940s often reflected a wartime theme.
Playing cards, notebooks, bridge pads, sewing kits and games
incorporated patriotic images. 
