military figures

Possibly because a lot of people smoked and as for military figures, war is a rather stressful time and not conducive to quitting. But actually, I can't say I have see a huge number with *** in hand, though there are certainly more smoking resin figures than plastic ones.

Why not? it is a part of human activity for the past half millennia or so. Only recently in some Western cultures has it fallen out of favor. I am not a smoker myself but I hold no ill feelings to those who do.

During WWII they even packed cigarettes in the C Rations.  For some, that was probably one of the best parts, sometimes you couldn't enjoy the food they came up with without help, even though food trading did occur sometimes.  They were a far cry from M.R.E.s.  It's been a long time, but I think some of my packs had them in closed too.

Ever watch a movie from the 30s, 40s, or 50s? Not just a military themed one, but any old film. People smoked like chimneys back then! And, as previously mentioned cigarettes were even packaged with C rations! Pick up an old magazine from that era and you'll see one brand or another being touted as recommended by physicians (soothing to the throat was one claim). Frankly, I suspect it would have been more common than not to see GIs from any country with a cigarette.

How many is "a lot"?

Pretty sure the tobacco companies had lots to do with all this. Give them away to GI's in ration packs and have a future lifetime customer.

As Feldwebel Freud once noted, "Sometimes a cigarette is just a cigarette."

Now, the tobacco biz is probably why there were 42 different brands in Viet Nam era C-ration packs

The PX/BX system also carried all sorts of brands; ship's stores, too (even Bugler).

Was a part of culture that culture was part of.  Not really that much different than our modern bottled water culture, really.

Military life  certainly goes that way.  There's probably a working translations for "Smoking Lamp is Lit; 5 minutes.  Smoke'em if you gott'em. bumm'em if you don't" in every imaginable language

Hey, inflight meals. Remember them?

Came with a little three pack of cigarettes.

Chicklets @ Cigarettes... A GI's basic bargaining tools in far off lands...

Why are all the German tankers pointing?

To where they can find some smokes...  "Marlboro's gerade aus, Konrad!"

For the same reason they're always scarred and evil looking. "Leet us go ova zair!" or "I zee mine ouse!" har de har har. LAWL