Cannon fodder
“In war, the state gives cannons, the rich give oxen, and the poor give their sons. When the war is over, the state takes its cannons, the rich get new oxen, and the poor look for graves…” – A Serbian saying
Soldiers whose lives are considered unimportant during war.
A person or group carelessly used by other people to help them achieve something.
Cannon fodder is an informal, derogatory term for soldiers who are regarded or treated by government or military commanders as expendable during war.
According to the Internet sources, an idea of soldiers as fodder or “food” to be consumed by battle, originated before the 16th century. The first confirmed use of this expression was by a French writer, François-René de Chateaubriand in his anti-Napoleonic pamphlet “De Bonaparte et des Bourbons” that was published in 1814.
English by Vesna 