Cannon fodder noun
The phrase is used to describe soldiers whose lives are unimportant because they are considered as material to be used up in war.
In wartime, the soldiers were treated as cannon fodder.
Combatants seen as cannon fodder are likely to be killed or wounded in the field, and sometimes their sacrifice only serves a political purpose.
1. To violently steal something from a place or a person, or take something as spoils, especially in wartime
2. The act of stealing something from a place or a person in a violent way, or taking something as spoils, especially in wartime
The term dates back to at least the 16th century.