I'm thinking of fighting in heavily bombed cities during WW2, but I guess this could be the same for other wars such as WW1, Korean and Vietnam wars.
In cities like Stalingrad there was a lot of fighting in and around factories, which I guess is where most of the exposure would be. But also in every town involved in fighting with moderate damage in any country they would be in contact with asbestos. Also throughout the countryside in farms and small villages.
I have read that there are many health issues related to sailors as this material was used a lot in ship building and transporting the materials on a large scale during wartime, so I'm not interested in the navy side of it. But it seems to me the army would have far more exposure by those soldiers who fought in any urban environment.
Has there been any major studies on this?
Were health issues related to asbestos at epidemic levels among veterans decades after the war?
Abestos wasn't a widely used building material until the 1950s.
I think Vietnam Vets probably got the worst of it. Apparently, even though they only account for 7% of the US population, vets account for 30% of mesothelioma cases each year.
Really interesting read: http://www.asbestos.com/america-has-failed-its-veterans
Old European architecture would be the main thing preventing widespread exposure. It simply wasn't in the buildings. The only major possible exception I can think of would be very new buildings and/or military structures built by the Axis powers.