WWII Rations and Mess Kits

I was raised on C-rats, and found them acceptable if you carried a small bottle of tabasco sauce and some salt & pepper. I would do a lot of trading when in the service, especially since nothing was preferable to H&LB. The cakes were edible after a long soak in the fruit juices.

MREs were not bad, but were best when you had time to work with their preparation.

As for the mess kit, the US was the best one that I tried, but in my last few years of service, we never carried them. If the kitchen sent the meal out in cans, we used paper plates or trays. We ate the MREs out of the bag or used the canteen cup. The mess kit was bulky, and made noises at inconvenient times.

 

Funny on how I can find alot of info on WWI French rations yet nothing on the WWII French rations LOL.

 

Heres another thought. What rations were served to the Indian troops by the British?

 

Can any of our french posters help me with the French WWII rations?

 

The secret is to use the right words = rations de combat

Here is a link for many counties including France: it's post war though. I will see if I can find WWII ones too

MREInfo - French RCIR

 

Thanks Skipper . Do you also know what type of "rations de combat" were issued to the French troops after Normandy? Were they US or British? Or both? Or some other? LOL

 

Most likely U.S. They had U.S. equipment (see 2nd French Armored division thread), so they proabably had U.S rations too. I will see what I can find.

 

Indian troops recieved different rations from their Tommy counterparts in Africa and Burmah, more in fitting with their normal diet. Generally it wasn't so much a question of pre-packed meals, tending rather towards locally aquired goat, rice and so on.

 

I would assume that it was easier in Africa and Burma. Perhaps it was harder once they were in Europe.

 

And did the French start recieving the wine ration too?

 

[SIZE=+1]Food a critical item during WWII[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]by Joe Szalay, 380 FA Hq.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]Food was a critical item in most countries during World War II. France was desperate for food. You couldn't buy a hamburger if you were willing to pay $20 for it. The local citizens of France probably had food buried in the ground on their property. Many valuables were hidden from the Germans during the occupation. (An interesting book which includes hiding French wine is titled "Wine and War")[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Belgium seemed to be more prosperous during the war than France or Holland. We didn't see any buildings that had been damaged in Belgium. Apparently there were few items of military value that the Germans wanted in Belgium.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Holland had very little food items that the Germans didn't take. They took what cattle and sheep they could round up. After Holland was liberated by our 102nd Infantry Division, the sheep were rounded up and returned to Holland.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Liquor seemed to be in good supply. Wine was plentiful in France, Belgium and Holland. The national drink of France was cognac, and it was readily available.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]The German army managed to confiscate a good supply of Three Star Hennissey Cognac from France. Our troops found most of the cognac on barges along the Rhine River. The German Army left in a hurry when our troops got to the Rhine.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Most of the barges had a good supply of liquor, wine and cognac. Several of our infantrymen managed to liberate five gallon bottles of Three Star Hennisssy Cognac.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]As our troops battled their way through the Siegfried line from Holland through the villages in Germany near the border, they found food from houses that were apparently abandoned in a hurry. Our infantry men found fresh eggs and other food items left on the table in several of these farm homes. The chickens were still doing their thing since they didn't know there was a war going on.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]One of our first sergeants found a fat hog roaming the area. It didn't take long for some of our farm boys to butcher the hog and get it ready to cook.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Our battalion medical officer, Dr. Harden, inspected it to make sure it was free of any disease. He declared the hog fit for human consumption, and pork was on the menu the next day.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]As the war progressed, it was not uncommon to find cattle that had been killed by artillery fire. We knew when we were approaching these dead animals since we could smell them a couple of city blocks away.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]When we reached the Rhine, the Germans had retreated across the river to regroup and set up defense. Many civilians left their homes and businesses to get away from the advancing allied armies. We managed to get to a post office that was recently abandoned. Packages were stacked several feet high and cash registers were left open. We all got a handful of German marks for souvenirs. We learned later that this money was still legal tender when the war was over. The money had value, but you couldn't buy much since there was very little available to buy. We threw the currency out of the second story window where we were housed and watched it flutter to the ground.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]We decided to open some of the packages in the post office just to see what they contained. Some contained various types of food and German sausages that were intended for sons and fathers who were in the military.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]We always had "K" rations in reserve. Most everyone had plenty of "C" ration stew which was OK of you were real hungry. Some called it kangaroo stew.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Packages from home were always welcome. Homemade cookies were a favorite with most everyone. Those packages came by slow freight and they took six to ten weeks to arrive. Sometimes they never did arrive. The German submarines took a toll of our merchant shipping and others who traveled the North Atlantic sea route.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Many of our letters didn't arrive either. We would write the folks back home and tell them that if they were sending letters, we were not receiving them. We accused them of not writing often enough. Letters from home were just like money in the bank.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]I remember when we were located in a town near the Rhine River, the bakers set up shop on a city street. They had several ovens used to supply bread to the various units in the area. The aroma of freshly baked bread would make your mouth water.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]A piece of this Gl bread was as good as any steak I remember eating.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]After the war was over, we had somewhat better meals. Some of the guys would go fishing and bring back a mess of fish. (Historian, John Emerich, never made corporal because his mother sent him fish hooks which he used and was considered AWOL.) We could usually get the local butcher to clean the fish and fry it for the troops. He would be rewarded with a mess of fish for his efforts.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Some of our troops enjoyed hunting, and there were plenty of wooded areas to hunt deer. Young doe seemed to be plentiful in several areas. Venison prepared and cooked properly is a real treat. A local butcher would dress (or undress) the deer and get it ready to cook. He got all the parts we didn't want.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]During occupation, usually only routine administrations and guard duty were carried out. We had plenty of time to have organized athletics, although some were not too well organized. It was great to have relief from the rigors of living in a combat zone.[/SIZE]

Joseph Szalay

 

After witnessing the less-than-perfect supply and rations situation in the British Army during the Great War, Canadian military planners decided to begin a 'similar but separate' program of rations procurement for the Canadian Army. This program began in the 1920's, and by the time World War II came about and it was time for Canada to join the 'Mother Country's' cause, ration development had taken on a very "Commonwealth flavour"...



Even though very similar in general design and purpose to their British counterparts, Canadian service rations were in many cases different with a flair not only given to uniquely Canadian tastes, but also with universal use by brothers in arms throughout the Commonwealth.
Canada had, similar to the UK, divided its rations into the following categories:
1. Food Service Rations---Generally fresh food or what would be considered mess hall food.
2. Field Service Rations---Foods that were transportable, had shelf life and no refrigeration requirement and could be eaten with limited preparation needs. These included Composite Rations and Supplemental Ration Packs. These rations were normally designed to feed sections
3. Field Operational Rations---Items that could be issued to soldiers as regular sustenance when no messing arrangements were possible. Rations of this nature were the 48-Hour Ration Pack, the 24-Hour Ration and partial issues of the more portable components of the Compo ration.
4. Specialist and Special Purpose Rations---Foods that were either task specific, such as the AFV-(Armoured Fighting Vehicle) ration and the Mountain/Arctic ration.



5. Emergency Rations

Rations designed as a means of sustenance in survival situations, or as a last food source when no foods of any other kind are available. These rations included the Individual Emergency Ration (MK1 and British MKI and MKII-pretty much a chocolate nut cake in a tin), vehicle, aircrew and marine emergency rations, and the General Purpose emergency ration. The GP was a much-abused ration consisting of a Spam®-sized gold-coloured tin that contained 12 biscuits, 2 chocolate bars, and 12 milk chocolate tablets (these were actually procured from the US--Necco® Wafers!). Troops did not like this ration one bit, and if asked about WW2 rations, many Canadian troops have little recall of any other ration items, but always remember the "Emergency" ration as atrocious and disliked. (Military planners tended to add one day to any operational feeding based on the fact that each soldier had one of these by 1944).
6. Supplemental rations
These ration packs were distributed to troops in situations where:

1. Definite re-supply could not be insured
2. Foreign rations may be supplied in insufficient or unknown quantity or quality (The Canadian planners had run into issues with US D-Ration bars being the sole supply being delivered to Commonwealth Troops)
3. Partial issues from Compo rations were made, and were lacking some ingredients that were hard to carry once the compo tins or containers were opened
4. When no preserved rations of any consequence were available

These rations consisted mainly of 1-3 man packs of "extras", such as the "Biscuit and Beverage Powder" tins, which contained various biscuits and some form of instant beverage, and condiment/accessory tins, which were normally packed to supply either 3 or 6 troops. The contents of the Accessory tins (which came out in 1943 and were provided to most allies) could be "Oats with Sugar", "Matches, Sugar, Salt, Sweets and Mepacrine" or various other multi-serving beverage packs.

Canadian Rations of World War II

 

eating customs and cuisne in the army , wow this is getting deep. I thought all armies in the world ate the same "spam", but apparently there were many different menus. I have never thought about it, but I will try to find about the colonial troops too. I supposed the muslims would not have porc in their tins for example.

 

Hi ya Skipper. I thought it might be a silly subject. But the more I find the more interesting it gets LOL. And all the different types and ingredients!

 

True LOL. Maybe our Canadian friends just have't seen this yet .

 

AAF Combat Lunch
The original combat lunch to subsist air crews on long-range flight missions consisted of unprepared and dehydrated items which were to be cooked or reconstituted by crew members during flight.68 Despite the general absence of heating or cooking equipment aboard military aircraft, these types of foods were listed in the initial specification 64 and persisted throughout the war. The specification described the ration as a unit package consisting of food for three men for one meal with extra beverages.65 Components were dry milk, chili powder or tomato paste, bouillon cubes, hard candy, gum, precooked rice, salt, tea tablets, and can opener, all packaged in a waxed fiberboard box. Subsequently, the variety of components was increased by specifying two menus or combinations of components.66 The ration was to be placed aboard the plane in quantities sufficient to provide meals for all crew members. It was assumed that water would be provided for reconstituting the dehydrated components and making the beverages. Crew members were to carry out preparation procedures in the plane.
A limited procurement of the combat lunch was made in 1943 and 1944. In December 1944, the Air quartermaster, recognizing that preparation of foods in flight was too much to expect of aircrews, discontinued the ration and sought various means of using up the quantity on hand. By July 1945, the ration was recognized as obsolete and eventually the specification was cancelled.67
The following concise criticism of the AAF Combat Lunch was expressed by the Laboratory after the war:
The consensus of the crew members is that the food is not sufficiently desirable to compensate for the effort required in preparation. Such a large variety of items is not deemed necessary. The majority of crew members think that a few cans of prepared soup, a thermos jug of coffee, a few meat or cheese sandwiches, some fresh fruit (preferably oranges) and a few candy bars would be much more suitable than these flight lunches. The chewing gum, chocolate and Charms (hard candy) included in these flight lunches are the only items considered desirable......
Sandwich Packs
The review of rations used by groups in flight would not be complete without mention of the efforts to provide sandwich packs. These efforts often were negated at flight bases by lack of supplies and by inadequacies of equipment. To facilitate preparation of sandwich lunches at such bases, the Subsistence Laboratory, in May 1945 started to develop a "sandwich-beverage pack," which was to contain the ingredients for preparing sandwiches and beverages. The cessation of the war caused the work to be abandoned just when a promising start had been made, but the effort did leave some spade work which was utilized in 1950 in the development of the inflight food packet.

Army Rations-Historical Background

 

The German technical press reports the large-scale preparation of a standard 30-pound (approximately) so-called dried vegetable "bomb" containing an assortment of compressed dried beans, peas, carrots, cabbage, spinach, onions, and potatoes. These rations are designed to be dropped from airplanes to isolated German units. It also reports special balanced-meal units composed of dried vegetables, meat, fruit, and fats compressed into a single cube prepared particularly for use in long-distance submarines.
German Concentrated Food for Military Uses, WWII Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 20, March 11, 1943 (Lone Sentry)


A further development of the "food bomb" technique (see Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 20, p. 30) indicates that the Germans are now using airplane food-containers of 250 kilograms (550 pounds)--much heavier than the 30-pound containers previously noted. Me-109 fighters are apparently envisaged for use in dropping supplies to army units cut off during operations. To feed such isolated groups, the Me-109 (E, F, and G models) when fitted with bomb carrier EPC 500,* can drop the food container. The container, when in position, clears the ground by only 38 inches. To avoid damage when taxiing on a bad field, it should be suspended in the bomb rack at the take-off only. The maximum speed at release is 215 mph, and the most favorable height from 500 to 1,000 feet. It would appear that there is a delay device for the release of the parachute.

A 550-Pound "Food Bomb", WWII Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 22: April 8, 1943 (Lone Sentry)

 

CAPTURED JAPANESE RATIONS MAY BE EATEN​

Captured Japanese rations—particularly certain types of canned foods which were familiar items in American grocery stores prior to the war—may furnish welcome variety to U.S. troops as auxiliary rations or for emergency use. (This statement of course presupposes that the use of such captured foods has been approved by competent and proper authorities.)
Common Japanese Emergency Rations.
Some enemy foods, such as canned crabmeat, salmon, tuna, mandarin orange sections, canned pineapple and other fruits, rice, tea, and sugar, are familiar to American tastes. These items can easily be used provided that they are in good condition. Certain other Japanese foods, including dried fish, edible seaweed, pickled radishes, and pre-cooked rice flour, are strange to most American tastes. But, if rations are short, these items may be eaten and will supply nourishment.
The Japanese soldier in adequately supplied garrisons, eating perhaps twice as well as his family at home, does not live on rice alone, although this staple, supplemented with fish and a few vegetables, is his most important food. The average Japanese family eats very little meat. The daily diet revolves around the basic rice-fish-vegetable combination, and other foods are used principally for flavoring and seasoning, or as savories and relishes.
To this basic diet, the Japanese armed forces have added some meat, fruits, extra vegetables1, and sweets. But, as at home in Japan, these extras are used chiefly to flavor and vary the rice-and-fish staple, and do not provide a complete change of ration from day to day. It is worth noting, too, that Japanese soldiers, even in rear echelons, do not have anything comparable to the American company or squadron mess; each Japanese soldier prepares and cooks his own food, usually cooking enough at one time for a 24-hour supply.
The following foods are included in Japanese field rations:
Canned meat—roast beef, corned beef, beef-and-vegetable mixture, pork-and-vegetable mixture.
Canned fish—salmon, tuna, sardines, bonito, mackerel. (Also clams.)
Canned vegetables (in the meat mixtures)—beans, bean sprouts, peas, bamboo sprouts, spinach, water chestnuts. (Also rice, in compressed cakes or cooked with red beans.)
Canned fruit—cherries, plums, peaches, pineapple, pears, mandarin orange sections.
Canned eggs—hardboiled (in one Naval Air Force emergency ration.)
Dehydrated vegetables—beans, peas, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions, radishes, mushrooms, burdock, edible seaweed, taro root (a starchy tuber, from which Hawaiians make their poi).
Dehydrated fish—bonito (salt-water fish of the mackerel family).
Condiments, preserves—soy sauce (powdered or liquid), bean paste, dried plum cakes, pickled giant radishes, butter, jellies.
Staples—rice (polished or unpolished), granulated sugar, salt. Some rations contain biscuits or crackers.
Beverages—tea, milk (condensed or powdered), cider, whisky.
Sweets—caramels, hard candies, chocolate.
Most of these foods are familiar to Americans. A number of the canned foods, such as crabmeat, tuna and salmon, and the mandarin oranges, formerly were widely stocked by American grocers. The liquid soy-bean sauce is similar to that found in all U.S. Chinese restaurants, although it is saltier and "hotter." The bamboo and bean sprouts also are well known. The dehydrated vegetables can be reconstituted by American procedures, although the soaking time may be different and a certain amount of experimenting may be necessary. Rice, polished (white) or unpolished (brown), may be used in regular U.S. Army recipes. Cooked, this rice may be added to American B-ration meat items. The canned meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits may be used in the customary ways.
Standard labeling system used on the Compressed Emergency Ration package. Note location of title of ration and date stamp.
Standard labeling system used on front of package of Rice Flour and Side-dish Ration. Note location of title of ration and date.
Standard directions on rear of package of Rice Flour and Side-dish Ration.
Standard labeling on front of Side-dish package of Rice Flour and Side-dish Ration. Note location of title of ration and date.
METHODS OF PACKAGING
All canned foods, whether in large or small cans, are encased in wooden boxes bound with grass rope.
Rice usually is packed in large burlap or straw bags. Flour, sugar, and salt are packed the same way. Rice, and occasionally barley and wheat, also are packed in cans in the form of compressed cakes (sometimes cooked and mixed with red beans).
The liquid soy sauce is packed in wooden barrels; the powdered form, in gallon cans.
Dehydrated vegetables are shipped in large, rectangular cans.
COMBAT RATIONS
The Japanese soldier going into combat usually carries rice and bags of small, hard biscuits. Whenever possible, canned meat is carried. There are also two types of especially packaged rations. One, wrapped in brown crepe paper, is a small package, 3 3/4 by 3 1/2 by 1 3/4 inches, and weighs about 9 ounces. Each package equals a Japanese meal, and consists of several rectangular cakes of compressed wheat or barley, four cakes of sugar, three brown cakes of dried fish, and one or more pink cakes of very salty dried plums. The sugar and the grain cakes are of good quality. The cakes may be eaten as they are, or, with the addition of water, made into a hot breakfast cereal.
The second type of combat ration is packed in a transparent wrapper tied at both ends with a string. This wrapper contains two paper sacks, each with identical contents: two cakes of compressed fish-and-vegetable mixture and a sack of finely milled pre-cooked rice flour. Japanese soldiers mix the flour with water to make a dough, and eat it cold. This is not palatable to Americans, but may be used in an emergency.
Figure 11. Explanation of Japanese method of writing dates, with ideographs for 1941 through 1944. (In the box giving ideographs for these four years, the ideograph meaning "year" has not been included.)
SPECIAL RATIONS
Several types of Japanese emergency aviation rations have been found. Examples are two for the Naval Air Force. One comprises dried fish (bonito), biscuits, pickled plum, peas, hard candy, caramels, and—last but not least—a cardboard tube containing chocolate and whisky.
Another naval air ration includes rice cakes, hard-boiled eggs, canned meat-and-vegetables, canned pineapple, cider, chocolate, and whisky.
Japanese hospital and canteen foods may be captured, and these are more likely to satisfy American palates. Among the foods are canned fruits, canned meat and fish, condensed and powdered milk, butter, jellies, and candy.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
It is most important that a U.S. medical officer inspect and approve all captured enemy food supplies before they are eaten by American personnel. Under emergency conditions, if food supplies are short or if competent medical personnel is not available to inspect the food, the exact identification of a food item may not be important. However, it is important to know whether food is safe to eat. In such circumstances, the canned goods are safest, provided that (1) the can does not bulge, (2) the can is not seriously rusted, and (3) the contents do not yield any kind of questionable odor.
The Quartermaster General advises the fullest use of captured enemy food, after it has been inspected and approved by competent personnel. Packaged foods should not be opened—or opened, partially used, and then discarded—except when necessary. The principal thought in using captured foods should be to ease our own supply problem to some extent. To waste supplies—even enemy supplies—is foolhardy. 1 At established garrisons in occupied territories the Japanese have been cultivating gardens to supply fresh vegetables.

Captured Japanese Rations May be Eaten, Intelligence Bulletin, October 1944 (Lone Sentry)