WWII Rations and Mess Kits

C-Rations Through WW II

The C ration, with a caloric value of 3700, was intended for operational needs of three to twenty-one days. This ration resulted from pre-World War II attempts to produce a stable, palatable, nutritionally balanced combat ration which would provide the individual soldier with three full meals per day.

C Rations, 1945.
Maj. W. R. McReynolds, first director (1936-38) of the U.S. Army Subsistance R&D Laboratory, proposed to supplement the pre-war "reserve ration" with a complete meal-such as beef stew, beef with noodles, family-style dinner, lamb stew, and Irish stew-packaged in 12-ounce rectangular cans.

FIELD RATIONS: C-RATIONS

 

Hospital Supplement
http://www.qmfound.com/army_rations_...background.htm

The hospital supplement was developed to provide easily digestible foods such as beverages, soups, and fruits to patients being treated at evacuation and base hospitals. Early in the war, a hospital ration was packed at the Cumberland quartermaster Depot to supply items for that purpose. Because of faulty packing of the items, the Subsistence Laboratory developed a better package in 1943 which contained the following items:

1 No.10 can of fruit

2 46-ounce cans of orange juice

20 14½-ounce cans of evaporated milk

1 2-lb. tin of coffee

1 5-lb. package of dehydrated soup

1 5-lb. bag of sugar

Procurement on the original requirements exceeded 87,000 cases in 1943 and 1944.

A 1944 revision recognized the pack as a "supplement" and made extensive additions and changes in the basic components. The new version substituted soluble coffee for the roasted and ground variety, powdered milk for evaporated milk, and condensed soups for dehydrated soups. Other components were premixed cereal, cocoa beverage powder, malted milk tablets, tea, and tomato juice. Added accessory items included toilet paper, plastic sippers, and paper towels. The complete supplement was packed in suitable wood boxes for shipment. Requirements for 175,000 cases of the "new" ration were filled before the war ended.
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Hospital Supplement

 

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Australian WW2 Early War Ration Set A

This is another lot of Reproduction WW2 Rations, this time it is a set of Rations as used by Australians, Brits, New Zealanders, South Africans and, given half a chance, Germans and Italians during the North African campaigns, and most any front line between 1940-1943.

These reproductions were made up to supplement rations to our group of British WW2 Burma Campaign reenactors, as the Brits in Burma and elsewhere would utilize a virtual smorgasboard of mixed rations, ranging from locally procured food stuffs, over standard rations, such as 24 hour meal and Compo Rations to exotic items, such as US and Australian ration packs.

These would be perfect for most allied or axis reenactors running about in North Africa, Crete or the Balkans.

You get the following:

1 Tin of Corned Beef (better known as 'Bully Beef' to friend and foe alike). Comes in the tan-and-green early war Australian military labeled tin. Of course, this is the proper key-turn variety tin with the silver-coloured ends as made in Argentina for the Australian Armed forces to this day. Ready to "pour" from the tin when the temperatures reach 110 degrees and up!

2 Packs of Arnott's Plain Biscuits (These are military biscuits and not fancies)--Hard on the teeth but oh-so-filling! Sealed inside cello bags, inside the buff and properly labeled early war wrapper reminiscent of WW1 ANZAC fame. (3 ounces each)

1 Tin of Tuna in the proper buff-labeled "Diamond Brand" tin as seen in many pictures of Australian rations from the war. Fish was a vital component to rations for men in the desert, to receive plenty of protein in a not-so filling package, while delivering a bit more salt to the diet in order to encourage drinking of water.

3 packs of WEET BIX, Australia's favourite high-nutrition Cereal/biscuit. These can be eaten dry as a snack, or boiled with water and sugar, or, better yet, eaten in Milk (hot or cold) as an energy breakfast. Standard Aussie issue wrapper from the time period covers one serving each of these sealed inside an inner cello pouch.

1 Roll of Steam Rollers Mints in the buff war-time wrapper. These are actual Australian Steam Rollers as issued to troops, and will pleasantly surprise you folks if you don't care for the British or German mints that eat your lips off. These are mild and tasty, and were one of the favourites with all troops in the theatre, even inspiring some German mint makers to work on more pleasant mint varieties when some rolls made it back from the front!

1 pack of Indian "Sun" brand matches, which were both issued and sold through NAAFI outlets. They were cheap, plentiful and somewhat waterproof, and come in gastly hand-assembled and labeled wood and paper boxes, just like the originals!

1 Australian 3-in-1 pocket tin opener in its proper 1940 dated envelope. This opener will open cans, lift up caps, and serve as a spoon. The design is so clever, it is still in service today!
Australian WW2 Early War Ration Set B Tinned Tea Lot

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This is another lot of Reproduction WW2 Rations, this time it is a set of Rations as used by Australians, Brits, New Zealanders, South Africans and, given half a chance, Germans and Italians during the North African campaigns, and most any front line between 1940-1943.

These reproductions were made up to supplement rations to our group of British WW2 Burma Campaign re-enactors, as the Brits in Burma and elsewhere would utilize a virtual smorgasboard of mixed rations, ranging from locally procured food stuffs, over standard rations, such as 24 hour meal and Compo Rations to exotic items, such as US and Australian ration packs.

These would be perfect for most allied or axis re-enactors running about in North Africa, Crete or the Balkans.

You get the following:

1 Tin of Service Blend Tea in the reclosable 3.1 ounce package. Lid is pry-up style, tea is properly atrocious, and label is standard Aussie Mil. This is where the mate who is good at making Billie tea can shine. (Yes, you use a tin (biscuit or otherwise) with a handle to make the tea in. After brewing it up, you swing it around to settle the leaves...This requires practice, mate!)

2 Packs of Arnott's Sweet Biscuits (These are military biscuits and not fancies)--Quite tasty with a spot of tea or coffee, or even as an energy snack inside your GP ammo pouch. Sealed inside cello bags, inside the buff and properly labeled wrapper. (4.5 ounces each)

1 Tin of sweetened condensed Milk in the proper compo ration wrapper. Even the flimsy rim tin is right! Brew up a mess of tea to share with your mates, or bribe the Gurkhas with this sweetened treat!

1 pack of "Hard Sweets". Similar to British Boiled Sweets, these red, green, orange, yellow and white "lollies" are intended as supplemental rations and energy food, and were a standard item found inside the pocket of most any Commonwealth trooper. 2 cello packs of one ounce each inside the properly marked outer package as issued with daily rations and flight rations.

Ration Packs from WW2

 

Wow, JC, when you get interested in a topic, you really deliver lock, stock and barrel. As for my preference, the old WWII US mess kit type is the one I still use. It's handy, very durable and user-friendly.

 

Well this originally started as a scarcastic jab at all the other "Best" kind of posts. But after awhile I realized that there really is alot of info out there on how and what the soldiers and civilians ate during the war and what innovations there were.

 

German/Japanese mess kit
During World War II, both nations' mess kits were similar. In storage, their dimension were similar to the American mess kit's storage dimension; however, instead of splitting along the length of the side, they were split along the width, around two-thirds of the body, creating a pot with handle and a cup, which was useful for cooking and reheating stews and rice. In a variation of this design, the canteen could be placed within the mess kit. They were mainly used in conjunction with a folding Esbit stove, which, when folded, could store Esbit pellets and occupy a very small area. The German mess kit was usually held together with a leather strap, which in combat was used to fasten the mess kit to the soldiers Bread bag. Soldiers who were lacking a bread bag could fasten the strap around their webbing equipment. This design was retained by the DDR army until the fall of the Berlin Wall. The West German Bundeswehr adopted a similar design consisting of an interlocking metal mug and folding-handle saucepan which held a metal water bottle between them when locked together. The whole set was held together with a webbing strap.

Mess kit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The

 

I had also forgotten since I have been posting about horses in WWII was the good ol horse meat ration LOL.

 

This thread caught my eye and so I had a look through it to find an earlier posting I had made.
I had a cursory look to see if anyone had mentioned the emergency chocolate ration and although it was mentioned in passing I thought it deserved a para in its own right.
The Emergency Chocolate was issued to us when we first arrived in Sicily and came in a sealed tin about the size of a sardine tin.
We were given dire warnings about never opening it (unless we were on the point of starvation) and I believe that 99% of the contents of the tins never saw the light of day
When the war finished in Italy in May 1945 some brave soul in our unit actually opened one and it turned out to be a powdery lump of horrible tasting cocoa like substance which was soon disposed of !

Whilst browsing the internet I also found this:
JAPANESE RATIONS
I see I also mentioned horse meat in this article on the BBC WW2 Archives:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/67/a4578267.shtml

 

"There were 5 officers, 9 NCO's and 110 soldiers left fighting at the end of November, 1942. Food was carefully rationed and consists of 120 grams of horse meat per meal along with some bread. Of the 3 daily meals, only one was considered large, and this consisted of only 1/2 of the required amount to sustain troops from day-to-day."

Feldgrau :: Croatian Volunteers in the Wehrmacht in WWII

 

"As temperatures dropped to minus 30 degrees Centigrade the German bread ration, already as low as 100 grammes a day was reduced to just 50. The starving German soldiers were forced to slaughter their horses and later still to dig up their frozen carcasses to eat the bones. "

BBC News | Background | The Battle of Stalingrad - 55 years on

 

Did someone ordered SPAM? YouTube - Monty Python - Spam

I would probably go with the American choice seing as they had more resources you'd probably be better fed... And hey, I like SPAM.

The Japanese in the Pacific must've had great access to supplies, I mean they eat raw fish and the sea is right next to them



Cheers...

 

Spam again

It was the grub GIs loved to grumble about—not because it wasn't tasty, but because it was always there, sometimes three times a day.

by Bruce Heydt

The 20th-century Chinese writer Lin Yutang once defined patriotism as the memory of what we ate as children. I grew up in the years immediately following World War II, and some of my most vivid memories are set in my family’s kitchen. I can still see the green tiled floor and the chrome-and-Formica dinner table. I remember the food I ate there. In particular, I recall the smells and the tastes of two meals that my mother served with well-planned regularity. The first was a dish served mainly for breakfasts, which my father, an Eighth Army Air Force vet, tactfully called “poop on a shingle.” (I think I must have been a teenager before I heard the uncensored military slang for creamed chipped beef on toast.) The second one often made its unmistakably rectangular appearance at dinner: in a word, Spam.
Say that word to a WWII veteran, and you’re in for a true gut reaction. My own memories of Spam and the frequency with which it appeared on my plate are only a faint shadow of what the so-called “miracle meat” brings to mind for those who ate it seemingly three times a day for the length of their military service. For many, it must have seemed as though there were no food other than this ubiquitous, gelatinous, pink, canned concoction.
In fact, the Hormel company had celebrated Spam’s birth not long before the war, in the mid-1930s. It was developed not in response to a prophetic vision of the need for a non-perishable, easily transported military ration—nor, as some may still think, as a practical joke played by someone in the US War Department—but in response to the vision of one man, Jay Hormel. President of the meat packing company that shared his family name, Hormel had already introduced canned ham to the American consumer. Now, looking for a way to turn previously discarded pork shoulder meat into a marketable product, he hit upon the idea for an inexpensive canned luncheon treat that fit the budget of Depression-era housewives and had a much longer shelf life than other meats.
Hormel’s canned pork shoulder debuted in 1937 as Hormel Spiced Ham, but soon reemerged as “Spam” after actor Kenneth Daigneau, brother of a Hormel vice president, won the $100 prize in a contest to rename the product. So the story goes. Some sources say the name is a merging of “Spiced” and “Ham”; others stand by a derivation from “Shoulder of Pork and Ham.”
Strange as it would have seemed to most WWII servicemen, Spam spawned many imitations in the years before the war. Though it would soon become the butt of jokes and unsettling rumors about its ingredients, Spam actually compared favorably to most of these knock-offs. In the light-hearted book Spam: A Biography, Carolyn Wyman (herself the child of a Spam-fed WWII serviceman), writes that “although the pork shoulder in Hormel’s luncheon loaves was filet mignon compared to the lips, tongue, and yes, even pig snouts competitors put in the ones they came out with following Hormel’s success, consumers couldn’t tell the difference by their appearance.”

When America entered the war in 1941 and began shipping fighting men overseas, military officials bought large quantities of Spam for the same reason housewives bought it—it was cheap, easily transportable, had a long shelf life—and yes, it was fairly nutritious. But Spam was not the only canned meat to go to war. According to Wyman, the army initially bought 10 different varieties of canned meat to feed the troops. That number grew to 60 by the war’s end. These products found their way into K and B rations (field and communal rations, respectively), where Hormel’s pork shoulder ended up cheek-to-jowl with its competitors’ canned pig ears, noses, and tongues. Soon, the troops were eating these dubious delicacies as often as three times a day. To fed-up servicemen, it was all Spam.
Hormel made a doomed attempt to point out the misconception. But to disgruntled troops who’d had more canned meat than they could stomach, the effort only fanned the flames of discontent.
Ironically, by war’s end Spam had become one of the great unifying forces among American GIs. Whether they served in Italy, France, North Africa, Asia, or the Pacific, they had shared the danger of combat and the ever-present threat of more Spam. Spam became, in a sense, a common enemy. Jokes about Spam drew strangers together. Cartoonists such as Sergeant George Baker, creator of the popular Sad Sack cartoon, lampooned Spam. Satirists took aim at Spam, too. One writer quipped:
Now Jackson had his acorns
And Grant his precious rye;
Teddy had his poisoned beef—
Worse you couldn’t buy.
The doughboy had his hardtack
Without the navy’s jam,
But armies on their stomachs move—
And this one moves on Spam.
The armies of America’s allies moved on Spam, too. Along with tanks and destroyers, the list of wartime products that America provided to Allied nations through the Lend-Lease program included Spam. On the whole, the British and Russians took more kindly to the omnipresent canned meat than GIs did. A veteran rifleman of the US 4th Infantry Division remembers how he and his mates were complaining about army food during the Normandy campaign in 1944 when two visiting Brits, without a word, lifted a slab of meat from the Americans’ mess, dropped it in the dirt, and then picked it up and swallowed it. The message was clear: You pampered Yanks have nothing to complain about; this is a treat compared to what we get.
Certainly, citizens of war-ravaged nations felt the bite of wartime shortages more than Americans did, so they tended to tolerate, even appreciate Spam. Wyman spotlights a pair of particularly notable advocates. Margaret Thatcher, who would later become Britain’s prime minister, remembered that on Boxing Day (a public holiday the day after Christmas) in 1943, “We had friends in and…we opened a tin of Spam luncheon meat. We had some lettuce and tomatoes and peaches, so it was Spam and salad.” Thatcher even went so far as to call Spam “a war-time delicacy.” And Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev, best remembered in the United States for threatening to “crush America under our feet,” conceded that the Soviets had been in critical condition after German armies overran their best agricultural regions. “Without Spam,” he reasoned, “we wouldn’t have been able to feed our army.”
Sentiments of this kind elicited mostly sneers from Americans in uniform. Trying to put a positive spin on Spam, Hormel circulated an advertisement depicting a letter purportedly from a former Hormel salesman now serving in the Pacific. The letter read, “Boy! You never fully realize how delicious and good Spam really is until you taste it out here in the bottom of a fox-hole. All the boys out here think Spam is the best meat product in the world.” The ad brought howls of derision from GIs.
By war’s end, the military had bought, shipped, and served roughly 150 million pounds of Spam. How much of it was actually eaten will never be known. Rumor has it that soldiers sometimes used it to grease gun barrels, but I’ve not found a veteran who attested to having done so.
Perhaps the most even-handed assessment of Spam and its role in the US war effort came from a man who, not coincidentally, may have been the war’s greatest diplomat. In a letter written to a retired Hormel executive after the war, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme Allied commander who had so masterfully coaxed effective command relationships out of hot-spirited generals such as George Patton and Great Britain’s Bernard Montgomery, graciously declared, “During World War II, of course, I ate my share of Spam along with millions of other soldiers. I’ll even confess to a few unkind remarks about it—uttered during the strain of battle, you understand. But as former Commander-in-Chief, I believe I can still officially forgive you your only sin: sending us so much of it.” ​

America in WWII magazine: Spam, rations, Hormel, canned meat

 

but, as to the other kits of the other nations, allied and axis I wonder if the mess kits of different nations didn’t represent their own countries cooking styles as much as ingenuity? The only photos of the British units seem show a pair of rectangular cooking "pots" with folding wire handles that appear to fit together for storage, with an enameled cup and a little collapsible "tommy cooker" that all nested together.

The German and Japanese units seem to be three separate oval shapes, which all fit together into a single package but would be better for stews, soups, and rice than for frying like the American. That said, I like the German solid pellet cooker better than either the American or the British types of field "stove".

The entire American mess kit system seems to emphasize the "frying skillet" and two section serving "tray" with flatware, but then again a shallow "skillet" will bring water to a boil much quicker than a "pot" of any sort.

And as to weird things coming out of WW2 what we don't seem to remember is that M&Ms themselves were invented so allied soldiers in WW2 could enjoy a quick chocolate snack that didn't melt in the heat of the PTO or in their pockets in the ETO.

Similarly, tins of processed Velveeta cheese, needing no refrigeration until opened (perfected in 1928) were the "canned cheese" in ration packs, even though James Kraft's Velveeta Cheese was invented and patented in 1916. Of course Velveeta isn’t great cheese (nobody would claim that), but it beats the hell out of cheese that can’t be shipped to, used, or eaten in times of "battle stress". Like synthetic fuel and rubber (when you have no easy access to the pure thing) it beats no cheese at all, but it was at least a real dairy product even if "processed".

Here is something interesting, the Conscientious Objectors whom Dr. Ancel Keys of the USA used in his nutrition studies before and during WW2 volunteered to assist his study rather than serve as medics or in other non-combatant roles when drafted. They refused to carry arms, however to NOT help in the effort of the war was also anathema to them as Americans. Another group of Conscientious Objectors formed the basis of what would become the "Smoke Jumpers", and they were later supplemented by the "Triple Nickel", the all black paratroops in fire fighting during WW2.
Those guys jumping out of airplanes into fires showed to their neighbors that they weren’t "cowards", they just abhorred the idea of killing a fellow human. As an aside, Dr. Keys finally passed away at the age of 100 (November 2004), guess his ideas of nutrition balance wasn’t too far off the mark.

Ancel Keys’ "K" ration was originally developed as light weight, medium fiber, high caloric content, and long "shelf life" ration for paratroops while still providing three times starvation level caloric input. It was mayhaps NOT named after his last name initial, but simply to distinguish this ration from the others. "K" rations were only supposed to be used as emergency rations for non-paratroops and had about 9,000 calories per unit, per day, in three sections (3,000 calories per box) with 99 grams of protein, and came in Breakfast, Dinner, and Supper containers. The contents of a K ration in its three varieties all had a can opener (P-38), a cigarette ration of four smokes, and a disposable (wooden) spoon beside the consumable products:

Breakfast K Ration:
Ham and reconstituted powdered egg (canned) soluble instant coffee, fruit bar, compressed cereal bar, biscuits (crackers), water-purification tablets, chewing gum, sugar tablets, and toilet paper.

Dinner K Ration:
Biscuits (crackers), matches, candy bar, canned cheese (Velveeta), chewing gum, beverage powders (lemonade, coffee, tea), granulated sugar, and salt tablets.

Supper K Ration:
Spam (or other canned meat), biscuits (crakers), bouillon powder (beef or chicken), chewing gum, coffee, and granulated sugar. The supper pack also supposed to contained toilet paper.

Another well thought out, but rarely respected part of the "K" was that the canned meat and cheese products were individually boxed inside cardboard containers, all the other items were contained in a plastic bag that (according to instructions on the carton), could be reused for keeping other items such as cigarettes, matches, and letters, waterproof if the supplied bag was carefully opened.

As with the "C" ration, the components of the "K" ration evolved over the course of the war to offer greater variety while still maintaining the need for compact size and balanced nutrition. While the "K" was really designed for only a few days' use under assault conditions, the demands of war meant that soldiers often ate them for days or weeks on end, and boredom and complaints naturally ensued.

The fact that they were "over used" in non-appropriate circumstances (designed for only three days in length) is not the fault of Dr. Keys, who designed them. A pretty good representation of "what" was in each can be seen at:

K-RATIONS

Oddy enough, what was really the "K" ration was confused with the "C" ration in many of the soldiers minds. They were different, but the "K" was the one most overused.

The "A", "B", 10-in-1", "5-in1", "C", and "D" rations were all different from the "K"s depending on where and when they were needed.

The "A" rations were the best food available in the region which could be both purchased/obtained and cooked by the US military Quartermaster Corps. This is the ration which POWs in America received while incarcerated. Since the best was available.

The "B" ration excluded fresh meats, and depended on canned and processed foods not needing refigeration.

The "C" rations were meant to be eaten by troops who were away from the front-lines but still had more time to prepare the meals and each of them furnished 2974 calories, 114 grams of protein, and an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals per ration.

The "D" rations were supposedly only for emergency situations and contained three chocolate bars fortified with oat flour, vitamins and stabilized so they wouldn't melt even under jungle conditions, providing 600 calories per ration.

allow me to offer this site:

http://www.qmfound.com/history_of_rations.htm

This site is one which traces American "rations" all the way back to the Continental Army. On that site you will find that the "A rations are of the grocery-store type, and will normally contain a maximum of perishable items. The ration is made up of approximately 200 items, including fresh meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, and dairy products. Due to the fact that this ration contains perishables, it may normally be utilized only where refrigeration is available.

Ration, operational, B, may be defined as the best substitute for the A ration under conditions where kitchens are available, but refrigeration facilities are not. This ration follows the menu plan of the A ration with non-perishables replacing the fresh foods of the latter. In addition to the problems of food acceptance and nutrition concerning the A ration, there are B ration problems that involve the study of space and weight limitations.

Ration, combat, type E was developed to replace the old C and K rations after WW2. Reports from overseas indicated that the latter were often used interchangeably, and that both rations had certain desirable and certain undesirable characteristics. A ration combining the favorable features of both rations, and completely fulfilling the military requirements of combat conditions would avoid the possibility of duplication. It was in answer to this need, that the E ration developed. By actual use of the E ration, it was discovered that the bread component of the ration was undesirable. Because of this fact, the ration was declared obsolete, and was replaced by ration, individual, combat, C-2.

There is also a complete break-down of the various C's since they went through a number of modifications.
As a funny aside, it was the US Navy which gave coffee the nickname of a "cup-a-Joe". That is because even though the Congress had removed the funding and authorization for the navy enlisted men’s liquor rations in 1862, it wasn’t until July 1st, 1914 when Josephus Daniels, then Secretary of the Navy, issued his famous "bone-dry" General Order #99 which made all "spirits" on board USN ships verbotten, including the officers mess, which had been "ok" until then. Oddly enough this is where the "slang" for coffee known as a "cup of Joe" came from. One wonders if it was to honor the Secretary, lampoon him, or denigrate him.

Something I always find amazing is that today’s "soldiers", or those of us looking back on the time want to compare their MREs to Mom’s cooking or the local fast food place. Having something safe to eat is more important than if it "tastes" great. During WW2 America fed our own and our allies service personnel with safe (if not gourmet), plentiful grub. I do NOT recall any allied soldier starving to death unless he was in captivity of a foe.

BTW, Hormel's SPAM, S (houlder) P (ork) A (nd) (ha) M was actually cooked in the can with salt, water, sugar, sodium nitrite and a "secret ingredient" (like KFC's secret "herbs and spices") which I suspect is a combination of liquid "smoke" and clove.

This was developed long before WW2 as a way for Hormel to NOT lose money on all the pork shoulder meat he was cutting out of his stock. It was only selling for pennies a pound, since it was soooo full of bone it could only be sold as a "stew meat", and how many people would even want a "pork stew"?

By "boning" and cooking the meat in the can (with seasonings) he produced a product which in the flavor and sales department was a plus, it is probably still around for that reason alone. It may not be "great", but if you have a can you ignored and left in your basement for ten years (in the face of a national disaster), and nothing else to eat when you find that can, it might taste pretty decent. One of those sections of "relativity" in reality; rather than the hypothetical.

This brings me to that "Tushenka" mentioned by someone, 167 millions pounds of which was specifically made for the Soviets and their Red Army by Hormel during the three years ten months of Lend/Lease of WW2. I myself would sort of like to try some "Tushenka", since the ingredients are interestingly different from SPAM and seem to be seasoned quite differently since it contained a combination of beef brisket, pork shoulder meat, textured vegetable (soy) protein, salt, monosodium glutamate, onion, milled black pepper, and crushed bay leaf. At least as produced by Hormel.

Actually reading the ingredients I'll bet Hormel's version wasn't bad stuff at all when you figure it only needs heating up (or not, it is pre-cooked) for a base to a good stew, little to no extra seasonings, and no refrigeration. It can still be purchased, and I did find this site, which sells it, so it is also "still around". However, it is a bit pricey to simply satisfy my curiosity:

http://www.zolotoy.ru/eng/meat.phtml

I always found it interesting that the US alone sent 2,405,696,825 lbs of canned meats to the USSR, excluding the whole canned/cleaned chickens, but counting the canned fish and whole hams (I wonder who got those whole hams?). I am sure both the Soviet citizens, higher-ups and soldiers appreciated the foodstuffs, to think otherwise seems rather silly.

 

I see ya found this thread Clint. Alot more information and even photos here then you could post on THC .

 

"By April the troops on Bataan were subsisting on about fifteen ounces of food daily, less than a quarter of the peacetime ration. Their diet, consisting mostly of rice supplemented by carabao, mule, monkey, or lizard meat, was gravely deficient in vitamins and provided less than Togo calories a day, barely enough to sustain life. Weakened by hunger and poor diet, thousands succumbed to malaria, dengue, scurvy, beriberi, and amoebic dysentery, madeimpossible to control by the shortage of medical supplies, especially quinine. Desperate efforts were made to send food, medicine, ammunition, and other supplies through the Japanese blockade to the beleaguered forces. But during the early weeks, before the enemy cordon had tightened, it proved impossible, despite promises of lavish pay and bonuses, to muster the necessary ships and crews. Even so, sizable stocks were accumulated in the southern islands, but only about 1,000 tons of rations ever reached Manila Bay. Shipments in converted destroyers from the United States were too late and too few, and only insignificant quantities could be brought in by submarine and aircraft."

Chapter 20: World War II: The Defensive Phase

 

"

Every war has its version of salt pork and hardtack: foods that show up so often, troops vow they will never eat them again.
According to retired Army Staff Sgt. William Kelley, for World War II veterans, that foodstuff is Spam.
Kelley, 86, first saw combat during World War II with the 103rd Infantry Division in the Vosges Mountains of France, and later fought in Korea.
During the harsh winter of 1944, Kelley and his buddies had more than their share of Spam, he said.
“We were fed it so often, everyone just got tired of it,” he said. “It was all right for a meal or two, but sometimes it was all we could get for weeks.”

MRES: it could be worse (and it was) | Stars and Stripes

 

"Water Rations" from Tactical and Technical Trends

The following report on German water rations was originally printed in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 5, August 13, 1942.

[DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

WATER RATIONS ​

Desert warfare requires that water be used on a scale to meet the needs of the fighting forces, but within the allowable limits imposed by the scarcity supplies.
One captured document shows the issue of water to the 11th Battalion, German Fifth Tank Regiment in Libya, as follows:
Radiator Water
Vehicle Container Liters Gals. (British) approx.Cars120 4 1/2Trucks and Mark I & II Tanks240 9 Mark III & IV Tanks36013 1/2
As carried in the water supply columns these quantities are doubled per vehicle.
Washing Water
Approximately 2 gallons per man for 3 days.
Cooking and Drinking Water
The total for the Battalion is about 2,800 gallons, carried in 520 containers.
Additional Reserve Approximately 4,212 gallons. (The total of 14,100 gallons is so high that it is unlikely to be continued for long.)


Water Rations, WWII Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 5, August 13, 1942 (Lone Sentry)

 

The Food Situation in the European Theatre of Operations
MAJ. GEN. ROBERT M.G. LITTLEJOHN, U.S.A.
The Quartermaster Review
January-February 1944

Supplying food to American forces in Europe during WWII.​

DIFFERENT peoples have different tastes. Methods of living are also affected by environment. That is why the British Army and the United States Army have different types of rations. The British ration is a good ration, but the average American does not like the high levels of tea, bread, potatoes, and mutton, the limited quantity of coffee, and the limited variety of fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, the American is a heavy meat-eater. The average Briton is more frugal in this respect.

http://www.qmfound.com/food_wwII.htm

 

Prison Camp in Germany liberated by 7th Army troops. 6,000 Allied and American prisoners who were fed a slice of bread and soup a day with occasionally horse meat, scraped the soup barrel to get a little extra food as they are doing in this picture. It was nothing unusual to them who lived through this Hell. E/

Stalag IX-B in Bad Orb, Germany (WWII German Prisoner of War Camp, Stalag 9B)