WWII Rations and Mess Kits

"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)

 

Starvation (I)​

Each prisoner was supposed to receive a daily ration of 350 grams of bread, half a liter of ersatz coffee for breakfast, and one litter of turnip and potato soup for lunch.

Also, four times a week each prisoner was supposed to receive soup with 20 grams of meat. The soup rarely reached the prisoners. Food content ranged from 1,300 calories for light-work slave prisoners to 1,700 calories for slave prisoners performing hard labor.

The Kapos made sure that the thicker, more nourishing contents from the bottom of the food barrel, were given to his favorite prisoners. Others had to subsist on the watery substance from the top. Prisoners often had dysentery, swelling of limbs, caused by starvation. The SS and the Capos treated them as if they were healthy and so they had to march to work every morning.

The SS doctors calculated that a prisoner could exist on such daily food ration for three months. Then he was supposed to die.

Jan Komski: Auschwitz through the Eyes of a Polish Inmate

 

and even after reading stuff like this we still have wehrmacht and SS lovers in this forum Jeezus

 

"The years that followed were extremely hard. We worked more than ten hours a day on poor rations - thin gruel was the norm with a cup of rice. Very occasionally the gruel contained pieces of rotten horses head or, on one occasion rabbit. If herring was on the menu it usually stank and one fish would be shared between three men, cards were cut to see who had what piece - the eye balls were also eaten."

BBC - WW2 People's War - Terrys' War (4) - Hakodate Prison Camp

 

here is an interesting link to rations reproductions, their purchase, and some history behind each combat ration developments in the ETO. Those in the PTO are only covered as the Japanese levels, one must assume that many if not all the allied rations were only altered in small ways for the different locales.

Knacker Squaddies' Quartermaster Depot

They also carry photos and explanations of pre and post-WW2, but still fun to "thumb through" as it were.

 

LOL beat ya to it Clint. I have posted from that site a few times already . Im still looking for info on French rations though.

 

and now I ponder whether or not the Frecng even altered their ration from The Great War, for a trooper to carry in his pack? That site also has a section on those:

Ratatouille Froide -- French Army Rations in WW1

and since the Maginot Line had massive kitchens, and supply I would wonder if the combat troops ever went beyond what was in the WW1 backpack?

Vivres de Réserve -- France's Iron Ration in World War 1

Those French troops outside of, and far behind the Maginot Line were settled in areas, and most likely had field kitchens and/or civilian foods supplied to them.

Just a guess on my part, but I have never seen any "combat" rations for French troops in WW2, other than those from "The Great War" and their use of the American and British rations as they retook their homeland as Free French when they couldn't produce any rations for their troops.

Mayhaps they (the French) had kept those mentioned as standard "combat/iron rations" from "The Great War" in the interwar years?

As I say, just a guess on my part. Perhaps a poster from the France of today can answer the query?

 

It would be interesting to see what was served in the Maginot lines fortifications.
I have been to the Ratatouille Froide site before hoping to find more info.

 

Now I want to know what the Greek rations were .

"Aside from rations carried by the field kitchens, infantry units were to take along four days' basic rations and one "iron ration," while motorized and armored troops were issued three days' additional special rations. These precautions were by no means exaggerated, since a number of units eventually operated so far ahead of the supply columns that they were forced to consume their iron rations. In several instances spearhead forces had to rely on captured rations and POL supplies to continue their advance."

THE GERMAN CAMPAIGN IN THE BALKANS (SPRING 1941): PART III

 

The German Army "K-Ration"article by Eric Tobey from Feldpost
Sources:
- Manual on German Military Forces (TM-E 30-451) U.S. Government Printing Office 1945
- The collections of: Eric Tobey and Clifford Ciotti
- Brussels Army Musuem

The well-known American K-Ration impressed the German Army. Unlike their own time-tested Eiserne Portion (iron ration: a two-part reserve foodsupply consisting of hardtack and canned meat), the K-Ration supplied a more varied menu and provided more stimulants like sugar and nicotine. It also appealed to the German proclivity towards efficiency: light in weight, pre-measured, pre-packaged. One box, one meal.
Late in World War II, the Wehrmacht began to issue its own "K-Ration". They came in two types: the Nahkampfpäckchen and the Großkampfpäckchen. In this article we will illustrate and describe in detail two such boxed rations which we were able to examine. It is not known which of the two types listed above this particular ration actually is.


The first illustration shows what the boxes themselves look like. It is a cream-colored thin cardboard, with the label Nur Für Frontkämpfer in Infanterieverband (only for front-line combat troops in infantry units) printed in red. Overall dimensions are roughly 5-1/8" x 4-1/2" x 1-1/2", and the box is designed with an unusual flap-and-slot closure.

The box appears to have been made by a cigarette manufacturer because the internal stiffening frame is made of cardboard which was previously printed with the logo of another cigarette maker: Waldorf Astoria, "Echt Orient" (Genuine Orient). Perhaps that is who assembled the ration as a whole.
Neither of the two boxes examined still retain all of their original contents, but the sum of the remaining contents between the two probably represents the original contents of one complete ration. One example contains a fruit bar, a pack of cigarettes, and a roll of candy. The other contains a pack of cigarettes and a small box of what appears to be biscuits. According to the US Manual on German Military Forces (TM-E 30-451): "They include (referring to the Nahkampfpäckchen and Großkampfpäckchen) chocolate bars, fruit bars, candies, cigarettes, and possibly biscuits." Knowing this, we can assume we have examples of a complete set of contents between the two boxes examined.
There is one fruit bar extant in one of the boxes, and this box exhibits stains which originated from another, similar bar which sat on top of it. One bar is almost exactly half as thick as the box is deep, so we can assume that two bars were originally packed in the box.


The fruit bar is wrapped in a waxy paper and packaged in a box which measures about 1-3/8" x 5-3/8" x 5/8". The label is printed in red. On one side of the box is a label followed by an ink stamp: Hergestellt:, and then stamped: Aug. 1944. On the opposite side is another label: Netto Frischgewicht ca. 80g. The fruit bar itself now looks like a thick piece of beef jerky, but originally it must have appeared as a solid, semi-dry bar of about the same dimensions as the package. It was made by Wilhelm Felsche in Leipzig.


The roll of candy has a oval cross-section of about 1" x 3/4", and is 2-1/8" long. The candies themselves look like caramel and melt quickly on warm days (due to this unfortunate trait, which almost ruined the box and the rest of the contents, the actual candy had since been removed and only the wrappers saved.). There were 5 candies in the package and they were wrapped in a waxy paper with the company logo printed on it and this in turn was slid into a tube-like paper label. The wrapper bears the official "Reichsgesundheits Gutmarke". the Reich's Health Seal. I suppose this meant that the stuff was supposed to be good for you. The candy was made by Schokoladewerke K.G. Lobositz.
The full name of the candy on the label is "Deli Dropse". The label is printed in red and blue, and the wax paper inner wrapper is white with blue printing. The wrapper has a repeated pattern consisting of the "V" logo (which is printed in a diffuse red in the label), the name of the candy, "Dropse Deli", and the words "K.G. Lobositz" and "Deli Schokoladenwerk."

The cigarettes are identical in both boxes examined. The rather small packs are about 2-1/16" x 2-9/16" x 7/16", and were made by Sulima in Dresden. The pack contains six cigarettes, wrapped in a tin foil envelope. The box is printed in red and black. Like many German cigarettes of the time period, the pack is decorated with a middle eastern motif with stars, half moons, and a Arabian style building.
Some would find it rather amusing that the only thing in the ration meant to be burnt was made in Dresden (the city was heavily bombed in Feb. 1945 during operation THUNDERCLAP).
The biscuits are also wrapped in waxy paper and packaged in a small cardboard box, but the printed contents cannot be read because of staining which undoubtedly originated from either the fruit bar of candy which was originally placed in this ration. the biscuits themselves look like oversized versions of the all-natural "stone ground, whole wheat" crackers that you can buy in the store. Although the contents are rather crumbly, there appears to be 6 biscuits in the box. The biscuit box measures about 2-1/16" x 2-9/16" x 1-7/16".
Based on the remaining contents and their relative size compared to the box, we can postulate that the original contents were as follows:
2 fruit bars (or one fruit bar and one chocolate bar of the same dimensions)
1 box of biscuits
3 or 4 boxes of cigarettes
2 or 3 rolls of candy

 

I can't imagine 1/3 of a prisoner ration!

"In "The Canaris Conspiracy" Manvell and Fraenkel tell, how his cell door was permanently open, and the light burned continually, day and night. He was given only one third of the normal prison rations, and as the winter set in his starved body suffered cruelly from the cold. Occasionally he was humiliated by being forced to do menial jobs, such as scrubbing the prison floor, the SS-men mocking him."

The last days

 

[SIZE=+1]Merchant Mariners at Milag Nord Prisoner of War Camp in Germany during World War II[/SIZE]

Food
"The usual German ration existed in this camp. Breakfast comprised 2 slices of bread, half a cup of ersatz coffee and sometimes a small piece of cheese. For dinner the prisoners had soup made out of turnips and potatoes, and for supper each POW was issued three potatoes. About once a month a little horsemeat and sugar was issued. The meager rations were supplemented by Red Cross parcels, the food of which was prepared by POW on the stoves in the barracks."

Merchant Mariners at Milag Nord Prisoner of War Camp in Germany World War II

 

At Stalingrad.

"Throughout December the Luftwaffe dropped an average of 70 tons of supplies a day. The encircled German Army needed a minimum of 300 tons a day. The soldiers were put on one-third rations and began to kill and eat their horses. By 7th December the 6th Army were living on one loaf of bread for every five men."

Defence of Stalingrad

 

Italian POW camp.

"The food supply was very meagre, hardly enough for a child to live on, let alone a man. A typical day’s food consisted of: bread…….200 grams, cheese……..40 grams and rice or macaroni……..60 grams. In addition to this, each man was allowed one teaspoonful of olive oil and one teaspoonful of sugar. On Saturdays, each man was allowed a small meat portion'

BBC - WW2 People's War - My First Prison Camp - Part 1

 

"They existed on little more than subsistence rations - a small loaf of bread a day, a bowl or two of soup and perhaps a bit of macaroni. Red Cross parcels either came in a burst where they received them for several weeks on end or spasmodically because of the heavy bombing. The English Red Cross parcels were a good variety, New Zealand and Canadian parcels were solid foods like butter, cheese, meat and honey which lifted the calorie count."

CAMBRIDGE MUSEUM - WORLD WAR II STORIES

 

WW2 Food Rations.

This is the ration for one adult per week.​

BACON and HAM ……… 4ozs ( 100g )
MEAT …………………… to the value of 1s.2d ( 6p today ). Sausages were not rationed but difficult to obtain : offal was originally unrationed but sometimes formed part of the meat ration.
BUTTER ………………… 2ozs ( 50g )
CHEESE ………………… 2ozs ( 50g ) sometimes it rose to 4ozs ( 100g ) and even up to 8ozs ( 225g )
MARGARINE ……………… 4ozs ( 100g )
COOKING FAT …………… 4ozs ( 100g ) often dropping to 2ozs ( 50g )
MILK …………………… 3 pints ( 1800ml ) sometimes dropping to 2 pints ( 1200ml ). Household ( skimmed, dried ) milk was available. This was I packet each 4 weeks.
SUGAR …………………… 8ozs ( 225g )
PRESERVES ……………… 1lb ( 450g ) every 2 months
TEA ……………………… 2ozs ( 50g )
EGGS …………………… 1 shell egg a week if available but at times dropping to 1 every two weeks. Dried eggs ----- 1 packet each 4 weeks.
SWEETS …………………… 12 ozs ( 350g ) each 4 weeks. ​

In addition, there was a monthly points system.
As an example of how these could be spent, with the 16 points that you were allocated you were allowed to buy one can of fish or meat or 2lb ( 900g ) of dried fruit or 8lb ( 3.6kg ) of split peas.

WW2 Food Rations.​

 

that sure is not much to live on for one whole week.

 

And that was for just civilians. Just imagine a prisoner's ration like the ones I posted above.

 

US Army WWII M Unit
This is a set of WWII rations as used by the US Army in the mid-war "Ration, 5-in-1" and its late war successor "Ration, 10-in-1". Both were group feeding rations similar to the British "Ration, Composite", which delivered food in master boxes aimed at feeding 5 men for one day, or, in the later rations, 10 men for one day. ​

Initially designed mostly for mechanized and motorized units as a feeding solution between the first 24-48 hours of action and the establishment of regular field kitchens after action, these rations soon became a standard for most units.
While the breakfast and supper menus were designed to be eaten in a group setting (including some rudimentary preparation, such as heating canned meals, or sharing out portions of canned bread between squad members), the dinner meal (nowadays better know as "lunch") was a "portable" ration. The idea was that soldiers may be more actively engaged in operations in daytime, when sharing food was not practical, so, each soldier received a 2-box lunch.
Box one contained beverage (usually coffee), bouillon, sugar, matches, crackers, and a confection, along with a can opener and was called tne "Partial Dinner Unit."
Box two, which contained canned meat and a wooden spoon. .By the way, food cans were not painted early in the war, until they discovered that the unpainted shiny cans were visible to enemy aircraft from high in the sky. A coating of OD flat paint quickly put an end to that!"

US WW2 Partial Dinner Unit​

This is the companion piece to the M-Unit ration. The Partial Dinner Unit contains the rest of the noontime meal and a couple of vital accessories. In this box you will find a packet of bouillon powder (usually beef, although other flavors are encountered) a packaged Graham cracker, a packet of instant coffee, a box of granulated sugar, a confection (usually Charms or Caramels), a stick of chewing gum, a P-38 can opener, and a book of VD matches.

http://www.reprorations.com/WW2-US.htm​

 

Japanese Group ration

"... A containerized group ration with 40 meal portions was also provided. Its contents were packed in a tin container inside a wooden crate. Each portion contained: 10 1/2oz polished rice, 1/2oz dehydrated miso, vitamin B paste, vitamin A and D tablets, and powdered tea (for vitamin C). Matches were included along with 20 3oz tins of heating alcohol; one tin was sufficient to heat two portions. [page 45]"

Gordon L. Rottman's Japanese Infantryman 1937-45: Sword of the Empire, Osprey Warrior series volume 95, (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2006)