WWII Rations and Mess Kits

Who had the Best mess kit issued to their troops in WWII? My preference is the US GI issued one followed my the German one. I really liked the US GI issued silverware too . BTW this isnt a serious poll. Just wanted to post something different and light LOL . Im getting tired of the same old polls all the time LOL.I myself happen to own a few different types of mess or eating utinsels. And who can forget the good ole P-38!! I also happen to own a copy of the 1942 US Army Cooks manual. Great recipes for mass meals . On a similar note who do you think had the best rations??

 

Hi JC

I thought I might add a word or two on the following:

"On a similar note who do you think had the best rations??"

In late 1943, when my "then" unit, the 49th LAA shifted fronts from the Adriatic side to the Tyrrenian side we found ourselves getting rations from the US troops. For the first time we were introduced to the joys of Spam instead of M&V (Meat & Veg) and quite frankly it was a change in the right direction.

Surprisingly I remember reading some years ago that the Americans actually preferred some of our food..... I suppose its just proving the old adage "a change is as good as a rest"

Cheers

Ron

 

Don't know who had the 'best' but I do know that the US put a lot of effort in providing rations for its troops. Enough so that the army did not have to spend time foraging for food. I have tried the C-rations and personally preferred them over the MREs (early version). SPAM is king!




Hormel developed America's first canned ham (''Hormel Flavor-Sealed Ham'') in 1926, and eleven years later developed the first canned meat product that did not require refrigeration. It was a ''distinctive chopped pork shoulder and ham mixture'' developed by Jay C. Hormel, son of Hormel founder George A. Hormel, and marketed as ''Hormel Spiced Ham'' - not a terribly inspiring name for an innovative product fated to save lives, win wars, and balance diets of people world wide.

Hormel Spiced Ham got off to a slightly rocky start. Other meatpackers began to introduce their own canned luncheon meats, and Hormel lost its controlling share of the market. Soon, however, they came up with a cunning plan to rectify this situation - they would give Hormel's luncheon meat a truly catchy name. Toward this end, they offered $100 for a suitable appellation. The winning name was, of course, ''SPAM'', and a legend was born.

SPAM was launched with much high-profile advertising in mid-1937. It was called ''the Miracle Meat'', and promoted as an anytime meat. In 1940, SPAM was the subject of quite possibly the first singing commercial. The jingle was to the tune of the chorus of ''My Bonny Lies Over The Ocean'', and the lyrics were ''SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM/ Hormel's new miracle meat in a can/ Tastes fine, saves time./ If you want something grand,/ Ask for SPAM!''. Hormel also sponsored George Burns' and Gracie Allen's network radio show, which included ''Spammy the Pig''. During World War II, sales boomed. Not only was SPAM great for the military, as it required no refrigeration, it wasn't rationed as beef was, so it became a prime staple in American meals. SPAM supported the war effort more directly, too. Nikita Kruschev credits SPAM with the survival of the Russian Army during WWII. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Hormel Girls performing troupe advertised SPAM as they performed throughout the country, distributed SPAM door-to-door, and even had a national weekly radio show. Ads proclaimed, ''Cold or hot, SPAM hits the spot!''

In 1960, SPAM began to be sold in 7 oz cans alonside the original 12 oz ones. SPAM began to spawn variations in 1971, when smoke-flavored SPAM was introduced. Next came less salt/sodium SPAM, in 1986, and with it the honour of being considered ''state of the art in its industry'' by the Minnesota Association of Commerce and Industry." In the early 1990s, SPAM Breakfast Strips were introduced, as was SPAM lite. What now awaits us on the SPAM front? Only time (and possibly Hormel) will tell

 

I dont know all that much about WWII meal kits but I remember my Vietnam Vet Neighbor said that the food was so bad on the boatride over that he constantly had to write home for Garlic salt to help out his stomach.

The GI's in Vietnam also had alot of explicit names for the Charlie ration kits, like beans and dicks (Baked beans and hot dogs) and beans and motherf***ers (Lima beans and Ham).

 

Having eaten enough C-rats and MREs (Meals Rejected By Ethiopians) I still prefer the C-Rats LOL. Though I have eaten Canadian,Polish and Swiss rations also. I remember seeing a WWII cartoon where some surrendering Japanese soldier tell a US soldier that they are willing to surrender as long as they do not have to eat "That American Delicacy called "Spam" " LOL.

 

Hence, they lost the war.............

 

LOL. I happen to like Spam and so do alot of Hawiians LOL.

 

Its very popular in Hawaii. The tase being aquired during the war of course. Even resteraunts Like McDonalds and Burger King have it on their Breakfast Menu LOL. Hawaii IIRC is the largest consumer of Spam in the US. And there are new Spam flavors too!! Hickory Smoke,Bacon. And there is even a Turkey Spam now.

 

Argh, spam fritters are horrible. Honestly, there are few things I hate in this world as much as spam!

Back to the point though, I rather like the Soviet eating system, a small bucket and a spoon that you had to bring from home. Some soldiers even had German mess kits (which were copied and manufactured in the USSR as well.

As for food, maybe as a followup to Mr Goldsteins story, my grandfather told me that at one point in Italy a friend of his used ration tins to make the walls of a shelter for someone to cook in. Eventually the yanks turned up and pinched all the ration boxes leaving a thankyou note and their c-rations in exchange.

 

I have read German accounts where they were amazed at how little the Red Soldier could survive on. They would ley seige to positions that should have caved in due to lack of rations but the red soldier fought on.

That's American bartering for you

 

Reproduction Soviet rations. Including Spam .

Russian WW II Rations

 

"Rations would often include shchi, a type of cabbage soup, and kasha, which is boiled buckwheat. These are standard Russian peasant staples, and there is an old Russian saying that goes, "Shchi ee kasha, pisha nasha" which means "Shchi and kasha, that's our fare". Typical additions would be tea or coffee, salt, bread, macaroni, salted fish, or canned meat. American Spam was very co nmon, and it has been calculated that there was enough food sent lend-lease to Russia to feed a 12,000,000 man army l/2 pound of food per day for the war. The lend-lease food wouldn't be common until 1943, but many lend-lease staples would be common for the rest of the war. Spam was invariably referred to as "second front", and egg powder used to be called "Roosevelt's eggs" (yaitsa being the Russian word both for "eggs" and ``testicles',). (6) Typical lend-lease foods that would be OK for reenacting would be flour, dried peas and beans, sugar, canned meats, particularly Spam or a facsimile of Tushonka (a kind of stewed pork product in gelatin) butter, vegetable shortening, oil and margarine, canned or dried milk, dried eggs, grits, and coffee.(7) Although coffee was consumed when available, tea was the norm and the traditional drink, and samovars (devices used in making tea that look like coffee urns) can often be seen in the field. Bread and sausage would be a common ration issued for troops during operations, as they could be expected to last a few days without spoiling. Some of the troops reducing the Stalingrad pocket un-intentionally killed some of their own liberated POW's by feeding the emaciated men bread and sausage from their own rations when the liberated men's systems couldn't handle it. (8)"

Portrayal of Soviet Forces




Food for Russian soldiers includes bread, soup: Red Army rations varied from adequate to nonexistent depending on the supply situation. Bread and soup were staples. A type of cabbage soup called shchi was common, as was kasha, which is boiled buckwheat. Supplements included macaroni, salted fish, tea, salt, lard or bacon fat, and whatever vegetables the soldier could forage. American Spam became a common source of meat. Bread and sausage were often issued prior to combat operations since they would last for days without spoiling.


Howstuffworks "World War II Timeline: November 19, 1943, to December 2, 1943"

 

German Rations in World War II
"Rations for the German military were scientifically designed to provide high-calorie protein-rich rations that would carry a foot soldier through an arduous day. In addition there were several coffee and confection options to provide an energy boost when needed. The basic building block of the daily ration was the well-known "Halbieserne Portion" or "Iron Ration," which was carried by every German soldier.. The ration contained one 300 gram tin of meat, and one 125 or 150 gram unit of hard bread. The meat ration was one of a variety of different canned meats including Schmalzfleisch (a pork product), Rinderbraten (roast beef), Truthahnbraten (turkey), Hahnchenfleisch (chicken) or the all encompassing Fleischkonserve - a label that assured the Soldat only that the contents were "canned meat. The bread unit could contain any of the following bread types - a hard, crisp whole wheat cracker-like product bundled into a packet weighing 150 grams, sealed in an air-tight cello wrapper and outer-wrapped in a paper bag, with a proper period label from one of the various German manufacturers .Hartzweiback - a hard biscuit more like bread than crackers, sealed in an air-tight cello wrapper and outer-wrapped in a paper bag with the proper period label from one of the various German manufacturers. Hartkeks - a hard biscuit/cracker sealed in a cello brick with an overwrap of tan paper. Depending upon the vagaries of the supply chain, Hartkeks could be round, square, or rectangular in shape.A bread unit and a meat unit were paired in a paper sack and labeled with the contents and the makers name. This was the "Iron Ration," the foundation of German field rations."

Halbieserne Portion

 

Imperial Japanese rations

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Imperial Japanese rationswere the field rations issued by Imperial Japan in World War II, and which reflected the culture of the Japanese military. Rations had to be stout, durable, simple, sturdy and had to survive without refrigeration for long periods of time. Typically each ration was served in the field in tin boxes, and cooked near the battlefield.
The rations issued by the Imperial Japanese Government, usually consisted of rice with barley, meat or fish, vegetables, pickled vegetables, umeboshi, shoyu sauce, miso or bean paste, and green tea. A typical field ration would have 1½ cups of rice, with barley. The reason why rice was issued with barley was to combat nutritional deficiencies such as beriberi.
Typically ¼ cup of canned tuna, or sausages, and/or squid would be cooked from either captured locations or hunting in the nearby area. Preserved foods from Japan typically were issued sparingly. Other foods issued: 1 ¼ cups of canned cabbage, coconut, sweet potato, burdock, lotus root, taro, bean sprouts, peaches, mandarin oranges, lychee or beans. 3 teaspoons of pickled radish (typically daikon), pickled cucumber, umeboshi, scallions and ginger added flavor to the rations. Sometimes less than an ounce of dried seaweed, was issued for making sushi in the field, or beer and/or sake was issued to help boost morale.
US Marines, who captured these rations from the Japanese, often found a taste for rice vinegar, shoyu sauce and MSG, which were typically added to rice when the Japanese seasoned the rice for long range missions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_rations

 

Personal Ration-Or Personal Insult?

The third type of ration was the RAZIONE PERSONALE (RP, “Personal Ration”), which was issued to troops immediately before action, and which was designed to supply basic food items when group cooking was impossible, on the move, or in breaks during combat. A standard personal ration would include:




1 can of Tonno (Tuna)1 can of Prosciutto (Ham)1 pack of Brodo (Broth Base-2 tablets in a common wrapper)2 packs Panne Duri (Flatbread)1 Biscotti Dolci (Sweet Biscuits)


This uninspired ration was not much liked by troops, especially in light of the fact that even the sparse components designed to be included were often not available, and often substituted. In three days of action, a soldier may very well receive 6 cans of tuna fish—and little else.

On the march, when other rations were not available, most soldiers would spend as much time as possible trading with or buying from the local population, in order to provide some variety.

Many soldiers insured to get their fair share and then some of the coffee powder or grounds, as the RP did not come with a beverage pack.


Italian Personal Ration-Razione Personale

 

I haven’t seen the Australian ration for a few months now but I liked it a lot at one time. One day’s meals are sealed in a tin, but each can be carried separately in its grease-proof packet. Their first advantage over “K” is that they have tea in them. Tea tablets, sugar and milk powder. It is usually better without the milk - it never mixes well. The tins it contains are usually Heinz - varied from beans to meat and veg hash - and all seems moister than the rather dry “K”. There are tins of cheese or jam in addition (or peanut butter - ugh!). The blackcurrant jam is delicious on the digestive biscuits. They also have crisp tasty carrot biscuits sometimes. There are lime pastilles, long glucose sweets and either chocolate crunch bar or “Wheat lunch” as well. There is an Indian variety with a very good fish - sardines in olive oil - instead of meat, and rice instead of biscuits. The curry powder flavours the whole contents however and the Indian tins are usually avoided.
There is also an Australian “Emergency” ration in a tin on which it is far too easy to cut oneself when opening. Not much good as an Emergency, though the contents are doubtless sustaining; it is too easy to eat them quickly! But for sick men who cannot eat rice and curry and as an evening luxury they are ideal. Tea, sugar (no milk), good chocolate, two sorts of fruit bar and some caramels which are only so-so are the full contents. It all appeals to my sweet tooth. The "Emergency" we carry is a thing of tablets, pills, compass, fishing line and what not to last us a whole week - and it is smaller than the Australian.
The British Jungle Ration is excellent (I believe it is produced mainly in Canada). In a tin only 9 “x 6 “x 2 1/2" (which when opened becomes a mess tin) a whole day’s food is packed, except for breakfast and supper meat or fish which are in small tins on their own. These can be left behind when travelling light. The morning separate tins are liver and bacon, fish and egg, and ham and egg, while at night there is a steak and kidney pudding (glorious, but they ought to put some vegetables in) or ham and beef. In the big tin are two thick square biscuits, very short and just right for the cheese and jam that there is too. The jam is often apricot and only seldom have I seen plum. There are two blocks of oatmeal to make porridge, and it is good except that it is pre-sweetened, and unless a long time is spent in crumbling the blocks it comes up very lumpy. Usually I save myself the bother by eating them as they are. Ten good sweets, two bars of chocolate, chewing gum, salt tablets, tea, milk and sugar complete the tin. And the milk is not powdered, but condensed, in a tube like toothpaste. On the whole, I think my favourite for a patrol.
Lastly is the compo tin - 8 day’s rations for one man, but far better if there are two or three to eat it as the inside tins are a bit on the large size for one. It is all packed in a tin like a 4-gallon petrol can. First out are the good old army biscuits (and they are good), cigarettes, matches, tea, sugar, tinned milk, and salt Then there is always butter, jam and a tin of fruit, and cheese. After that it is a lucky dip and you may get seven or eight tins of only M & V (meat and vegetable) but if you are lucky there’ll be sardines and herrings, or salmon, sausages or bacon, peas and french beans, baked beans, Irish stew, bully and just one or two M & V. After a drop, four or five of us used to make a glorious meal of a tin like that!

BBC - WW2 People's War - Army Rations in Burma

 

Slip, very true on Soviet rations. Soldiers were expected to augment their diet of thin cabbage soup (which was basically water with the odd globule of oil or fat) with whatever they could get from the local area. It is worth keeping in mind however that for quite a while 'hungry' had been the natural state of affairs for many in the Soviet Union so it isn't so much that they didn't starve so much as your average RKKA soldier didn't expect to eat quite so often as his German (or indeed western) counterpart.

PzJgr, he also swapped a jeep for 2 bottles of whisky at one point, I think he got the better side of the deal there (jeep).

 

Thinking about all the Countries that were fighting in the war I wonder where some recieved thier rations from? I would assume that for example the French troops would be recieving thier rations in the form of K-Rations from the US or perhaps the British issued rations. Does anyone know? And maybe what they thought of them? LOL. Did the Italians that were fighting along with the Allies still get the Italian issued rations?