US WWII Rations
During the Second World War, the US GI had several types of rations available at different times. What follows is a brief rundown of the various types.
First up is the A Rations, the ration served in garrison at places like Fort Monroe or Fort Dix, established posts or bases run by the army. This ration consisted of perishable items.
Second is the B Ration. The B Ration was similar to the A Ration but non-perishable food items were used instead. This ration was used in the field where field kitchens could get hot meals to the soldiers.
The C Ration was comprised of six cans, two for each meal. The M units (M-1, M-2, and M-3) contained the actual meal whereas the B units (B-1, B-2, and B-3) contained biscuits, coffee, confections, and etc. One set of six cans fed one man for one day. The biscuits in the C Ration were not dissimilar from hard tack or ships biscuit of earlier days.
The D Ration was an emergency ration and was a chocolate bar made with oat flour, vitamin B1, powdered milk, and vanilla extract. This four ounce bar provided 600 calories to the soldier.
The K Ration, named for nutritionist Dr. Ancel Keys who developed it, consisted of three boxes, a breakfast, dinner (lunch), and supper box. The menus differed by meal as they did with the C Ration, but the cans were smaller. The K Ration also came with an accessory packet, containing similar items to the B units in the C Ration. Confections, cigarettes, coffee, sugar, and the like were available in the accessory packets for each meal, along with two types of biscuits (their shape resembled a modern captain's wafer though their ingredients were not the same) which supplemented the main meal in the can.
Added to these was the 10-in-1 Ration, an American version of the British Compo Ration. It was meant to feed ten men for one day, though an American rifle squad was twelve men.
Further discussion of the rations will occur in separate posts and will be labeled by ration. They will discuss the history of the ration, contents, and a recipe for those who wish to make their own ration element.
