An Army Travels on Its Stomach

[Commander Waffle]

In 1942 the US officaily employed it's main source of food and nutrition to the troops overseas... the K-Ration was born. K Rations were light-weight and kept the troops going...well, until it's all they ate for months on end, who wouldn't get tired of anything if they had to eat it that long?
The ration were comprised of 3 meals, breakfast lunch and dinner. All meals contained two packages of dried biscuits, Chesterfield cigarettes, gum, sugar (granulated, cubed, or compressed), and a John Wayne (dubbed a P-38) to open a small canned portion. Items specific to the Breakfast meal were canned meat and eggs, a fruit bar, and instant coffee. Dinner (lunch) items consisted of canned cheese and a lemon (early), orange, or grape (late) drink packet. The Supper package contained canned meat, toilet paper, a bouillon packet, and a lemon, orange, or grape drink packet. Late production meals had a disposable wooden spoon. In total, the three meals provided about 3,000 calories. The K-ration was produced by the Cracker Jack company with the waxed paper ration box about the same size as the Cracker Jack box.

Over yonder were the C-Rations...from World War II to the 1980s. Introduced during the late 1930s, each ration consisted of six cans including three M-Units containing a canned entrée, three B-units containing cheese, crackers and candy, a canned dessert, and an accessory pack. The accessory pack contained a mix for a hot beverage, salt and sugar packets, plastic spoon, chewing gum, a pack of four cigarettes and several sheets of toilet paper. Each complete meal provided approximately 1,200 calories (1200 kcal or 5,000 kJ). P-38 can openers were provided loose in each case of 12 meals at a rate of 3 or 4 openers per box. The can openers were generally worn on the GI's dog tag chain to facilitate opening the next meal's cans

[Jim O]

Wasn't SPAM part of the mix? Was that the "canned meat"?

[PanzerBob]

YYUUMMM! FRIED SPAM!!

Good info!

[Commander Waffle]

Originally Posted by Jim O

Wasn't SPAM part of the mix? Was that the "canned meat"?

I think so. I know Spam was also part of the survial kits on raft for ships.

[Jim O]

All you ever wanted to know about spam can be seen at the SPAM Museum.

[Commander Waffle]

Originally Posted by Jim O

All you ever wanted to know about spam can be seen at the SPAM Museum.

Jim...I love you!

[Jim O]

Originally Posted by Commander Waffle

Jim...I love you!

Awwww....shucks

[Nachtjager]

that stuff sounds pretty good. I wouldn't mind liveing off that for a while, haha. Good researching.

[Brett]

Reminds me of the story during the Battle of the Bulge. Some
generals were eating some C-rations & commented they were
"pretty good".

They were immeadiately arrested as suspected German spies,
because no real GI would ever say that.