Always hungry...
WWII soldiers quickly tired of rations, the prepackaged meals meant to be eaten in the field. Most infantrymen, averaging 18-25 years old, carried 65-90 pounds of gear and expended up to 5,000 calories a day. Rations contained 2,800-3000 calories. Over time, it was common for soldiers to lose an average of 30 pounds.
In winter, when supply lines were severed, men trapped in foxholes survived on the frozen, unheated rations they had. While okay for a few days, soldiers who relied on K-rations for 10 days or more suffered from vitamin deficiency, malnutrition, and muscle loss.
My father, combat medic Richard Berkey, wrote in his journal on Oct. 29, 1944:
“Marched through the pier seeing much devastation, up through the hills of Marseille’s slums with a big blister on the ball of my left foot. God only knows how it got there with that 90-pound full field pack. And so we marched some three odd hours to a staging area, how gruesome. Arrived at the staging area, Septemes-les-Vallons, tired, hungry, footsore and weary in the white sticky mud of the French Riviera. Ate a K ration heated over the fire and pitched a tent with Slim Steinmann and spent a cold, miserable, rainy night on the side of a striking French hill.”
Nov. 29, 1944:
(Nice, France) “I cleaned up a bit, got the latest Stars & Stripes and then went down to the Red Cross in hopes of obtaining a snack that I could call Thanksgiving dinner. But they were evidently out of food, so my Thanksgiving dinner consisted of one large and one small chocolate ration bar—they have a sickening taste.”
K-Ration: The waterproof packages all contained cigarettes. The breakfast ration had canned meat, biscuits, a cereal bar, instant coffee, a fruit bar, water-purification tablets, sugar tabs, a can opener, toilet paper, and a wooden spoon. The wax-impregnated box could be set on fire and burned slowly enough to heat up a canteen cup of water for coffee. That cup of coffee was a luxury and soldiers requested inclusion of more packets. Lunch rations contained canned cheese, biscuits, a candy bar, gum, beverage powders, sugar tabs, salt tabs, matches, can opener, and spoon. The dinner ration had canned meat, biscuits, bouillon, gum, confections, coffee, sugar, can opener, and spoon.
D-Ration: Developed by Hershey’s, the bar was 1,800 calories but tasted bad. Made of chocolate, oat flour, vitamins, and dried vegetables, it was meant to sustain a soldier during an emergency. Said to be the most nutritious but unappetizing chocolate bar the world had ever known it was nicknamed “Hitler’s Secret Weapon” for its’ effect on soldier’s intestines.
C-Ration: Pre-cooked food in tin cans that opened with a key. The government initially produced just three varieties. When soldiers complained the selection expanded. Heating improved the flavor, but it could be eaten cold. The daily C-Ration was: three cans of B units, three cans of C units, and an accessory pack. C units contained either meat and vegie stew, spaghetti with meat, pork and rice, pork and beans, ham and lima beans, or chicken and veggies. B units contained biscuits, compressed cereal, raisins or candy-coated peanuts, powdered coffee, sugar, powdered juice, cocoa powder, candies, jam, and caramels. Accessory packs contained matches, toilet paper, chewing gum, a can opener, water purification tablets, and nine cigarettes. Carrying around six cylindrical cans in a backpack for each day of meals was heavy. Soldiers wrapped the cans in clothing to mute the noise that could give away their position. B-Unit: A bread serving and a dessert such as hard biscuits or crackers, with a fruit bar, caramels, or chocolate. Later versions had pound cake or canned fruit.
10 in 1 ration: Provided food for ten soldiers. A typical package contained canned butter-like spread, instant coffee, pudding, meat, jam, evaporated milk, vegetables, biscuits, cereal, beverages, candy, salt, and sugar. Accessory items: can opener, toilet paper, soap, and water-purification tablets. The partial dinner unit was enclosed in a cellophane bag-in-carton for easy distribution to each soldier for lunch. This unit had biscuits, a confection, beverage powder, sugar, gum, and a can opener.
When cut off from supply lines or advancing rapidly, troops survived solely on what they could carry, leaving them constantly hungry. Though the troops grew weary of them, rations kept many of our ancestors alive during the darkest of times. For that, I am grateful.