"Rations" in the late Twilight War

[rcaf_777]

I don't don't know about other armies but in the Canadian Army Rations were only to consumed durring emergencies (IE patrols), primary due to their cost.

In our M113 we had one day worth stored for each man, but we usually eat out the feild kitchens that the BN had.

More feild kitchens were also held by the Service Bn which are the primary combat support units in the Canadian Army.

All of the feild kitchen were old US one which they started getting rid off in mid 1980's or so KO told me once.

To futher feild feed each solider in the Canadian Army was issued, a plate, bowl, coffee cup (Kit Shop had green mugs with Regt Cap Badge), and a KFS (Knife Fork, Spoon), we also had a canteen cup and canteen stove with heat tabs, a bread plate was also aviable but I never got one well not offically anyway

[micromachine]

I can see a "combat ration" consisting of beef (or other meat) jerky, hard tack, dried fish and pemmican, along with erstaz coffee from chickory,etc. It may seem a little primitive, but added to the "forage" while moving, it will make for a "starvation" ration until back to base.

[Raellus]

Thanks for the RL military experience info. Here's another thought. To save manpower (to maximize the number of able-bodied men in the unit's combat components), the field kitchen could be run by an "invalid" NCO aided by a couple of indigs (i.e. civilians from wherever the cantonment happens to be).

Back in the Nelsonian British Navy, ships' cooks were almost exclusively Greenwich (naval hospital) pensioners appointed by warrant. Almost all of them were ex petty officers missing a limb (or two).

Wouldn't that a little flavor (pardon the pun) to a T2K campaign? The company cook with a prosthetic leg and eye patch.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by rcaf_777

I don't don't know about other armies but in the Canadian Army Rations were only to consumed durring emergencies (IE patrols), primary due to their cost.

In our M113 we had one day worth stored for each man, but we usually eat out the feild kitchens that the BN had.

That's how we did it when I was still in Mech Infantry -- the MREs were the last things we ate, after the field kitchen or logpack food and the pogie. Of course, in light infantry, there is usually nary a field kitchen in sight...

As an interesting aside, when you are on long-term MRE usage, your water consumption will go up, because some of the MRE components are dehydrated; also, if you don't keep up your hydration, you'll get constipated pretty quickly (according to the doctor who fixed my shoulder, who was an Army reserve doctor until a year ago, it's because they are packed with calories -- up to 6000 in some meals for certain climates).

[Legbreaker]

Obviously every nation has their own versions of field rations - MRE's in the US, "rat packs" in Australia, and so on. Each version is also of different quality, right down to the actual "menu" (I couldn't stomach anything with eggs in a can while others couldn't get enough of it).
Climate must also be addressed by the creators of each type of ration. A pack designed for us in the artic for example would be next to useless in the tropics due to the different demands on the human body. For example, hot coffee, high in demand in cold weather would be discarded in favour of electrolyte ladden drink powders, etc in the tropics.

Time is another factor. Back in the early 90's, the only dehydrated items our issued ration packs contained was a packet of 2 minute noodles - everything else was canned, in biscuits, or in a tube (condensed milk, jam, etc). A few years later in the mid to late 90's, the composition of the rat packs changed to include the sort of freeze dried meals that had been available to civilan campers for years.
Personally I felt the freezed dried stuff wasn't a good move as it required a solider to carry more water, thereby increasing his load.

There were three levels of rations - fresh, 10 man ration packs, and the 24 hour and 1 meal packs (hated the latter - not enough in them although they shared components with the 24 hr).
When we were operating for more than a few days in the bush, fresh food was almost always provided whenever possible and the 24/1 meal ration packs used only on patrols or in an emergency. Often though the 10 man packs would replace fresh rations and be prepared by the company cook / fitter and turner (fits good food into pots and turns it into crap).

I would expect that the individual rations would become less and less common as the war dragged on and fresh and unit style packs would become more common. Canned and bottled foods, along with other methods of preservation (salting, drying, smoking, baking into hardtack, etc) would become the norm.

[Abbott Shaull]

From what I remember reading about MRE in emergency situation one MRE would provide the nutrition one would need for an entire day in emergency situation.

Yeah Paul you are quite correct. I only remember once when we got anything consider close to being cooked in field kitchen while out in the field. The rest of the time it was MREs or whatever that soldier could get away with packing for the field. Yeah when you are on diet of almost exclusively MRE you do tend to drink a lot more water too.

One thing that many people seem to forget is the stock of equipment and other items that US and UK had pre-position in Western Europe. Not talking about larger bases, but there were number smaller caches where uniforms, rations, and ammo were placed.

I do see in early 1997 the German Army at various command levels would want to improve the quality of the diet of their troops. So they would start improving their field kitchens. By the time US, UK, and Canadian join in they many of the commanders having seen what the German have been through would have their field kitchens improvising to make what rations they had left last long, since I am sure they have all turned over to the Germans a share of what they had in Rations, Ammo, Fuel, and other sundry items that needed for a modern Army.

After TDM MRE type rations use would be limited more, with things like hardtack and those type of rations would become more common again. Units would forage from the start too of the war. Soldier who are MREs or other rations would enjoy anything they could liberate to enrich their diet.

Part of the reason units in 1998 would start setting up Catoments on each side would be to grow food, make fuel and to be more self sufficient in other details in regards of their supply chain. MREs wouldn't be readily in the supply trains, but would be moved to units that may be going on offensive actions.

The lack of higher commands providing resupply is why units started to raid enemy units and then allied units. I could see Pact units raiding allies units more quickly than NATO units, just my opinion.

Abbott

[Legbreaker]

When I was a recruit and amongst almost 400 others on a field exercise, the kitchen (primarily staffed by recently released civilian criminals and commanded by a small unit of 4 senior NCOs from the Catering Corp) made a little bit of a stuff up with the food budget.
They'd spent far too much on vegetables, etc and forgot to buy meat - for almost a week all 400 of us had to share a total of 8 pounds of meat. Suffice to say the vast majority of us were soon made very reluctant and extremely pissed off vegetarians!

As an appology, for one lunch they sent us the first decent salad we'd seen in weeks. Shame it was bucketing down with rain at the time and freezing cold! The tv dinner trays they came with were full of water before the second mouthful.

A few days go by and we get a delivery of hot porridge for breakfast. Everything was great until the CSM (Company Sergeant Major and 3rd in command) found a wevil or ten in his. Turns out the entire lot was infested with the bugs and totally inedible! (not that it stopped some...)

So, morale to the story is that sometimes the supply people can screw you over. Also, quality of the available food will vary greatly even if it's supposed to be fresh rations!

[weswood]

Keeping in mind I was a REMF in the USMC Air Wing; when we would go to the field, we had a field services staff with a field kitchen. The staff was a couple guys out of the S-4 to supervise, then a couple guys from each section on mess duty. Hot food was provided breakfast and supper, lunch was an MRE.

When I was in the Reserves, an Infantry Battalion, but still in HQ Co., it was pretty much the same. The Field Services tried to truck at least one hot meal out to the line grunts once a day but it wasn't always still hot by the time they were delivered.

MRE's and other prepackaged rations would become rare, IMO. I can see patrols carrying dried meats, cheeses and hardtack.

One thing I've noticed, when I was in the Corps, MREs had freeze dried meals. This was from '85-89. I don't remember them while I was in the reserves '90-'92. I have 4 cases of MREs I aquired after Hurricane Ike last year. Three are military issue, one civilian. I haven't rooted through the military ones, but in the civilian one there are NO freeze dried menus. I'm not sure if it's because it's a civilian brand, or if they did away with the freeze dried stuff.

[simonmark6]

I think that most food would be locally produced and locally cooked as many units are more or less static by the end of the Twilight war.

There might however be several types of rations for those who needed to be away from their logistical base for a while:

Patrol rations: Designed for a week or so away from base.
Rye bread (can last a few months)
Wax coated cheese
Potatoes
Freeze dried fruit (mainly apples)
Cured meats for a few days

This menu isn't exciting or hugely easy to transport or cook, but it would keep for the time needed and be easy to produce locally without particulary rare components.

Emergency or Siege rations: Long term
Pease porridge(basically dried peas with maybe some salt, soak it overnight and then boil and you have a really boring mulch which will keep you alive)
Hardtack (rye or other bread baked 2-4 times, virtually indestructible, can be fortified with fat for more calories)
Salt Pork

Given how horrendous this ration is, people would probably have to be ordered to eat it!

Individual troops might be better off than this, but all of the above can be produced by amateurs as long as there is access to salt and if you think your troops will settle for a vegetarian diet you don't even need much of that.

[Graebarde]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

snip..
They'd spent far too much on vegetables, etc and forgot to buy meat - for almost a week all 400 of us had to share a total of 8 pounds of meat. ...

A few days go by and we get a delivery of hot porridge for breakfast. Everything was great until the CSM (Company Sergeant Major and 3rd in command) found a wevil or ten in his. Turns out the entire lot was infested with the bugs and totally inedible! (not that it stopped some...)

...

Hey.. first you bitch cuz there was no meat, then when you got it you bitch at what kind it is... sheesh, never satisfied

Reminds me of a story my dad told about when they were in the Philipine's during WW2. They had scambled eggs for breakfast, made from powdered eggs of course and cooked before sunup by flashlight in the mess tent. No meat to accompany it. The men bitched to no end, so dad, who was in good with the mess sergeant, went to him and told him the men were pissed they had no meat. The mess sergeant's reply was classical, "What you mean no meat?" at which time he produced a square of the aforesaid eggs. Dad said it looked like you'd dumped a box of coarse ground pepper in it. NATS! Drawn by the light, stirred into the mix. Of course in the dark it was OK, but when dad took the 'sample' back to the bitchers, they got sick.. LOL

Careful what you wish for. It's all a matter of mind over matter.