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Rations of the United States military | |||||
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The 5-in-1 ration was a United States military ration issued from 1942 to the end of World War II. Procurement ended with the war, though remaining stocks were issued to troops after the war, as well as distributed as surplus in civilian feeding programs overseas. The 5-in-1 specification remained in effect after the war, and was again used in 1948 for a new field ration.
The 5-in-1 was developed in 1942 by the Subsistence Research Laboratory (SRL) of the U.S. Army's Quartermaster Corps to fulfill a need for a pre-packaged field ration for use by small motorized combat groups. [1] The 5-in-1 allowed small groups of soldiers or large groups divided into multiple units to cook meals without the need of complex kitchen utensils or cooking skill. Another objective was to furnish sufficient food to take care of five men for one day. The U.S. Quartermaster Corps' Subsistence Branch originally planned for the rations to be used by troops without immediate kitchen facilities, such as trains without kitchen cars, motorized infantry, armored vehicle crews, or gun crews. [2]
Unlike the Mountain ration or Jungle ration, the 5-in-1 was a ration developed solely by the SRL. The 5-in-1's components were packed as a group, with noncanned components placed in a separate carton overpacked in a larger carton with the canned products. Menus were enclosed in the carton as a guide in the selection of meals.
By mid-1943, the ration was the most successful field ration in use in North Africa. In that same year, the 10-in-1 ration was developed to replace it, as it offered a wider menu and greater flexibility in small unit issue. Extensive procurement of the 5-in-1 ended the same year. However, use of 5-in-1 stocks continued throughout the war, and the ration was still in distribution when hostilities ended. [2]
Though procurement of the 5-in-1 had ended with the war, the specification remained in effect and later became the basis for a postwar revision in 1948, under which the 5-in-1 nomenclature was reestablished. [2]
The 5-in-1 ration contained:
Rations of the United States military | |||||
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| Current rations |
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| Misc. | |||||
The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging bought by the United States Department of Defense for its service members for use in combat or other field conditions where organized food facilities are not available. While MREs should be kept cool, they do not need to be refrigerated. MREs replaced the canned MCI, or Meal, Combat, Individual rations, in 1981, and is the intended successor to the lighter LRP ration developed by the United States Army for Special Forces and Ranger patrol units in Vietnam. MREs have also been distributed to civilians during natural disasters.
The C-Ration, or Field Ration, Type C, was a prepared and canned wet combat ration intended to be issued to U.S. military land forces when fresh food (A-ration) or packaged unprepared food (B-ration) prepared in mess halls or field kitchens was not possible or not available, and when a survival ration was insufficient. Development began in 1938 with the first rations being field-tested in 1940 and wide-scale adoption following soon after. Operational conditions often caused the C-ration to be standardized for field issue regardless of environmental suitability or weight limitations.
The 10-in-1 food parcel, commonly known as the 10-in-1 ration, was a field ration prepared for soldiers of the United States Army, intended to provide one meal for 10 men.
The P-38, developed in 1942, is a small can opener that was issued in the canned field rations of the United States Armed Forces from World War II to the 1980s. Originally designed for and distributed in the K-ration, it was later included in the C-ration. As of 2020, it is still in production and sold worldwide.
A mess kit is a collection of silverware and cookware used during camping and backpacking, as well as extended military campaigns. There are many varieties of mess kits available to consumers, and militaries commonly provide them to their troops.
United States military ration refers to various preparations and packages of food provided to feed members of the armed forces. U.S. military rations are often made for quick distribution, preparation, and eating in the field and tend to have long storage times in adverse conditions due to being thickly packaged and/or shelf-stable. The current ration is the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE).
The K-ration was an individual daily combat food ration which was introduced by the United States Army during World War II. It was originally intended as an individually packaged daily ration for issue to airborne troops, tank crews, motorcycle couriers, and other mobile forces for short durations. The K-ration provided three separately boxed meal units: Breakfast, Dinner, and Supper.
A field ration is a canned or pre-packaged meal, easily prepared and consumed by military troops. They are distinguished from regular military garrison rations by virtue of being designed for minimal preparation in the field, using canned, vacuum-sealed, pre-cooked or freeze-dried foods, powdered beverage mixes and concentrated food bars, as well as for long shelf life. Most field rations typically contains meat as one of its main course. The iron ration is a soldier's dry emergency rations.
The Individual Meal Pack or IMP is one type of field ration used by the Canadian Forces. The IMP is designed so that a continuous diet provides all the nutrition needed to sustain a service-person in the field. The IMP meets Canada's nutrition requirements, with the exception of calcium and folic acid, which are not significant if the consumption period of rations is less than 30 (consecutive) days. IMPs will provide 1200-1400 calories per meal.
Military chocolate has been a part of the standard United States military ration since the original Ration D or D ration bar of 1937. Today, military chocolate is issued to troops as part of basic field rations and sundry packs. Chocolate rations served two purposes: as a morale boost, and as a high-energy, pocket-sized emergency ration. Military chocolate rations are often made in special lots to military specifications for weight, size, and endurance. The majority of chocolate issued to military personnel is produced by the Hershey Company.
A garrison ration is the quantity and type of food served to a soldier when they are stationed somewhere. It is generally not the same as the rations fed to troops in combat or transit, which are usually termed combat rations, field rations, marching rations or some other task-specific term. This term is mostly used with respect to historic militaries. Modern thinking about nutrition and military logistical support is generally very different today, although people may still speak of "garrison rations" in relatively underdeveloped countries.
The Mountain Ration was a United States military ration developed for use by U.S. troops operating in high-altitude or mountainous regions of the European theater of operations (ETO) during World War II.
The Jungle Ration was a dry, lightweight United States military ration developed by the U.S. Army in World War II for soldiers on extended missions in tropical regions.
A-ration is a term used in the United States armed forces for a meal provided to troops prepared using fresh, refrigerated, or frozen foods. The use of fresh, refrigerated or frozen foods distinguish 'A' rations from 'B' rations, which use canned or preserved ingredients to enable them to be served without adequate refrigeration or freezer facilities.
Foods of the American Civil War were the provisions during the American Civil War with which both the Union and Confederate armies struggled to keep their soldiers provisioned adequately.
The Food Packet, Long Range Patrol or "LRP ration" was a U.S. Army freeze-dried dehydrated field ration. It was developed in 1964 during the Vietnam War (1955–75) for use by Special Operations troops; small, heavily armed long-range reconnaissance teams that patrolled deep in enemy-held territory, where bulky canned MCI rations proved too heavy for extended missions on foot.
The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was the name of canned wet combat rations issued by the United States Armed Forces from 1958 to 1980, when it was replaced by the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE).
The B ration was a type of field ration used in the United States military. Field rations such as the A ration, B ration, and emergency rations consisted of food items issued to troops operating in the field. Like the A ration, the B ration required the use of trained cooks and a field kitchen for preparation. However it consisted entirely of semi-perishable foods and so did not require refrigeration equipment.
Military nutrition has evolved over time. In the past, armies that ventured beyond their supply lines lived off the land, by pillaging food from the people whose land the army occupied, or requisitioning it. Often more soldiers died of disease that was exacerbated by malnutrition than from combat.
This is a list of military food topics. Military food topics include military rations, how military foods are prepared, distributed and utilized.