Military chocolate (United States)

Last updated
Military chocolate
D ration chocolate bar.jpg
D ration bar
Type Chocolate
Place of origin United States
Created by The Hershey Company [1]
Main ingredientsChocolate, sugar, oat flour, cacao fat, skim milk powder, artificial flavoring

Military chocolate has been a part of standard United States military rations since the original 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 US military personnel is produced by The Hershey Company.

Contents

When provided as a morale boost or care package, military chocolate is often no different from normal store-bought bars in taste and composition. However, they are frequently packaged or molded differently. The World War II K ration issued in temperate climates sometimes included a bar of Hershey's commercial-formula sweet chocolate. But instead of being the typical flat thin bar, the K ration chocolate was a thick rectangular bar that was square at each end. (In tropical regions, the K ration used Hershey's Tropical Bar formula.)

When provided as an emergency field ration, military chocolate was very different from normal bars. Since its intended use was as an emergency food source, it was formulated so that it would not be a tempting treat that troops might consume before they needed it. Even as attempts to improve the flavor were made, the heat-resistant chocolate bars never received enthusiastic reviews. Emergency ration chocolate bars were made to be high in energy value, easy to carry, and able to withstand high temperatures. Withstanding high temperatures was critical since infantrymen would often be outdoors, sometimes in tropical or desert conditions, with the bars located close to their bodies. These conditions would cause typical chocolate bars to melt within minutes.

Logan Bar or D ration

The first chocolate ration bar commissioned by the United States Army was the Field Ration D or Ration, Type D, commonly known as the "D ration." Army Quartermaster Colonel Paul Logan approached Hershey's Chocolate in April 1937, and met with William Murrie, the company president, and Sam Hinkle, the chief chemist. Milton Hershey was interested in the project when he was informed of the proposal, and the meeting began the first experimental production of the D ration bar.

Colonel Logan had four requirements for the D ration bar. The bar must:

  1. Weigh 4 ounces (113.4 g)
  2. Be high in food energy value
  3. Be able to withstand high temperatures
  4. Taste "a little better than a boiled potato" (to keep soldiers from eating their emergency rations in non-emergency situations)

Its ingredients were chocolate, [2] sugar, Oatmeal, cacao fat, skim milk powder, and artificial flavoring, fortified with vitamin B1 to prevent beriberi. [3] Chocolate-manufacturing equipment was built to move the flowing mixture of liquid chocolate and oat flour into preset molds. However, it was found that the temperature-resistant formula became a gooey paste that would not flow at any temperature. Hinkle was forced to develop entirely new production methods to produce the bars. Each four-ounce portion had to be kneaded, weighed, and pressed into a mold by hand. The end result was an extremely hard block of dark brown chocolate that would crumble with some effort and was heat-resistant to 120 °F (49 °C). The resultant bar was wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in a cardboard carton. Three bars made up a daily ration and was intended to furnish the individual combat soldier with the 1,800 calories (7,500 kJ) minimum sustenance recommended each day.

Logan was pleased with the first small batch of samples. In June 1937, the United States Army ordered 90,000 "Logan Bars" and field tested them at bases in the Philippines, Panama, on the Texas border, and at other bases throughout the United States. Some of the bars even found their way into the supplies for Admiral Richard E. Byrd's third Antarctic expedition. [4] These field tests were successful, and the Army began making irregular orders for the bars. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the bars were ordered to be packaged to make them poison gas-proof. The bars' boxes were covered with an anti-gas coating and were packed 12 to a cardboard carton, which was also coated. These cartons were packed 12 to a wooden crate, for a total of 144 bars to a crate.

After U.S. entry into the Second World War, Congress planned to shut down the candy industry for the duration of the conflict, deeming it non-essential. Milton Hershey, fighting off attempts to ration sugar, corn syrup, and cocoa, claimed to Congress that chocolate was a vital source of nutrition for the nation's troops. [5] During the war years, the bulk of the Hershey Food Corporation's chocolate production was for the military. Between 1940 and 1945, an estimated three billion units of the specially formulated candy bars were distributed to soldiers around the world." [6]

The D ration was almost universally detested for its bitter taste by U.S. troops, and was often discarded instead of consumed when issued. [7] Troops called the D ration "Hitler's Secret Weapon" for its effect on soldiers' intestinal tracts. [7] It could not be eaten at all by soldiers with poor dentition, and even those with good teeth often found it necessary to first shave slices off the bar with a knife before consuming. [7]

Tropical Bar

Hershey's Tropical bar from World War II Hershey Tropical Bar SI.jpg
Hershey's Tropical bar from World War II

In 1943, the Procurement Division of the Army approached Hershey about producing a confectionery-style chocolate bar with improved flavor [8] that would still withstand extreme heat [9] [10] for issue in the Pacific Theater. [11] After a short period of experimentation, the Hershey company began producing Hershey's Tropical Bar. [12] The bar was designed for issue with field and specialty rations, such as the K ration, and originally came in 1-ounce (28 g) and 2-ounce (56 g) sizes. After 1945, it came in 4-ounce (112 g) D ration sizes as well.[ citation needed ]

The Tropical Bar (it was called the D ration throughout the war, despite its new appellation) had more of a resemblance to normal chocolate bars in its shape and flavor than the original D ration, which it gradually replaced by 1945. While attempts to sweeten its flavor were somewhat successful, nearly all U.S. soldiers found the Tropical Bar tough to chew and unappetizing; reports from countless memoirs and field reports are almost uniformly negative.[ citation needed ] Instead, the bar was either discarded or traded to unsuspecting Allied troops or civilians for more appetizing foods or goods. Resistance to accepting the ration soon appeared among the latter groups after the first few trades. In the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations (CBI), the D ration or Tropical Bar did make one group of converts: it was known as the "dysentery ration", since the bar was the only ration those ill with dysentery could tolerate. [13]

In 1957, the bar's formula was changed to make it more appetizing. The unpopular oat flour was removed, non-fat milk solids replaced skim milk powder, cocoa powder replaced cacao fat, and artificial vanilla flavoring was added. It was added with the help of sugar. It greatly improved the flavor of the bar, but it was still difficult to chew.[ citation needed ]

Hershey production

It is estimated that between 1940 and 1945, over 3 billion of the D ration and Tropical Bars were produced and distributed to soldiers throughout the world. In 1939, the Hershey plant was capable of producing 100,000 ration bars a day. By the end of World War II, the entire Hershey plant was producing ration bars at a rate of 24 million a week. For their service throughout World War II, the Hershey Chocolate Company was issued the Army-Navy ‘E’ Award for Excellence for exceeding expectations for quality and quantity in the production of the D ration and the Tropical Bar. Their continued efforts resulted in four stars being added to their pennant signifying the five times they received this distinction. U.S. propaganda used this product distinction during the war as a message "that Allied nations would win the war because of their democratic institutions, but also because of the productivity of the U.S. economy and, especially, its agriculture." In tandem with this state-sponsored rhetoric, radio advertisements for foodstuffs and other consumer goods employed wartime slogans to reinforce military campaigns against Germany and Japan. [14] : 770 

Postwar to modern day

The rhetoric of war rations aligned food consumption with the war in Europe and Asia but also with the vitality of U.S. agriculture and consumerism. While these campaigns aimed to conserve U.S. food surpluses for the purpose of providing food aid to overseas militaries and civilian populations, they also functioned to jettison certain foodstuffs. [14] Production of the D ration bar was discontinued at the end of World War II. However, Hershey's Tropical Bar remained a standard ration for the United States Armed Forces. The Tropical Bar saw action in Korea and Vietnam [15] as an element of the "Sundries" kit (which also contained toiletries), before being declared obsolete. It briefly returned to use when it was included on board Apollo 15 in July 1971.[ citation needed ]

"Desert Bar" (Congo Bar)

In the late 1980s, the US Army's Natick Labs created a new high-temperature chocolate (dubbed the "Congo Bar" by researchers) that could withstand heat in excess of 140 °F (60 °C), using egg whites, giving it a fudge-like texture. [16]

During Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, Hershey's Chocolate was the major manufacturer, shipping 144,000 bars to American troops in the southwest Asia theater. [17] While Army spokesmen said the bar's taste was good, troop reactions were mixed and the bar was not put into full production.[ citation needed ]

Since the war ended before Hershey's supplies of the experimental bar were shipped, the remainder of the production run was packaged in a "desert camo" wrapper and was dubbed the Desert Bar. It proved a brief novelty but Hershey declined to make more after supplies ran out. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton S. Hershey</span> American chocolatier (1857–1945)

Milton Snavely Hershey was an American chocolatier, businessman, and philanthropist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meal, Ready-to-Eat</span> U.S. military individual field ration

The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a self-contained individual United States military ration used by the United States Armed Forces and Department of Defense. It is intended for use by American service members in combat or field conditions where other food is not available. MREs have also been distributed to civilians as humanitarian daily rations during natural disasters and wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flameless ration heater</span> U.S. military self-heating ration technology

A flameless ration heater (FRH), colloquially an MRE heater, is a form of self-heating food packaging included in U.S. military Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) rations since 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C-ration</span> U.S. military ration of prepared, canned food

The C-ration was a United States military ration consisting of prepared, canned wet foods. They were intended to be served when fresh or packaged unprepared food was unavailable, and survival rations were insufficient. It was replaced by the similar Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) in 1958; its modern successor is the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardtack</span> Biscuit often for naval and military use

Hardtack is a type of dense biscuit or cracker made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. Hardtack is inexpensive and long-lasting. It is used for sustenance in the absence of perishable foods, commonly during long sea voyages, land migrations, and military campaigns. Along with salt pork and corned beef, hardtack was a standard ration for many militaries and navies from the 17th to the early 20th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States military ration</span> U.S. military food and field meals

United States military ration refers to the military rations provided to sustain United States Armed Forces service members, including field rations and garrison rations, and the military nutrition research conducted in relation to military food. 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 or shelf-stable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hershey's Kisses</span> Chocolate candy brand manufactured by the Hershey Company

Hershey's Kisses is a brand of chocolate first produced by the Hershey Company in 1907. The bite-sized pieces of chocolate have a distinctive conical shape, sometimes described as flat-bottomed teardrops. Hershey's Kisses chocolates are wrapped in squares of lightweight aluminum foil. A narrow strip of paper, called a plume, sticks out from the top of each Hershey's Kiss wrapper. Originally designed as a flag for the "Hershey's" brand, the printed paper plumes were added to the Kisses product wrapper in 1921 to distinguish the Hershey's Kiss from its competitors who were offering similar products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-ration</span> U.S. military three-course assault ration

The K-ration was a United States military ration consisting of three separately boxed meal units: breakfast, dinner, and supper. 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.

Imperial Japanese rations were the field rations issued by Imperial Japan in World War II, and which reflected the culture of the Japanese military. Rations had to be stout, durable, simple, sturdy and had to survive without refrigeration for long periods of time. Typically each ration was served in the field in canned food boxes, and cooked near the battlefield. The mess tin was known as a han-gou.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldier Fuel</span> U.S. military energy bar

The Soldier Fuel bar, formerly known as Hooah! bar, is a dairy-based calcium-enriched energy bar created by the United States military in 1996. It was originally provided to military personnel packaged within a field ration, such as the Meal, Ready-to-Eat, Meal Cold Weather, or First Strike Ration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field ration</span> Food given to soldiers in the field or on deployment

A field ration is a type of prepackaged military ration designed to be easily and quickly prepared and consumed in the field, in combat, at the front line, or where eating facilities are otherwise unavailable. Field rations are primarily used by military forces, though they are also sometimes distributed to civilians as part of humanitarian aid and emergency management. They differ from garrison rations and field kitchen provisions, which are intended for where proper meals can be supplied and prepared with relative ease and safety, such as in the rear where logistics are steady and fresh food can be supplied. They are similar to, but distinct from, other purpose-designed long-lasting types of food or rations such as emergency rations, humanitarian daily rations, and camping food.

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 theatre of World War II.

The Jungle Ration was a dry, lightweight United States military ration developed by the U.S. Army during World War II for soldiers on extended missions in tropical regions.

Colonel Paul D. Logan served as a US Army Quartermaster before and during World War II as the Deputy Director of the Subsistence Division, Office of the Quartermaster General. His most notable accomplishment was the development of the "Logan Bar", or Ration D bar, an emergency chocolate ration manufactured by Hershey Chocolate. He was also responsible for the adoption of dehydrated potatoes and onions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military rations</span> Goods, usually food, given to military personnel

Military rations, operational rations, or military provisions are goods issued to sustain the needs of military personnel. As their name suggests, military rations have historically been, and often still are, subject to rationing, with each individual receiving specific amounts from available supplies. Military-issued goods and the rationing of such goods has existed since the beginnings of organized warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LRP ration</span> U.S. military freeze-dried dehydrated field ration

The Food Packet, Long Range Patrol was a freeze-dried dehydrated United States military ration used by the Department of Defense. Developed in 1964 and intended for wide adoption during the Vietnam War, its use was eventually limited to American special operations forces during long-range reconnaissance patrols, where bulky canned Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) rations proved too heavy for extended missions on foot. The LRP had a cold-weather warfare equivalent, the Ration, Cold Weather (RCW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meal, Combat, Individual ration</span> U.S. military canned combat rations

The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was a United States military ration of canned and preserved food, issued from 1958 to 1980. It replaced the earlier C-ration, which it was so similar to that it was often nicknamed the "C-ration", despite the term never being used officially. The MCI was eventually replaced by the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE).

The Charms Candy Company was a candy company founded in 1912 and sold to Tootsie Roll Industries in 1988. It was known for candies including Blow Pops and Charms.

Parachute emergency rations were a type of United States military ration produced during World War II. The ration was meant as a survival ration for use of aircrew who bailed out of their aircraft. It initially comprised energy bars, fruit bars, K-biscuits, hard candy and lemon-juice powder but eventually evolved into a food pack which contained chocolate, hard candy, bouillon cubes, dehydrated cheese, crackers, sugar, instant coffee and gum, in addition to cigarettes and water-purification tablets. The ration was introduced in 1942 and remained in use until 1952. The ration was placed in the emergency kit fitted to the back or seat of a parachute harness.

References

  1. ↑ Picture of a Hershey military chocolate bar
  2. ↑ "Hershey's Field Ration D bars did not melt in heat, and tasted "just a little better than a boiled potato"". Thevintagenews.com. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  3. ↑ Posted September 7, 2018 (2018-09-07). "Ration D Bars – Hershey Community Archives". Hersheyarchives.org. Retrieved 2020-03-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ "Ration D Bars – Hershey Community Archives" . Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  5. ↑ "Hogsalt". Hogsalt. 2015-05-31. Archived from the original on 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  6. ↑ Kruper, Jackie. "A Sweet Prison Camp". World War II. 20 (2): 58–60.
  7. 1 2 3 Henry, Mark R. and Chappell, Mike, The US Army in World War II (1): The Pacific, Osprey Publishing (2000), ISBN   1-85532-995-6, pp. 20–21
  8. ↑ Logan Nye (2018-10-30). "This was the Hershey bar custom-built for World War II". Wearethemighty.com. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  9. ↑ "hold its shape after one hour in 120 degrees Fahrenheit"
  10. ↑ Posted September 6, 2018 (2018-09-06). "Hershey's Tropical Chocolate Bar". Hershey Community Archives. Retrieved 2020-03-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ "The Price of Freedom: Hershey's Tropical Chocolate Bar". AmHistory.SI.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  12. ↑ Butler, Stephanie. "How Hershey's Chocolate Helped Power Allied Troops During WWII". History. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  13. ↑ Webster, Donovan, The Burma Road: The Epic Story of the China-Burma-India Theater in World War II, Harper-Collins (2004), ISBN   0-06-074638-6, p. 181
  14. 1 2 Carruth, Allison (2009). "War Rations and the Food Politics of Late Modernism". Modernism/Modernity. 16 (4): 767–795. doi:10.1353/mod.0.0139. S2CID   144180770.
  15. ↑ "Hershey's – Tropical Chocolate – candy bar wrapper proof – August 1969". CollectingCandy.com. 2012-05-28. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  16. ↑ Schmidt, Nicole (12 December 2016). "The Race to Create Chocolate That Only Melts in Your Mouth". TheWalrus.ca. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  17. ↑ Lucy S. (2016-05-11). "A Guide to Every Hershey's Chocolate Bar in U.S. Military MREs". The SITREP Military Blog. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  18. ↑ Stoneback, Diane (1991-06-26). "New candy bar defies heat". Archived from the original on 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.