Food for Fighters (1943)

K-ration

The K-ration was an individual daily combat food ration which was introduced by the United States Army during World War II. It was intended to last for a day and provided three courses: breakfast, dinner (lunch) and supper. While it was intended that the three meals be eaten in the named order, they were not always issued in this manner.

History
In 1941, Dr. Ancel Keys (a University of Minnesota physiologist) was assigned by the U.S. War Department to design a non-perishable, ready-to-eat meal that could fit in a soldier's pocket. Keys went to a local supermarket to choose foods that would be inexpensive, but still be enough to provide energy. He purchased hard biscuits, dry sausages, hard candy, and chocolate bars. He then tested his 28-ounce, 3,200 calorie (871 gram, 13,400 kJ) meals on six soldiers in a nearby army base. The meals only gained "palatable" and "better than nothing" ratings from the soldiers, but were successful in relieving hunger and providing sufficient energy. The Army added a few extra items and named the packs K-rations, possibly in honor of Dr. Keys.

Developed using ideas from the USAAF's bailout ration, the K-ration first saw use in 1942, when it was issued to U.S. Airborne troops for testing. Initial reports praised it for the variety of the foods incorporated, as well as the light weight. Also mentioned by some was the danger of over reliance, which could cause the three meals to become monotonous if issued for long periods of time. Due to its use by Airborne troops, however, the K-ration was thereafter viewed as being a successful, lightweight, and easily-issued source of food for front-line troops.

All meals contained two packages of dried biscuits, cigarettes, gum, sugar (granulated, cubed, or compressed), and a key (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.

The U.S. Army M-1943 herringbone twill (HBT) fatigue uniform had simplifed but large pockets that were designed to be able to hold a K-Ration box.

The C-ration was the only ration comparable to the K-ration in widespread issue, with six cans comprising one full ration. Introduced during the late 1930s, it was heavier, with less variety in meals, but more calories.

While fighting in the European Theater of Operations, the US Army discovered that troops quickly got tired of the K-ration, some being forced to eat it for months on end. As it was based on an emergency ration, the K-ration provided roughly 800--1,200 calories fewer than required by highly active men. Often, a secondary food source was issued, such as a D-ration, or fresh oranges, in an attempt to bring up the calorie count. By war's end, millions of K-rations had been produced, but the army had lost the use for them. While the ration would continue to be re-issued through fighting in Korea (and later), it was not produced much later than 1945.

Ancel Keys

Ancel Benjamin Keys (January 26, 1904 -- November 20, 2004) was an American scientist who studied the influence of diet on health. In particular, he hypothesised that different kinds of dietary fat had different effects on health.

In addition to his role in establishing modern cardiovascular disease (CVD) epidemiology, Keys was closely associated with two famous diets: K-rations, formulated as balanced meals for combat soldiers in World War II; and the "Mediterranean diet", which he popularized with his wife Margaret. Science, diet, and health have been central themes of his professional and private lives.

Early life

Keys attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a B.A. in economics and political science (1925), an M.S. in biology (1929), and is a '30 University of California, San Diego Alumus receiving a Ph.D. in oceanography and biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.[1] He earned a second Ph.D. in physiology at Cambridge in 1938. In 1936, he became a professor at the University of Minnesota, where he established the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene. Keys directed the laboratory from 1939 until his retirement in 1975.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Food
• for
• Fighters
• 1943
• army
• kration
• ration
• mre
• k-ration
• Ancel
• Keys

[jason60chev]

For as much grief as it has taken, you kinda have to applaud the Army in it's efforts to feed it's troops. It's difficult to feed Tens of thousands of men 3 decent meals a day....especially in field or combat conditions. I'm sure it was a treat to get behind the lines to a field kitchen for a HOT meal, no matter what it was. In my collection, I have an early, unopened K-Ration and 2 C-Ration B Units from 1940/41.

[enjoixander]

Thank you usa government for supporting our good, old fashion, nourishment for the lungs, decent and healthy cigarrette companies. Tests on military were sufficient to promote the product for profit in peace time.. Invest in war time products and become rich! Our own greatest enemies are those within who seek to profit off of you!

[qwertasdcfghjklmo24z]

@enjoixander You really think healthy living was on the soldier's minds when bullets and bombs were flying at them?

[blissy1]

@jason60chev I would'nt try eating those ration packs!! Unless you're really hungry !

[356butch]

Anybody else notice how the soldiers shown in this old reel all look like they just got out of a concentration camp and all look around 40 years old compared to today's soldiers. Are they still victims of the 1930s depression or do people today just age better through better nutrition from childhood on?

[katanaburner]

@enjoixander Well said!

[pierneus]

@enjoixander yours is the only comment which makes sense in here!

[JayKay62969]

The rations may have served their purpose for the military but unfortunately it also started us down the path to processed (non) food.

[mountaindweller44]

My favorite can within the C-Rations was the "crushed pineapple desert"...I think, on the can it said, "pineapple, crushed, fruit"...take your "John Wayne" (p-38, or if you were 'special', your p-8 opener) and crank it open!  Also, the cheese was neat...used together with the jelly, you could stay 'regular'. Trust me, they were TONS BETTER than the 1st Gen MREs!!! Those patties were REALLY CARDBOARD!!!

[mountaindweller44]

C-Rations also had cigarettes...two individual cigs in their own little box, within the C-Rat. LOVED the green eggs and ham!!! It became green quickly after being canned...though was still ok to eat...I have eaten 1957 canned rations, still TASTY! Don't throw the wagonwheel crackers...they could KILL someone!