What were the canned rations given to US troops in World War 2?

Answer 1

These were C Rations. C Rations were individually packaged, precooked meals that required heating if desired--heating was not necessary. They were issued to ground troops when mess halls or field kitchens were not able to serve A-rations or B-rations, and when K or D rations were not enough to meet dietary needs.

C-Rats consisted of three parts: the M unit (entrée), the B unit bread and dessert), and the Accessory pack.

M-units from 1938 until 1945 consisted of:

Meat Hash

Meat Stew (beef and pork) with vegetables

Meat Stew with beans

Meat & Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce

Chopped Ham, Egg & Potato

Meat & Noodles

Frankfurters & Beans

Pork & Beans

Pork & Rice

Mutton Stew and vegetables

Ham & Lima Beans

Chicken & Vegetables

Beef Stew & Vegetables

B-units from 1938 until 1945 consisted of:

Hardtack crackers ("John Wayne biscuits")

Sugar tablets

Dextrose tablets

Instant Coffee

Lemon Drink mix

Orange Drink mix

Bouillon Soup mix

Sweetened Cocoa powder

Grape Drink mix

Candy-coated peanuts

Charms hard candy

Brachs chocolate caramels

Brachs fudge disk ("John Wayne bar")

Jim Dandee cookie sandwich

Oatmeal cereal

Accessory packs from 1938 until 1945 consisted of:

Sugar tablets

Halzone water purification tablets

Flat stick spoon

Candy coated Chewing Gum (Chiclets)

Cigarettes (Camel, Chelsea, Chesterfield, Craven "A", Lucky Strike, Old gold, Phillip Morris, Player's, Raleigh, or Wings)

Matches, moisture resistant

P-38 can opener

Sheets of toilet paper

Salt tablets

C-rations were replaced by C-2 rations (1948-1951), C-3 rations (1951-1953), and C-4 rations (1954-1958). The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was adopted in 1958 and continued in use until 1981 when MREs (Meal, Ready to Eat) began to replace them, and were totally replace in 1986.