Rations of the Wehrmacht, SS and ordinary Germans

[Schokakola]

If I know anything about history, German civilians in major cities were down to eating leather, wallpaper, and sawdust the last years of the war. Farmers may have had a it a bit better, but not much. By the end of the war, their last horse was probably only a memory.

I'm a Vietnam War veteran, and almost nobody living there today has any memory of that war. The people of Germany today are a whole generation beyond even that. It was a horrendous era for ANYBODY. Let it pass into oblivion.

It was absolutely brutal. Millions everywhere were going hungry. It is a true tragedy and thinking about it makes me shudder! May things never escalate to that ever again!

Thank you for your service. I had a Vietnam vet in my family, but he passed away years ago, due to various cancers, likely a result of exposure to Agent Orange. I think it is just awful how our Veterans are treated as disposable. They do not get nearly the respect they deserve, nor the services and support they need. That does not reflect upon the Veterans, but upon our society, that we do not have the same class and manners that our forefathers had in general.

I do not think that the era should pass on into oblivion, but remembered, with a keen sting, lest we forget the lessons learned and repeat them again.

[housil]

My travel plan includes going into the other European countries as well, as I am going to see the concentration camps and other Nazi related sites, such as where the Nuremburg Rally was held, for myself.

I was born in Nuremberg (Nürnberg)
Have a look at Thrid Reich in ruines. See WW2 places and buildings and how they look today.
Are you at facebook?
See "WWII Then & now Europa", they blend war pictures over the current place. Very impressing.

Most people would not consider such tourism a vacation, but I think it is extremely important to know history from all sides and not just the official American government propaganda version.

You as a "foreigner" can do this over here, we "locals" that my have the same interest are immediately suspicious being a "Neonazi". Germans lost their "common sens" about our own history and about our military past, the Wehrmacht and the political past, the Nazies. That two different things! Not every soldier was even an Nazi party member (NSDAP). You better were - but you mustn´t.

[housil]

I am interested in learning the terms for the other German ration items that I do not know the German names of. I know that sugar is zucker, but I do not know the other terms and I do not want to butcher the German language.

Other terms like what?

By Civilian rations, I mean what the Germans ate at home after purchasing those items by using their ration stamps and such.

"Ordinary" staff, depends what they got for their food stamp.
The food stamp said "125g meat". This could be pork or beef or... or "250g of fat". This could be butter or lard or margarine or...
Now our grandparents mixed together what ever they got to made dishes they knew.

What did the field kitchens cook and what was distributed to each man in what quantities?

Please see that above mentioned page of "Lexikon der Wehrmacht" There you will find a weeks menu, a menu of the troops in combat at the front line with the exactly amount of what they got etc...
A (military) cook was a civilian cook before. Becoming a chef over here is three years of education (My dad is a master degree chef, that´s 5 years of education). So it was not just open prepared rations and warm them up like you may know from the today US military. A(ny) German military cook - even today - is a real cook that can cook food from any ingredients. Same with the butcher.
Each company = 2 Officers, 21 Sergeants and 178 troops had their own field kitchen & butcher trailer. The quarter master guy was "organizing" where they were the "animals". The butcher butchered them and the field cook made out of it what ever he could. Mostly a stew as this is easiest to distribute. BUt also a roast with vegetables like potatoes if available etc.
They also had a cooking book

That one is from first worldwar

I know they used wooden crates, but were those crates stamped with any designs? How much did each crate hold of each item? What sizes did these crates come it? The details interest me.

->Here is a nice example<-

[Schokakola]

My travel plan includes going into the other European countries as well, as I am going to see the concentration camps and other Nazi related sites, such as where the Nuremburg Rally was held, for myself.

I was born in Nuremberg (Nürnberg)
Have a look at Thrid Reich in ruines. See WW2 places and buildings and how they look today.
Are you at facebook?
See "WWII Then & now Europa", they blend war pictures over the current place. Very impressing.

Most people would not consider such tourism a vacation, but I think it is extremely important to know history from all sides and not just the official American government propaganda version.

You as a "foreigner" can do this over here, we "locals" that my have the same interest are immediately suspicious being a "Neonazi". Germans lost their "common sens" about our own history and about our military past, the Wehrmacht and the political past, the Nazies. That two different things! Not every soldier was even an Nazi party member (NSDAP). You better were - but you mustn´t.

This is the trouble with being an American. You tend to forget that freedom of speech does not apply in other countries, but you can not help but feel that it should!

I do not have a Facebook account, as that company sells your personal information to third parties so they can market to you. It also makes it easier for the government to spy on you.

It is ridiculous that persons with an interest in their own history are labeled as Neo-Nazis and at times imprisoned. The very fact that you are not free to learn about or question your own history is reason enough to be suspicious.

Forbidding someone to learn about their history and culture is a form of genocide.

[housil]

This is the trouble with being an American. You tend to forget that freedom of speech does not apply in other countries, but you can not help but feel that it should!

We also have "free speech" - as long as it is "Political correct"

I do not have a Facebook account, as that company sells your personal information to third parties so they can market to you. It also makes it easier for the government to spy on you.

Don´t mind...
No need to join FB, go to their "reguar" homepage http://www.ghostsofhistory.co.uk/ real great pictures!!

It is ridiculous that persons with an interest in their own history are labeled as Neo-Nazis and at times imprisoned. The very fact that you are not free to learn about or question your own history is reason enough to be suspicious.

Well, it´s not "Political Correct" due to our left (former called "communistic") party. Just for example, it´s legal over here, to call a soldier "a murder" just for being in the military.

Forbidding someone to learn about their history and culture is a form of genocide.

It´s called "Political Correctness"

[ak70g2]

This is the trouble with being an American. You tend to forget that freedom of speech does not apply in other countries, but you can not help but feel that it should!

Freedom of speech? Come in Eastern Europe, you can shout anything you want, against government, against president, against UN, against all you want. "Ok, you shouted until you got a sore throat, now take a warm tea and go home" you will heard from the policeman who was with you, as "public safety measure". Two examples:

- in every spring, in Bucharest, capital of Romania, my country, is Gay Right Movement. There is no more than 100-200 people there. But the counter-manifestation is 20 times bigger, leaded by Orthodox Christian priest, which see the pederasty as mortal sin. Most Romanians (over 95%), like me, don't care about gays, what they do in their bedrooms is their problem, as my bedroom is my "playground", so is my problem.

- last September, our president Basescu made a fatal mistake with his clique and allowed the opposition to get an 70% majority in Parlament and bring down his government. So, the "ex" opposition parties made a coalition gouvernment, ruled until last week, no problem. Last week our prime minister, Victor Ponta, ditched his government partners (the Liberal Party) and choose to make a new government with Hungarian ethnic party, much loathed UDMR. In Romania, this party was part of every government in the last 20 years, allied with anyone for benefits, political or material. Their preffered minister was the Forestry and Agriculture, because hungarian inhabitated areas in central Romania are the most valued timber resources, so, they can "mow" entire mountains and sell the timber. in fact, the last Forestry minister from UDMR, Attila Verestóy, was called "Chainsaw of God". Here was a big manifestation on Facebook, a few shouted in the street, but nobody cared. Mr Verestoy announced his wish for Forestry Minister in the new Ponta government, as condition for government confirmation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attila_Verest%C3%B3y

It is ridiculous that persons with an interest in their own history are labeled as Neo-Nazis and at times imprisoned. The very fact that you are not free to learn about or question your own history is reason enough to be suspicious.

Problems here are more troubled. In WW2 Romania lost some territories to Soviet Union (Basserabia, Bukovina and a few more) so made an alliance with Germany to recover them. In 1944 our last king, a moron called Michael I, switched sides and Romania was occupied by Soviets, made a communist country until 1989. So, if I want to know WW2 history until 1944 I'm "communist", if I ask about communist crimes I'm "Neo-Nazi", and if I'm asking about German, Italian, Polish, Ukrainian and Czech minorities of Romania and their fate after WW2 most answers I get are kind of "is not your problem, get lost!"

History is very troubled in these lands, so have to be careful.

[Bypah]

Welcome to the forums...
Check this out. You can find plenty of WW2 german reproductions here.
http://reprorations.com/Germany%20WW2/WW2-Germany.htm

[Schokakola]

WW2 was just a mess for all involved.

No one was better off for all the death and sheer cultural destruction it caused.

Regardless, today, my Scho-Ka-Kola arrived. A nice tin with two layers of bite sized caffeinated chocolates.

I ate a piece and the flavor was of dark chocolate, a bit more bitter than my American palate is used to, yet still pleasant. It was a pick me up and I can understand why it was used to boost the German troops during the war.

Is it possible to make a hot chocolate with it? I wonder...

[housil]

I ate a piece and the flavor was of dark chocolate, a bit more bitter than my American palate is used to, yet still pleasant.

Do you know there is also a milk chocolate version available?

[rationtin440]

During WW2, the U.S. Army had an emergency-type ration caleed the D-Ration/Logan Bar, which was made from cocoa, parrafin, a dash of kerosene, and some other alleged ingredients to make it un-appetizing except in extreme emergency. I recall one of my father's uncles joking that they would throw them at any enemy soldier they found without a helmet to take out sentries. Anyway, it was supposed to be eaten gradually over several hours, but could also be crumbled into boiling water to make a hot cocoa-type drink which was also useful for starting a fire or re-fueling a vehicle. The website reprorations.com sells them, minus 98% of the original ingredients of course, actually a regular chocolate bar cut and shaped like the real thing----unfortunately many soldiers during WW2 ate the original bars and suffered severe stomach problems because they either ate them for several days or they did not have enough water to drink with them. These bars were also nick-named the Dysentery Ration because it was said to be the only thing that marines or army troops with dysentery could eat.