Old French Ration
Re: Old French Ration
They are yust photos from internet..
https://www.militaria-medailles.fr/fr/m ... -1951.html
https://picclick.fr/Indo-Alg%C3%A9rie-T ... 11741.html
https://www.militaria-medailles.fr/fr/m ... -1951.html
https://picclick.fr/Indo-Alg%C3%A9rie-T ... 11741.html
Re: Old French Ration
capsule contains licorice powder.
Re: Old French Ration
Beautiful. Thanks for sharing that.
All the best, Gents.
- I'm also making videos mainly for my own enjoyment, but hey, maybe you might want to check them out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-9gp ... C1dSyPX0w/
- I'm also making videos mainly for my own enjoyment, but hey, maybe you might want to check them out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-9gp ... C1dSyPX0w/
Re: Old French Ration
Description of French Indochina rations from veteran.Used geoogle translate.
TONKIN from 1947 to the end of 1949 and from 1953 to July 1955.
There were three kinds of meals, those served in meals and messes established in major garrisons such as HANOI, HAIPHONG, TOURANE etc, those distributed in operations then the food served in posts.
In the important garrisons, the ordinary functioned with difficulty especially at the beginning in the years 1947/1948, we only had rice, canned zebu from MADAGASCAR, water bindweed and rarely sweet potatoes.
All of course cooked in water.
On the other hand, wine from ALGERIA was abundant but you really had to want to drink it!
In 1950 or 1951, a steward had the idea to create "VINOGEL" or powdered wine put in a sachet to be diluted in a liter of water.
It was real poison, some mixed this mysterious powder with 1/4 liter of water which had the effect not only of intoxicating them but of making them sick as possible.
In each district where there were "kitchens", a basin with a capacity of 30 to 40 liters was filled with what we called tea but which was in fact an infused herb to allow us to quench our thirst with this slightly heated to better quench your thirst.
The messes and meals had a manager who made his market where we found practically the same products as in FRANCE with the added bonus of exotic fruits which we had been deprived of during the war.
To access this food, you had to be assigned to an important garrison and above all be a non-commissioned officer or an officer to pay for the meals.
In 1947 and early 1948, we received English rations called "PACIFIC".
These rations came in the form of a wooden crate containing canned goods such as meat, pate, rolley oat (spelling questionable), oatmeal, sugar, tea, a box of biscuits replacing the bread and a round box of 50 PLAYERS brand cigarettes and other ingredients.
This ration box was designed for 6 men if I remember correctly.
Although our tastes are different from the English, the ingredients were edible and even very satisfying when we had time to heat the food.
There were 7 different boxes numbered P1 for Monday, P2 for Tuesday and P7 for Sunday.
The content was very little different from day to day except for the P7, the Sunday one which contained chicken and a huge peach in syrup of Australian origin.
The "problem" is that we never received P7, it was replaced by a box for one day of the week because this Sunday ration rarely left the stewardship who kept them for their staff and the boxes of peaches and chickens were directed to officers' messes.
Then, but only for 2 or 3 months, we received US combat rations called "JUNGLE".
They appeared in the form of 3 metal boxes of 20 x 20 cm and approximately 5 cm in height.
These three boxes represented the contents of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
These rations must originally have been intended for survival in the jungle because we had absolutely nothing to eat.
The food came in the form of sweets, various supercharged biscuits it seems, but our stomachs were really crying out for hunger and we were constantly hungry.
We rushed into the villages in search of rice, possibly chickens, eggs. .. finally everything that was eaten!
We threw OF grenades into the rivers to recover fish, generally catfish that we boiled.
At the end of 1948 or the beginning of 1949, we received the first French rations which improved over the years . time because preserves were rotten (involuntarily or not), moldy "TROUPE" cigarettes for example.
In post, supplies arrived by convoy. The food was frugal to say the least,plenty of rice and boxes of zebu.
No bread, but flour that we mixed with water to obtain a dough that we placed in an oven that we had made for baking; the result was disastrous but it was better than nothing.
We had found a way to improve our fare by seizing everything edible in the villages where we had had to fight the Viets.
The prisoners carried with their pendulums pigs, buffaloes that had to be killed once they arrived at the post, which provoked scenes of unimaginable giggles because there was no butcher among us.
We compensated the village chief with HO CHI MINH piastres that we had seized from the prisoners, this way of acting was strictly forbidden.
We had another way to get a little more food in an equally proscribed way!
We certainly seized HO CHI MINH piastres but sometimes real piastres carefully guarded by our chief of post, Lieutenant Alain RIFFET.
At THUONG DINH, my last post, on RC 1, I carried out the radio links with the central portion which was at BACH MAI.
I asked by radio for ammunition, effects etc to be delivered by the next convoy.
My correspondent was a comrade with whom we established a connection outside the scheduled hours and at night.
I would order him various ingredients, food etc.
When the supply convoy arrived, we unloaded this supplement and Lieutenant RIFFET went to pay the amount of the costs to the convoy leader who reimbursed my comrade. Neither seen nor known.
Each position managed as it could, it was not easy at all
TONKIN from 1947 to the end of 1949 and from 1953 to July 1955.
There were three kinds of meals, those served in meals and messes established in major garrisons such as HANOI, HAIPHONG, TOURANE etc, those distributed in operations then the food served in posts.
In the important garrisons, the ordinary functioned with difficulty especially at the beginning in the years 1947/1948, we only had rice, canned zebu from MADAGASCAR, water bindweed and rarely sweet potatoes.
All of course cooked in water.
On the other hand, wine from ALGERIA was abundant but you really had to want to drink it!
In 1950 or 1951, a steward had the idea to create "VINOGEL" or powdered wine put in a sachet to be diluted in a liter of water.
It was real poison, some mixed this mysterious powder with 1/4 liter of water which had the effect not only of intoxicating them but of making them sick as possible.
In each district where there were "kitchens", a basin with a capacity of 30 to 40 liters was filled with what we called tea but which was in fact an infused herb to allow us to quench our thirst with this slightly heated to better quench your thirst.
The messes and meals had a manager who made his market where we found practically the same products as in FRANCE with the added bonus of exotic fruits which we had been deprived of during the war.
To access this food, you had to be assigned to an important garrison and above all be a non-commissioned officer or an officer to pay for the meals.
In 1947 and early 1948, we received English rations called "PACIFIC".
These rations came in the form of a wooden crate containing canned goods such as meat, pate, rolley oat (spelling questionable), oatmeal, sugar, tea, a box of biscuits replacing the bread and a round box of 50 PLAYERS brand cigarettes and other ingredients.
This ration box was designed for 6 men if I remember correctly.
Although our tastes are different from the English, the ingredients were edible and even very satisfying when we had time to heat the food.
There were 7 different boxes numbered P1 for Monday, P2 for Tuesday and P7 for Sunday.
The content was very little different from day to day except for the P7, the Sunday one which contained chicken and a huge peach in syrup of Australian origin.
The "problem" is that we never received P7, it was replaced by a box for one day of the week because this Sunday ration rarely left the stewardship who kept them for their staff and the boxes of peaches and chickens were directed to officers' messes.
Then, but only for 2 or 3 months, we received US combat rations called "JUNGLE".
They appeared in the form of 3 metal boxes of 20 x 20 cm and approximately 5 cm in height.
These three boxes represented the contents of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
These rations must originally have been intended for survival in the jungle because we had absolutely nothing to eat.
The food came in the form of sweets, various supercharged biscuits it seems, but our stomachs were really crying out for hunger and we were constantly hungry.
We rushed into the villages in search of rice, possibly chickens, eggs. .. finally everything that was eaten!
We threw OF grenades into the rivers to recover fish, generally catfish that we boiled.
At the end of 1948 or the beginning of 1949, we received the first French rations which improved over the years . time because preserves were rotten (involuntarily or not), moldy "TROUPE" cigarettes for example.
In post, supplies arrived by convoy. The food was frugal to say the least,plenty of rice and boxes of zebu.
No bread, but flour that we mixed with water to obtain a dough that we placed in an oven that we had made for baking; the result was disastrous but it was better than nothing.
We had found a way to improve our fare by seizing everything edible in the villages where we had had to fight the Viets.
The prisoners carried with their pendulums pigs, buffaloes that had to be killed once they arrived at the post, which provoked scenes of unimaginable giggles because there was no butcher among us.
We compensated the village chief with HO CHI MINH piastres that we had seized from the prisoners, this way of acting was strictly forbidden.
We had another way to get a little more food in an equally proscribed way!
We certainly seized HO CHI MINH piastres but sometimes real piastres carefully guarded by our chief of post, Lieutenant Alain RIFFET.
At THUONG DINH, my last post, on RC 1, I carried out the radio links with the central portion which was at BACH MAI.
I asked by radio for ammunition, effects etc to be delivered by the next convoy.
My correspondent was a comrade with whom we established a connection outside the scheduled hours and at night.
I would order him various ingredients, food etc.
When the supply convoy arrived, we unloaded this supplement and Lieutenant RIFFET went to pay the amount of the costs to the convoy leader who reimbursed my comrade. Neither seen nor known.
Each position managed as it could, it was not easy at all