Countries That Still Issue Chocolate Bars?

[rationtin440]

Not sure how accurate this is but it was rumored once upon a time that chocolate bars were issued not only for morale but also to prevent troops from needing to defecate very often in the field. I think that could lead to severe intestinal issues if water re-supply was questionable, and a bowel impaction from severe constipation would cause a casualty as surely as a bullet. Sorry for gory details.

[fdsman]

Most European countries still include chocolate bars in their field rations.

The French RCIR & RLIC both contain a 25-g bar of chocolate. The Germans, Swiss & Austrians each have a 50-g bar of dark, bittersweet chocolate in their respective ration pack.

The Drytech FR3500 & 4000 issued by both Sweden & Norway include one or tow 40-g bars of chocolate; so do the Finnish Taistelumuonapakkaus and the Danish F1.

Estonian & Latvian ration packs include a small chocolate bar in some menus, as does the Polish W-1 ration. The Czechs issue a small chocolate bar with each Bojova Davka Potravin.

The Belgian Ration de Combats Conditionée/Gevechtsrantsoen Gekonditioneered and the similar Dutch Gevechtsrantsoen both have a 50-g bar of chocolate inside.

The Italian Razione Viveri Speciali da Combattimento packs a chocolate bar with each breakfast menu.

Both the Spanish Racion Individual de Combate and the Portuguese Ração Individual de Combate include a bar of chocolate in some menus.

The Brits used to include a chocolate bar ("Yorkie bar - It's not for Civvies!") in the 24-hour ORP, but the new Multiclimate Ration Pack seems to have dropped these. The Irish Army 24-hour Ration Pack DOES NOT have a chocolate bar, but does include a Kendal mint cake.

The current Russian ration, the IRP-P, includes a small bar of chocolate in some menus, or caramels in others.

The Australian CR1M contains a 50-g bar of chocolate & a 55-g bag of M&Ms, while the New Zealand ORP - 1M24 includes two 40g-chocolate bars.

The Canadians pack some type of commercially-produced chocolate bar in the IMP Lunch menus and in all three LMC menus. Types include: KitKat bar, Creamy Caramel chocolate bar, Cookies & Cream chocolate bar, Mirage bar, or a Frosty Mint chocolate bar.

Other than the Korean Type II Field Ration, which has a 50-g bag of "choco-balls," none of the Asian countries seem to include chocolate with their field rations.

Neither of the former Rhodesian & (apartheid era) South African ration packs included an issued chocolate bar, but personal memoirs from the Rhodesian war indicate that Security Forces in the field were regularly provided with chocolate, particular KitKat bars, as morale items.


The Colombian Ración de Campaña and the similar (packed by the same company, Huerta SA) Chilean Racion de Combate include a bar of chocolate with some menus and an enriched nougat bar with others. The Argentine "Racion para Combate (Individual)" includes chocolate caramels in some menus. The Mexican "soldados individuales diarios combaten comidas" has a 30-g bar of chocolate in some menus, but not all. Neither the former nor the current "Racion Fria" used by Peru includes chocolate.

As far as I can tell, none of the current Brazilian ration packs include chocolate bars in their menus.

Hope this helps.

Would that happen to be a Romney's, Wilson's, or Quiggin's?

[housil]

Not sure how accurate this is but it was rumored once upon a time that chocolate bars were issued not only for morale but also to prevent troops from needing to defecate very often in the field. I think that could lead to severe intestinal issues if water re-supply was questionable, and a bowel impaction from severe constipation would cause a casualty as surely as a bullet.

A side effect of dark bitter chocolate could be some constipation, normal milk chocolade contains too much sugar. This can cause you diarrhea as sugar "pulls" water into your colon thur it´s osmotic.

UK soldiers suffered a lot of causulties from diarrhea at Falkland war.
So I don´t know if they do it on purpose, but it could be a nice sideeffect to prevent soldiers from getting diarrhea - more than suffering from constipation and it will take a couple of days until it knocks you down...
An enema can cure that real quick.
Constipation in the fields is a minor problem vs. loosing too much liquide from diarrhea causing real "casualties" that need medical assistance if it get to worst.

Sorry for gory details.

No pic´s?!

[rationtin440]

Good point housil! Actually alot would have to go very wrong for a soldier to be severely affected by constipation now-a-days, diarrhea is definately the more serious issue.

[rationtin440]

Sorry no pics lol!