How Good Were the Rations for American Soldiers During World War II?

America’s Formidable Military Supply Capability

The issue of food has always been a complex global challenge, especially during the two World Wars of the last century. Almost the entire world was mired in the conflict, with the provision of food, particularly military rations on the front lines, becoming a concern nearly as grave as life and death itself.

During World War II, it was not unusual to hear of soldiers suffering from a lack of sufficient food. However, the United States proved to be an exception. It seemed that the food shortages faced by other countries didn’t apply to the US. While their adversaries and even allies like Japan and Germany were barely getting by, American soldiers were fortunate enough to not only have their fill of food and drink but also to grow weary of high-protein, nutritious canned meat to the point of extravagance, even using Coca-Cola for washing hands.

Canned meat was an indispensable part of the U.S. military’s individual rations and represented one of America’s significant culinary innovations during the war.