Jungle ration
Encyclopedia
The Jungle Ration was a dry, lightweight United States military ration developed by the U.S. Army in World War II for soldiers on extended missions in tropical regions.
The Jungle ration was originally based on foods carried by American civilians, such as geologists and engineers, prior to World War II. Lightweight, ready-to-eat dry foods appealing to American palates and selected for their bulk when rehydrated were included in the menu, such as dried beef, peaches, apricots, and dehydrated whole milk. Water purification tablets were carried in order to purify water required for rehydration and drinking purposes. After extensive field testing in the Panamanian jungles, the Jungle ration was finalized at the U.S. Army Quartermaster Branch's Subsistence Research Laboratory (SRL) in Chicago
, Illinois
, resulting in a daily caloric total of about 4,000 calories, and weighing slightly more than two pounds when packaged for shipping.
The Jungle ration was designed to be compact and to feed four men in one day. A can opener, matches, toilet paper, and cigarettes were packed in each 10-ration waterpoof box. In the original issue of the Jungle ration, all food components were dried or dehydrated and could be decanted from their tins or packages into individually-carried lightweight waterproof bags; this practice greatly decreased the total weight, yet the foods would still keep for several weeks in jungle heat and humidity. In general, it was favorably accepted by soldiers during experiments with the testing platoons in Panama. Among Australian forces, who were briefly issued the ration in New Guinea
, the Jungle ration became known as "the Christmas package" for its varied components, which were appreciated after a steady diet of hardtack
and tins of bully beef.
However, because of its expense and specialized nature, the Jungle ration, like the Mountain ration
, was never popular with the U.S. Army's Quartermaster Command, who were forced to expend additional funds for procurement and storage of what they viewed as an overly expensive, redundant, and limited-issue field ration. The Subsistence Research Laboratory staff in particular criticized the Jungle ration for not being packaged from the processor for immediate distribution to an individual soldier fighting in a foxhole or other defensive position, as for example, the K ration. This criticism arose as a result of the Army and Quartermaster Corps' own failure to incorporate previous infantry field reports and test data to SRL staff and dieticians. As none of the SRL personnel had ever served as infantry foot soldiers carrying their own loads through jungle terrain, they were unaware that the primary rationale of the Jungle ration was to provide a palatable, lightweight dry ration that could be broken down and carried in waterproof bags for extended patrols in heavy jungle.
During its short existence, the Jungle ration was repeatedly altered with heavier, less expensive canned components by the SRL at the direction of Quartermaster Corps staff, defeating the purpose of a lightweight dehydrated ration. Replacement of the dried beef component with processed, tinned pork or beef in 1942, followed by elimination of the dried fruit component, caused a predictable nosedive in the popularity of the Jungle ration. It was finally discontinued completely in 1943 in favor of the K ration. The absence of a lightweight, yet sufficiently nourishing and palatable compact field ration would have serious consequences for some U.S. troops later in the war, most notably the soldiers of Merrill's Marauders
.
Origins, development, and use
Prior to World War II, during field exercises in Panama and other jungle regions, it was determined that standard heavy canned or 'wet' rations were unsuited to soldiers on foot carrying out extended missions in jungle or tropical environments with an abundance of water sources. Testing in Panama by units of the U.S. Army soon discovered that a dry ration that could be easily decanted into waterproof bags for individual use would best suit jungle infantrymen carrying their own supplies while on foot, to be rehydrated as necessary from local water sources.The Jungle ration was originally based on foods carried by American civilians, such as geologists and engineers, prior to World War II. Lightweight, ready-to-eat dry foods appealing to American palates and selected for their bulk when rehydrated were included in the menu, such as dried beef, peaches, apricots, and dehydrated whole milk. Water purification tablets were carried in order to purify water required for rehydration and drinking purposes. After extensive field testing in the Panamanian jungles, the Jungle ration was finalized at the U.S. Army Quartermaster Branch's Subsistence Research Laboratory (SRL) in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, resulting in a daily caloric total of about 4,000 calories, and weighing slightly more than two pounds when packaged for shipping.
The Jungle ration was designed to be compact and to feed four men in one day. A can opener, matches, toilet paper, and cigarettes were packed in each 10-ration waterpoof box. In the original issue of the Jungle ration, all food components were dried or dehydrated and could be decanted from their tins or packages into individually-carried lightweight waterproof bags; this practice greatly decreased the total weight, yet the foods would still keep for several weeks in jungle heat and humidity. In general, it was favorably accepted by soldiers during experiments with the testing platoons in Panama. Among Australian forces, who were briefly issued the ration in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, the Jungle ration became known as "the Christmas package" for its varied components, which were appreciated after a steady diet of hardtack
Hardtack
Hardtack is a simple type of cracker or biscuit, made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. Inexpensive and long-lasting, it was and is used for sustenance in the absence of perishable foods, commonly during long sea voyages and military campaigns. The name derives from the British sailor slang...
and tins of bully beef.
However, because of its expense and specialized nature, the Jungle ration, like the Mountain ration
Mountain ration
The Mountain Ration was a United States military ration developed for use by U.S. troops operating in high-altitude or mountainous regions of the European theater of operations during World War 2.-Origin, Development, and Use:...
, was never popular with the U.S. Army's Quartermaster Command, who were forced to expend additional funds for procurement and storage of what they viewed as an overly expensive, redundant, and limited-issue field ration. The Subsistence Research Laboratory staff in particular criticized the Jungle ration for not being packaged from the processor for immediate distribution to an individual soldier fighting in a foxhole or other defensive position, as for example, the K ration. This criticism arose as a result of the Army and Quartermaster Corps' own failure to incorporate previous infantry field reports and test data to SRL staff and dieticians. As none of the SRL personnel had ever served as infantry foot soldiers carrying their own loads through jungle terrain, they were unaware that the primary rationale of the Jungle ration was to provide a palatable, lightweight dry ration that could be broken down and carried in waterproof bags for extended patrols in heavy jungle.
During its short existence, the Jungle ration was repeatedly altered with heavier, less expensive canned components by the SRL at the direction of Quartermaster Corps staff, defeating the purpose of a lightweight dehydrated ration. Replacement of the dried beef component with processed, tinned pork or beef in 1942, followed by elimination of the dried fruit component, caused a predictable nosedive in the popularity of the Jungle ration. It was finally discontinued completely in 1943 in favor of the K ration. The absence of a lightweight, yet sufficiently nourishing and palatable compact field ration would have serious consequences for some U.S. troops later in the war, most notably the soldiers of Merrill's Marauders
Merrill's Marauders
Merrill’s Marauders or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit , was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, or CBI...
.
Menu contents
The jungle ration was repeatedly altered during its existence, as Quartermaster Corps officers substituted less expensive or heavier canned components (such as evaporated milk). Some known components include:- BiscuitBiscuitA biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
s (HardtackHardtackHardtack is a simple type of cracker or biscuit, made from flour, water, and sometimes salt. Inexpensive and long-lasting, it was and is used for sustenance in the absence of perishable foods, commonly during long sea voyages and military campaigns. The name derives from the British sailor slang...
) - Salted beefBeefBeef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
(1st issue) - A U.S. version of traditional Central and South American carne secaCarne secaCarne seca by meaning is dehydrated beef in Spanish and Portuguese, but the preparation methods and marinating recipes are very different from that of what is normally known in the United States as Beef Jerky....
, using dried high-quality cuts of beef, lightly salted and spiced; this component was one of the first to be eliminated in favor of cheaper, heavier canned meats - Canned meatMeatMeat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
(2nd issue) - tinned beef/pork or pork loaf; some sources indicate pork luncheon meat (SpamSpam (food)Spam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, first introduced in 1937. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrite as a preservative...
) was also a rotating component - PorridgePorridgePorridge is a dish made by boiling oats or other cereal meals in water, milk, or both. It is usually served hot in a bowl or dish...
- (a general term for Grapenuts or other precooked dry cerealCerealCereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
) - FruitFruitIn broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
bars - Chewing gumChewing gumChewing gum is a type of gum traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber known as polyisobutylene. For economical and quality reasons, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle...
- Hard candyCandyCandy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
- Dried apricotApricotThe apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
s - Dried peachPeachThe peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es - LemonLemonThe lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
powder - Cocoa powder (usually combined with KLIM and sugar to make a chocolate drink)
- Roasted salted peanutPeanutThe peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s - Whole powdered milkPowdered milkPowdered milk is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying milk is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and does not need to be refrigerated, due to its low moisture content. Another purpose is to reduce its bulk for...
(KLIMKLIM (Nestlé)KLIM is a brand of powdered milk under the Nestlé stable, acquired in 1998 from Borden, which is popular world-wide, particularly in Central America and is incorporated as a staple in Hispanic recipes in the United States...
) - RaisinRaisinRaisins are dried grapes. They are produced in many regions of the world. Raisins may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking and brewing...
s - SaltEdible saltSalt, also known as table salt, or rock salt, is a mineral that is composed primarily of sodium chloride , a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of ionic salts. It is essential for animal life in small quantities, but is harmful to animals and plants in excess...
- Black pepperBlack pepperBlack pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
- Instant coffeeInstant coffeeInstant coffee, also called soluble coffee and coffee powder, is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans. Instant coffee is commercially prepared by either freeze-drying or spray drying, after which it can be rehydrated...
- White sugarSugarSugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
- CigaretteCigaretteA cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s - Toilet paperToilet paperToilet paper is a soft paper product used to maintain personal hygiene after human defecation or urination. However, it can also be used for other purposes such as blowing one's nose when one has a cold or absorbing common spills around the house, although paper towels are more used for the latter...
See also
- LRP rationLRP rationThe Food Packet, Long Range Patrol or "LRP ration" was a U.S. Army special field ration. It was developed in 1964 during the Vietnam War for use by Special Operations troops on long patrols deep in enemy territory, where the bulky canned MCI ration proved too heavy for extended missions while...
- Mountain rationMountain rationThe Mountain Ration was a United States military ration developed for use by U.S. troops operating in high-altitude or mountainous regions of the European theater of operations during World War 2.-Origin, Development, and Use:...
- United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- K-rationK-rationThe K-ration was an individual daily combat food ration which was introduced by the United States Army during World War II. It was originally intended as an individually packaged daily ration for issue to airborne troops, tank corps, motorcycle couriers, and other mobile forces for short durations...
- Meal, Ready-to-Eat