Iron ration
An iron ration describes the emergency supply of a limited quantity of goods. This can be, for example, food , fuel or spare parts and the like. In any case, availability is extremely important for the survival of a person or the continued existence of a company or the maintenance of a strategy for action.
Iron ration of the German armies and the Wehrmacht
Iron ration has been the name of the marching and emergency provisions of German armies since the 1860s. Against the background of nutritional science , which has been developing rapidly since the middle of the 19th century , it was intended on the one hand to ensure basic supplies for soldiers, i.e. to enable them to fight in war of movement. On the other hand, the iron ration should be tasty and appetizing, long-lasting, easy to transport, inexpensive and easy to digest. In order to meet these partly contradicting goals, bacon and bread or rusks were served at the beginning, as these could be consumed without being cooked. This ration spoiled quickly and lacked fat and protein. Before the experiences of the wars of 1866 and 1870/71, more and more industrially manufactured products such as pea sausage , press coffee and meat rusks were used. Canned cans hadn't proven their worth at the time, because their shelf life was short . That only changed with massive investments during the First World War . The military canning factories had been producing canned meat and vegetables since the 1870s, but their stocks were only sufficient for the annual autumn maneuvers. The iron ration consisted primarily of meat and soup preparations that were made by private suppliers such as Rudolf Scheller or CH Knorr . Rusks and coffee came up.
The iron ration became scientifically only slowly, supported by a growing number of medical officers . It was not until the end of the 1880s that a chemical laboratory for catering issues was set up at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Berlin . This regularly tested canned meat, soldier's bread and also first ready meals . All of this resulted in the war provisions regulation of 1901. Since then, the iron ration has consisted of three daily servings of 250 grams of field rusks, 200 grams of canned meat and 150 grams of canned vegetables. There were also 25 grams of salt and coffee. Their deficits were particularly evident during the Battle of the Marne in 1914 and the war of movement against Russia .
The iron ration was significantly improved during the massive armament of the Wehrmacht in the 1930s. New foods, such as soy preparations , were introduced, as well as improved preservation techniques such as freezing technology and food drying . The tinned cans have also been significantly improved. The iron ration was geared towards different tasks and optimized for different climatic zones. Although canned food only made up part of the Iron Ration, the name of the march and emergency food remained unchanged during World War II . In the event of failure of regular catering , the specially packaged emergency catering should only be opened and consumed on the express order of the commanding officer . However, this reservation of orders could not be upheld in the course of the war. In the Prussian Army , the pea sausage served as reserve food.
Two iron portions per soldier were carried in the field kitchen or on a supply vehicle. For the Wehrmacht , this iron portion consisted of a standard 300 g bread ration (a pack of hard biscuits , crispbread or rusks ), a 200 g canned meat ( can e.g. ham sausage ), 150 g ready-made meal (e.g. canned vegetable stew or pea sausage ) and 20 g sachets of coffee powder .
The half- iron portion or shortened iron portion consisted only of the packaged bread ration and the canned meat and was carried by every soldier in his knapsack . They too could only be consumed on command.
The composition of the iron and half-iron portion changed in the course of the Second World War with the increasingly poor supply situation. The rations of the individual branches of the army were also different.
In the Wehrmacht, the field catering officer was responsible for supplying and distributing the iron portion.
Iron portion in the NVA
The iron portion (E-Portion) was an emergency food in the National People's Army in the GDR , which was supposed to guarantee the minimum supply of the soldiers in special situations in the event of failure of the food supply. It was only allowed to be opened and consumed on the orders of the commanders of the troop units during maneuvers and exercises, in combat by those responsible for the unit .
An E-serving consisted of 2 × 12 pieces of compressed biscuit bars. 6 bars each, welded in composite film, were located in a telescopic box made of tinplate, which in turn was shrink-wrapped in a polyethylene bag. The energy value was 8400 kJ with a total weight of 600 g. The minimum shelf life was 36 months.
The soldiers of the NVA colloquially called the e-portions “atomic biscuits” because it was assumed that they would be the last supply in the event of an atomic strike.
Animals
In the military, the iron ration was the horse feed ration carried on the horse-drawn wagons of the mounted troop units for emergencies. The iron ration consisted of 5 kg of oats per horse.
See also
literature
- Army Service Regulations 86/1 - Regulations for catering for the Wehrmacht during special operations: Operation Wehrmacht catering regulations . Reichsdruckerei, Berlin June 20, 1940.
- Höhne: The field catering officer, field catering apprenticeship . Bernard & Graefe, Berlin 1942.
- Marlene Hillen (editor): Handbook of basic military knowledge . Military publishing house of the German Democratic Republic, Berlin 1985.
Individual evidence
- ^ Uwe Spiekermann: Artificial food. Nutrition in Germany from 1840 to today . Göttingen 2018, p. 116-123 .
- ↑ Michaelis, Die Conservation des Mannes, Oesterreichische Militärische Zeitschrift 3, 1862, 26–33, 177–190, here 186.
- ^ Field supply service at the higher command authorities, part 1, 2nd edition, Berlin 1909.
- ^ Spiekermann, Artificial Food, 583–601.
- ↑ "Iron portions they are called because this canned food was produced to a large extent before and during the war for the army and navy." Hans Kirchhof: Guide to canning in households and small businesses . Printing and commission publisher Dr. Berger & Hempel, Braunschweig 1936, p. 111 .