Editing C-ration (section)

==Field ration, Type C (1938–1945)==
The original Type C ration, commonly known as the C-ration, was intended to replace the Reserve Ration as a short-term individual ration designed for short use,<ref name="Rations in Review, 1946">Longino, James C. (Col.), [http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/WWII/rations_in_review.htm ''Rations in Review''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218005924/http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/WWII/rations_in_review.htm |date=2013-02-18 }}, The Quartermaster Review, May–June 1946: Col. Longino noted that the C ration was designed for continuous use of between three days (early Type C) and twenty-one days (revised Type C).</ref> to be supplemented by the [[United States military chocolate|D-ration]] emergency ration.

Development of a replacement for the Reserve Ration was undertaken by the newly formed Quartermaster Subsistence Research and Development Laboratory in Chicago in 1938 with the aim of producing a ration that was more palatable, nutritionally balanced, and had better keeping qualities.<ref>Moran, Barbara, [http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1998/1/1998_1_10_print.shtml ''Dinner Goes to War: The long battle for edible combat rations is finally being won''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122032858/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1998/1/1998_1_10_print.shtml |date=2007-11-22 }}, American Heritage XIV:1  (Summer, 1998). Retrieved April 14, 2009.</ref>

The first C-ration consisted of a {{convert|16|oz}} 'meat' unit (M-unit) (reduced to {{convert|12|oz}}  after being field tested during the 1940 [[Louisiana maneuvers]]). In the initial C-ration, there were only three variations of the main course: meat and beans, meat and potato hash, or meat and vegetable stew. Also issued was one bread-and-dessert can, or B-unit. Each daily ration (i.e. enough food for one soldier for one day) consisted of six {{convert|12|oz|abbr=on}} cans (three M-units and three B-units), while an individual meal consisted of one M-unit and one B-unit. The original oblong can was replaced with the more common cylindrical design in June 1939 due to mass production problems with the former shape of can.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

The {{convert|12|oz|abbr=on}} C-ration can was about {{convert|4.4|in|cm}} tall and {{convert|3|in|cm}} in diameter. It was made of non-corrugated [[tinplate]], had a visible tin solder seam, and incorporated an opening strip. A [[Can opener#Twist-key can-opener|key]] for use on the opening strip was soldered to the base of every B unit can.

The first C-ration cans had an aluminized finish, but in late 1940, this was changed to a gold lacquer finish to improve corrosion resistance. There was noticeable variation in the depth of gold color in World War II vintage cans, because of the large number of suppliers involved. Late in the war this was changed to drab green paint, which remained standard through the remainder of the C-ration's service life, as well as that of the MCI.

During the war, soldiers frequently requested that the cylindrical cans be replaced with flat, rectangular ones (similar to a sardine can), comparable to those used in the earliest versions of contemporary [[K ration]]s, because of their compactness and packability; but this was deemed impractical because of the shortage of commercial machinery available to produce rectangular cans. After 1942 the K ration too, reverted to the use of small round cans.<ref name="Longino, James C. 1946">Longino, James C. (Col.), ''Rations in Review'', The Quartermaster Review, May–June 1946.</ref>

Initially, C-ration cans were marked only with paper labels, which soon fell off and made a guessing game out of evening meals; US Soldiers and Marines receiving an unpopular menu item several nights in a row often found themselves powerless to bargain for a more palatable one.<ref name="Henry, Mark R 2000 pp. 20-21">Henry, Mark R. and Chappell, Mike, ''The US Army in World War II (1): The Pacific'', Osprey Publishing (2000), {{ISBN|978-1855329959}}, pp. 20–21</ref>

The C-ration was, in general, not well liked by U.S. [[United States Army|Army]] or [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]] forces in World War II, who found the cans heavy and cumbersome, and the menu monotonous after a short period of time.<ref name="The Doctor's Lounge 1979, p.14">The Doctor's Lounge, ''Goodbye to the C Ration'', Bulletin of the Muscogee County (Georgia) Medical Society, March 1979, Vol. XXVI No. 3, p. 14</ref><ref>Koehler, Franz A., ''Special Rations for the Armed Forces: Army Operational Rations – A Historical Background'', QMC Historical Studies, Historical Branch, Office of the Quartermaster General, Washington, D.C. (1958)</ref> There were also inevitable problems with product consistency given the large number of suppliers involved and the pressures of wartime production. When issued to British or other Commonwealth forces formerly issued hardtack and [[bully beef]]-type rations, the C-ration was initially accepted, but monotony also became a chief complaint after a few days of consumption.<ref>Bean, William B, ''Field Test of Acceptability and Adequacy of U.S. Army C, K, 10-In-1, and Canadian Army Mess Tin Rations'', Final Report Classification No. AD0658648, Army Medical Research Lab, Fort Knox, KY (22 November 1944)</ref> Australian forces tended to dislike the C-ration, finding the canned food items generally bland, overly soft in texture, and unappealing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-food/c-rations.htm|title=C Rations & D Rations from WW2 and Korea}}</ref> Originally intended only for infrequent use, the exigencies of combat sometimes forced supply authorities to make the C-ration the only source of sustenance for several weeks in succession. In 1943, a ration board reviewing medical examinations of soldiers after long-term use of C-rations recommended that they be restricted to a maximum of five continuous days in the absence of supplementation with other rations.<ref>Youmans, John B. (Dr.), ''Preventive Medicine in World War II'', Vol III: Personal Health Measures and Immunization – Chapter IV – Nutrition, U.S. Army Medical Publications, U.S. Government Printing Office (1969), p. 129</ref>

While the initial specification was officially declared obsolete in 1945, and production of all Type C rations ended in 1958, existing stockpiles of both original and revised Type C rations continued to be issued to troops serving in [[Korean War|Korea]] and even as late as the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>''C-Rations: Meal, Combat Individual'', [http://www.foxco-2ndbn-9thmarines.com/c-rations.htm Article] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501044308/http://www.foxco-2ndbn-9thmarines.com/c-rations.htm |date=2013-05-01 }}</ref> A Marine tank commander serving in Vietnam in 1968 noted his unit was frequently supplied with older stocks of C-rations, complete with early 1950s dates on the cans.<ref>Peavey, Robert E., ''Praying for Slack: A Marine Corps Tank Commander in Vietnam'', Zenith Imprint Press (2004), {{ISBN|978-0760320501}}, p. 190:</ref>

==="M" Unit===
The M-unit contained a [[canning|canned]] [[entrée]] originally made of stew meat (a mixture of beef and pork) seasoned with salt, various spices, and chopped onions. They initially came in three varieties: Meat Stew with Beans, [[Hash (food)|Meat with Vegetable Hash]], and Meat Stew with Vegetables (carrots and potatoes). The commonplace nature of the menu was intentional, and designed to duplicate the menu items (e.g., [[Hash (food)|hash]], stews, etc.) soldiers were normally served as A- or B-rations in Army mess halls.

Another new menu item, "Meat & Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce", was added in 1943. In late 1944 "Chopped Ham, Egg, and Potato", "Meat and Noodles", "Pork and Rice", "Frankfurters and Beans", "Pork and Beans", "Ham and [[Lima Bean]]s", and "Chicken and Vegetables" were introduced in an attempt to increase the C-rations' period of continuous use. The unpopular Meat Hash and equally unpopular experimental "[[Mutton]] [[Stew]] with Vegetables" meal were dropped. In the final revision, "Beef Stew with Vegetables" was added in 1945. By all accounts, after the meat hash and mutton stew, the Ham and Lima Beans entrée was the most unpopular; despite continued negative field reports, it inexplicably remained a standard entrée item not only during World War II, but also during the [[Korean War]] and [[Vietnam War]].<ref>Granfield, Linda, ''I Remember Korea: Veterans Tell Their Stories of the Korean War, 1950–53'', Clarion Books, 2003. {{ISBN|978-0618177400}}, p. 48: Troops often gave away the ''Ham and Lima Beans'' cans to starving civilians, who after recognizing the contents, sometimes threw them back at the soldiers.</ref>

==="B" Unit===
[[Image:C Ration B unit (1941) with contents.jpg|thumb|right|300px|An opened 1941 B unit with contents: cellophane wrapped chocolate [[fudge]], three [[Biscuit|biscuits]], three pressed [[sugar cube]]s, and a small tin of [[instant coffee]]]]The B-unit (bread and dessert portion) contained several calorie-dense [[Cracker (food)|crackers]], 3 sugar tablets, 3 [[dextrose]] energy tablets, and a packet or small can of beverage mix (instant coffee; powdered synthetic lemon drink, containing the rations' main source of [[vitamin C]]; or [[Meat extract|bouillon soup powder]]). Later revisions added orange drink powder (1944), [[Hot chocolate|sweetened cocoa powder]] (1944), and grape drink powder (1945), all enriched with vitamin C, to the list of beverages. In 1941, the energy tablets were replaced with loose [[candy]], such as candy-coated peanuts or raisins, Charms hard candy, or Brachs chocolate or vanilla caramels. Due to spoilage, the loose candy was replaced in 1944 with a chocolate disk (e.g., Brachs fudge disk) or a cookie sandwich (e.g., Jim Dandee), and the number of biscuits was reduced to 4.

Another B-unit, consisting of pre-mixed [[oatmeal]] [[Breakfast cereal|cereal]], was introduced in 1944 as a breakfast ration that was usually paired with the "Ham, Egg, and Potato" Meal.

===Accessory pack===
The inclusion of additional accessories and condiments led to the development of an accessory package.<ref>Koehler, Franz A., Special Rations for the Armed Forces: Army Operational Rations – A Historical Background, QMC Historical Studies, Historical Branch, Office of the Quartermaster General, Washington, D.C. (1958)</ref>

The brown [[butcher paper]] accessory pack contained [[sugar]] tablets, [[Portable water purification#Halazone tablets|halazone]] water purification tablets (for a brief period in 1945), a flat [[wood]]en [[spoon]], a piece of [[Chiclets|candy-coated]] [[chewing gum]], 3 "short" sample 3-packs or one "long" sample 9-pack of commercial-grade [[cigarette]]s and a book of 20 cardboard moisture-resistant matches, a paper-wrapped [[P-38 can opener]] printed with instructions for its proper use, and typically 22.5 sheets of [[toilet paper]] (compared to 3 sheets for the British Army).<ref>Kennedy, David M.,[https://books.google.com/books?id=jq8pm--mAuwC&q=My+library+My+History+Books+on+Google+Play+The+American+People+in+World+War+II:+Freedom+from+Fear,+Part+Two] "The American People in World War II: Freedom from Fear: Part Two", Oxford University Press, 2003, p. 288</ref> The P-38 can openers were generally worn on the GI's [[Dog tag (identifier)|"dog tag"]] chain for convenience.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Borch |first=Fred L. |date=January 8, 2012 |title=The P-38 Pocket Can Opener Was an Army and Marine Icon |url=https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/the-p-38-pocket-can-opener-was-an-army-and-marine-icon/ |access-date=2022-07-30 |website=Defense Media Network |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1945, the accessory pack was modified. Per the order of the Surgeon General, the [[halazone]] tablets were removed and [[salt]] tablets were added. Also, feedback from the field revealed that some soldiers opened up accessory packs just to get the cigarettes and threw away the rest of the items. To reduce waste, the accessory pack was now divided into the short pack with cigarettes and matches, and the long pack containing the other accessories.{{cn|date=June 2019}}

Cigarette brands issued included [[Camel Cigarettes|Camel]], Chelsea, [[Chesterfield (cigarette)|Chesterfield]], [[Craven A]], [[Lucky Strike]], [[Old Gold (cigarette)|Old Gold]], [[Philip Morris USA|Philip Morris]], [[John Player & Sons|Player's]], Raleigh, and [[Wings (cigarette)|Wings]].{{cn|date=June 2019}}

===Crates===
The rations came packed in a small rectangular wooden crate that weighed 40 lbs. and had a volume of 1.12 cubic feet. Each crate contained 8 daily rations of 3 meals each for a total of 24 M-units, 24 B-units, and 24 accessory packs.

Early rations came with a variety of 8 ''Meat and Beans'', 8 ''Meat & Vegetable Hash'', and 8 ''Meat & Vegetable Stew'' M-units and 24 B-units. Later rations (c. 1944–1945) added a breakfast meal of 8 ''Chopped Ham, Egg, & Potato'' M-units and 8 ''Compressed Cereal'' B-units in place of the ''Meat and Vegetable Hash''. Alternate M-unit menu items came packed in cases of 24 M-units (and 24 B-units) rather than a mixed 8-8-8 menu like the main items.