C combat ration is a canned, pre-made wet ration. C combat ration was first proposed by the U.S. Army as a type of individual combat food to provide soldiers with food needs in harsh battlefield environments. C rations have been available since 1938.
It was developed and officially put into service in the army in 1940. The U.S. Army's C combat ration specifically requires it to be designed for troops under actual combat conditions without field canteens. It is required to be easy to carry by individual soldiers and meet the nutritional and caloric needs of three meals.
C rations are generally in boxes, with 48 cans per box, which are supplied to 8 team soldiers. C combat rations are packaged in 6 small tin cans and an accessory bag. Three of the tin cans contain meat.
Officially called the M component. The other three tin cans are cereal foods, officially called the B component. Six cans constitute a day's ration. In most cases, the US military eats it as a cold meal, but it can also be heated and eaten if conditions permit.
Ingredient B has a variety of formulas: biscuits, mixed compressed oatmeal, sugar-coated peanuts or raisins, instant coffee, cane sugar, instant lemon powder or orange powder, fruit sugar, jam, cocoa drink powder and brown milk sugar. The logistics staff prepare meals according to
Different ingredients can be added to different recipes. For example, the combination plan No. B1 is: biscuits, compressed mixed cereal, coffee, sugar cubes, and sugar-coated peanuts. The combination plan B4 is the same as No. B1, except that chocolate beans are used instead of sugar-coated peanuts.
There are many recipes for M ingredients: meat and beans, meat and vegetables, meat and macaroni, bacon, eggs and potatoes, meat and noodles, pork and rice, sausage and beans, pork and beans, bacon and
Lima beans, chicken and vegetables. These are cooked and packaged in tin cans, packed in wooden boxes or cartons and shipped to the front line. Logistics staff prepare meals based on different meal plans. For example: M1 combination plan includes ham
, eggs and potatoes, meat and beans, chicken, vegetables; the M4 combination plan includes pork and beans, meat, macaroni, ham, and lima beans.