The 5-in-1 ration was a
United States military ration issued from 1942 to the end of
World War II. Procurement ended with the war, though remaining stocks were issued to troops after the war, as well as distributed as surplus in civilian feeding programs overseas. The 5-in-1 specification remained in effect after the war, and was again used in 1948 for a new field ration.
Development, adoption, and use
The 5-in-1 was developed in 1942 by the Subsistence Research Laboratory (SRL) of the
U.S. Army's Quartermaster Corps to fulfill a need for a pre-packaged field ration for use by small motorized combat groups.
The 5-in-1 allowed small groups of
soldiers or large groups divided into multiple units to
cook meals without the need of complex
kitchen utensils or cooking skill. Another objective was to furnish sufficient food to take care of five men for one day. The U.S. Quartermaster Corps' Subsistence Branch originally planned for the rations to be used by troops without immediate kitchen facilities, such as
trains without kitchen cars, motorized infantry, armored vehicle crews, or gun crews.
[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)]
Unlike the
Mountain ration or
Jungle ration, the 5-in-1 was a ration developed solely by the SRL. The 5-in-1's components were packed as a group, with noncanned components placed in a separate carton overpacked in a larger carton with the canned products. Menus were enclosed in the carton as a guide in the selection of meals.
By mid-1943, the ration was the most successful field ration in use in
North Africa. In that same year, the
10-in-1 ration
The 10-in-1 food parcel, commonly known as the 10-in-1 ration, was a field ration prepared for soldiers of the United States Army, intended to provide one meal for 10 men.
Development
Although the possibility of packing the B ration in units of t ...
was developed to replace it, as it offered a wider menu and greater flexibility in small unit issue. Extensive procurement of the 5-in-1 ended the same year. However, use of 5-in-1 stocks continued throughout the war, and the ration was still in distribution when hostilities ended.
Though procurement of the 5-in-1 had ended with the war, the specification remained in effect and later became the basis for a postwar revision in 1948, under which the 5-in-1 nomenclature was reestablished.
Contents
The 5-in-1 ration contained:
*
Beverages
*
Butter spread
* 10 varieties of canned
meat
Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...
combinations
* Canned
bread
Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...
or type V
biscuit
A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be ...
s
*
Can openers
* Cellulose
tape
Tape or Tapes may refer to:
Material
A long, narrow, thin strip of material (see also Ribbon (disambiguation):
Adhesive tapes
* Adhesive tape, any of many varieties of backing materials coated with an adhesive
*Athletic tape, pressure-sensitiv ...
*
Cereal
A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...
*
Cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
spread
*
Dehydrated soup
Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ing ...
s
* 5 varieties of
jam
*
Evaporated milk
*
Fruit
*
Fruit juice
Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...
* Hard
candy
Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English
Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...
*
Paper towels
* 3 varieties of
pudding
Pudding is a type of food. It can be either a dessert or a savoury (salty or spicy) dish served as part of the main meal.
In the United States, ''pudding'' means a sweet, milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, ins ...
*
Soap
*
Sponge
*
Sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
*
Toilet paper
* 6 varieties of
vegetables
*
Water-purification tablets
See also
*
10-in-1 ration
The 10-in-1 food parcel, commonly known as the 10-in-1 ration, was a field ration prepared for soldiers of the United States Army, intended to provide one meal for 10 men.
Development
Although the possibility of packing the B ration in units of t ...
*
K ration
*
C-ration
The C-Ration, or Field Ration, Type C, was a prepared and canned wet combat ration intended to be issued to U.S. military land forces when fresh food ( A-ration) or packaged unprepared food ( B-ration) prepared in mess halls or field kitchens w ...
*
D ration
*
B-ration
The B ration (or Type B Ration) was a type of field ration used in the United States military. Field rations such as the A ration, B ration, and emergency rations consisted of food items issued to troops operating in the field.Ration Breakdown P ...
*
Jungle ration
*
Mountain ration
Notes
External links
Olive-Drab:Field rations
{{USmilitaryrations
Military food of the United States