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Post by luftwelle93 on Sept 15, 2014 17:02:25 GMT -5
I plan on doing a WW2 German camping sortie sometime soon and want as much authentic experience as possible.I want to know if there is any information I can find on what a German soldier usually ate or cooked,particularly 1944-1945.I plan on using an Esbit as well so I would love to learn some cooking recipes too.This would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
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Post by insterburger on Sept 15, 2014 19:43:02 GMT -5
From what I've learned researching and talking to veterans, field kitchen rations were generally the rule even late into the war, with a heavy reliance on soups and stews that became thinner and thinner as things went south for the Reich. Real coffee was extremely rare, with an "ersatz" coffee derived from beets and chickory being a common hot beverage both at the front and elsewhere. An article with excellent insight into the German food situation: German Rations at the FrontTinned rations were used, but were supposed to be for emergency only. Read the following article for some more great info: Tinned Meat in the German Army RationIf you're looking for "as much authentic experience as possible," the best suggestion would probably be to bring no food at all!
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Post by luftwelle93 on Sept 15, 2014 21:21:47 GMT -5
From what I've learned researching and talking to veterans, field kitchen rations were generally the rule even late into the war, with a heavy reliance on soups and stews that became thinner and thinner as things went south for the Reich. Real coffee was extremely rare, with an "ersatz" coffee derived from beets and chickory being a common hot beverage both at the front and elsewhere. An article with excellent insight into the German food situation: German Rations at the FrontTinned rations were used, but were supposed to be for emergency only. Read the following article for some more great info: Tinned Meat in the German Army RationIf you're looking for "as much authentic experience as possible," the best suggestion would probably be to bring no food at all! A brilliant site with goodies of information thanks for sharing :)I was afraid that the food would be meager and as history has it that is what happens when you are in a total war on a losing side.I want to bring as little food as possible for the experience.It will give me a good insight of what it must of been like to have been a German soldat in WW2.I plan on digging a foxhole and spending a night in it with what rations I have to keep me through the day.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Sept 16, 2014 16:12:05 GMT -5
To support whatever rations were available soldiers in every war scavange whatever they can so eggs gathered at a farm (seldom available) or meager cheese and bread confiscated from a civilian would enhance what the war machine was able to provide. The German soldiers were always amazed at how wellfedand equippped US soldiers were. They were especially impressed with their little coleman stoves and self sufficiency.
You will find your foxhole stay quite miserable and probably quite boring actually. You no doubt will discover just how long a night can be (especially if the weather is foul) and you will be better prepared to understand what life must have been like when such conditions stretched for days, weeks and even months.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Sept 16, 2014 17:10:01 GMT -5
To support whatever rations were available soldiers in every war scavange whatever they can so eggs gathered at a farm (seldom available) or meager cheese and bread confiscated from a civilian would enhance what the war machine was able to provide. The German soldiers were always amazed at how wellfedand equippped US soldiers were. They were especially impressed with their little coleman stoves and self sufficiency. You will find your foxhole stay quite miserable and probably quite boring actually. You no doubt will discover just how long a night can be (especially if the weather is foul) and you will be better prepared to understand what life must have been like when such conditions stretched for days, weeks and even months.Oh yeah most definitely.This is a very good reason to do this because we all must remember what they went through.I found a site that sells repro food from various wars and thinking about getting their coffee pack and a can of meat.I will also bring a can of those German chocolates but only one can.And I will bring a small amount of cheese or bread like you said.I will get my basic kit set up once I obtain it including a wool blanket.
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Sept 16, 2014 19:33:21 GMT -5
Most units would have a field kitchen somewhere. Generally, theyd have 1 hot meal a day, the other two being bread and sandwiches or something of the like. For the hot meal, potatoes and meat with vegetables in a sort of stew is very common to have.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Sept 16, 2014 19:58:09 GMT -5
Most units would have a field kitchen somewhere. Generally, theyd have 1 hot meal a day, the other two being bread and sandwiches or something of the like. For the hot meal, potatoes and meat with vegetables in a sort of stew is very common to have. I guess the stew doesn't sound too bad :DI would probably bring a small bit of that with me.This is all interesting stuff!
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stuka
Sergeant
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Post by stuka on Sept 16, 2014 21:55:04 GMT -5
Most units would have a field kitchen somewhere. Generally, theyd have 1 hot meal a day, the other two being bread and sandwiches or something of the like. For the hot meal, potatoes and meat with vegetables in a sort of stew is very common to have. I heard that werchmat soldiers were guaranteed at least one hot meal a day, was this true?Or at least said?
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Sept 16, 2014 23:30:36 GMT -5
Guarantee is a lofty promise that often was not kept.
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Post by insterburger on Sept 17, 2014 5:37:53 GMT -5
Guarantee is a lofty promise that often was not kept. Amen. Read the Erste Zug article link above. It relates that soldiers sometimes went days without ANY food resupply, let alone hot rations. I know from speaking to vets that similar situations regularly occurred in the East as well. From a combination of stories and common sense, it appears that the German Verpflegungsdienst could generally get hot food to soldiers when lines were static, although what they got was often substandard, especially later in the war as food supplies were stretched thin. The meat, potatoes and vegetables that Issah describes would more likely be a thin broth, and what solid food was in it would rely heavily on cabbage and potatoes, often with just a tiny bit of fatty meat. When German troops were in flux-- either on the advance or in retreat-- the stories all seem to revolve around soldiers not getting their hot food at all, getting it only every few days, or having it arrive very late and very cold. These stories seem pretty consistent on both the Eastern and Western fronts, and even earlier in the war. From everything I've seen, the German Verpflegungsdienst was simply not very effective in resupplying troops in fluid situations.
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Sept 17, 2014 16:41:14 GMT -5
Stuke, that is IF you had a field kitchen near you, as I said in my post.
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