"K" rations and MRE'S

[GunnerGleadall]

From 1967 to 1970, I was stationed at the 3rd RCHA, Winnipeg, Manitoba and when our Battery was on exercise, we desperately tried to enjoy those tasty meals that were supplied in our “K” rations.  The only problem was that all of the rations at that time were dated 1953 and 1954.  By then, the Hershey chocolate bars had turned to dust.

I know that soldiers today get fresh MRE’s to eat, but please tell me that the soldiers after 1970 didn't have to eat twenty-year-old rations.

 

[MikeL]

MREs are American rations,  sometimes we do get them - training in the US,  getting them on Operation, etc  The Canadian rations are IMPs,  and by fresh,  well depends on your view of it.  Sometimes you get ones made in the current year,  or they could be a few years old.  But I guess they would be considered "fresh" if the rations you were eating were 10+ years old.

 

[GAP]

Don't feel bad....in the same time period we were eating C rations dated 1943. Other than the taste, they were fine.... :nod:

 

[GunnerGleadall]

What does "IMP" stand for with regards to rations?

 

[mariomike]

What does "IMP" stand for with regards to rations?

IMP: Individual Meal Packets: Pre-packaged field rations
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/27637.0

 

[George Wallace]

From 1967 to 1970, I was stationed at the 3rd RCHA, Winnipeg, Manitoba and when our Battery was on exercise, we desperately tried to enjoy those tasty meals that were supplied in our “K” rations.  The only problem was that all of the rations at that time were dated 1953 and 1954.  By then, the Hershey chocolate bars had turned to dust.

I know that soldiers today get fresh MRE’s to eat, but please tell me that the soldiers after 1970 didn't have to eat twenty-year-old rations.

Perhaps then you remember the RP4s and then the IRPs as well as the LRRPs.

 

[Dissident]

I am fuzzy on the details since this is a second hand story, but a friend/boss/coworker related that he ate (amongst other things) 1950 labelled Russian tin canned rations on roto 2 (1991?) in former Yugoslavia, while on a UN tour.

He maintains that the sight of Cheese Wiz made him sick for years afterward.

As a reservist I was never issued any IMPs/rations labelled anything more than 3 years after the production date. Lately it has been less than 2 years or so.

 

[Tank Troll]

We had French rations in Bosnia in 92 on ROTO 0 then again in 94. They came in a big Sardine like cans that you peeled the top back on. They were alright not a lot of food in them. I don't remember seeing any Russian rations unless he trades for them. We also had Brit Rations when we went to there camps. The Malaysians invited us to eat with them.....................but we passed  :boke:

 

[Old Sweat]

I've eaten Brit, American, Italian and Norwegian hard rations. All had a few good points and a number of bad points, depending on personal taste. For that matter so did Canadian hard rations from the 50s, 60s and 70s. One of my favorite meal combinations was invented as a dismounted FOO with 1 RHC in Gagetown. Take a packet of instant mashed potatoes and add lukewarm water from the waterbottle along with seasoning. Eat it with a plastic spoon and then put the spoon to work doing the same with a can of fruit cocktail with a packet or two of sugar added. It may not have been super nutritious, but it was filling and provided lots of fuel for the body and soul.

 

[Rifleman62]

We had, as we were BAOR (British Army of the Rhine), in 1968 British Compo rations 1952-54. Everything in tins. Sweets and Cadberry chocolate bars as if made yesterday. Lots of beans! Brits like their beans in tomato sauce (number one consumer of).

Lots of stuff was thrown away if it could not be bartered for eggs. Buried in a pit, which the Germans  dug up when we left.

In 1985 on a Medicine Man with the Royal Green Jackets, I was honored to have the attached Gurkhas made a last meal for me when I was leaving. We all sat around on our haunches and ate chicken, rice and curry. It was almost my last meal.

In the US BX's I have been in, you can purchase MRE's or the condiments (fruit and nuts/water flavors like strawberry etc).

 

[Dissident]

We had French rations in Bosnia in 92 on ROTO 0 then again in 94. They came in a big Sardine like cans that you peeled the top back on. They were alright not a lot of food in them. I don't remember seeing any Russian rations unless he trades for them. We also had Brit Rations when we went to there camps. The Malaysians invited us to eat with them.....................but we passed  :boke:

I had another buddy on roto 0, he never mentioned the food.

But my roto 2 friend did also talk about French ration which were issued without the wine.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I had another buddy on roto 0, he never mentioned the food.

But my roto 2 friend did also talk about French ration which were issued without the wine.

Had French rations, a couple of times, in Germany early 70's. The wine was the only good thing about them, and it wasn't very good wine.

 

[Kat Stevens]

We had French rations in Bosnia in 92 on ROTO 0 then again in 94. They came in a big Sardine like cans that you peeled the top back on. They were alright not a lot of food in them. I don't remember seeing any Russian rations unless he trades for them. We also had Brit Rations when we went to there camps. The Malaysians invited us to eat with them.....................but we passed  :boke:

I was in 41 Fd Sqn of 4CER for ROTO 0.  We were in Vukovar and were co loc'd with a company of Russians.  We never had the guts to eat their food, and their troops were forbidden from being anywhere near the mess hall during our feeding hours,  I maintain that this was to prevent mutiny.  We tried their hard rats on a dare, not bad if you're a cat or a sable, not so good for growing boys.  Belgian RATS were pretty good, heavy on the pate', and the Nigerians RATS consisted of a wire crate full of chickens.

 

[George Wallace]

......, and the Nigerians RATS consisted of a wire crate full of chickens.

You really didn't want to know what was in MALBAT rations.......Chickens was only part of their supplement.  We had to burn all the tentage on handover to their locations......Platoon houses were covered in smoke/soot.

 

[SprCForr]

Down at NEPBAT (Roto 1) for a few weeks.

"What's for supper?"
"Goat stew."
"What's this in my bowl then?"
"Huh, that would be part of the tomcat."

The sight of those two Nepalese cooks standing on the goat carcass hacking away with an E-tool and tossing the chunks into a boiling pot was a real eye opener for some.

 

[FJAG]

From 1967 to 1970, I was stationed at the 3rd RCHA, Winnipeg, Manitoba and when our Battery was on exercise, we desperately tried to enjoy those tasty meals that were supplied in our “K” rations.  The only problem was that all of the rations at that time were dated 1953 and 1954.  By then, the Hershey chocolate bars had turned to dust.

I know that soldiers today get fresh MRE’s to eat, but please tell me that the soldiers after 1970 didn't have to eat twenty-year-old rations.

I think George Wallace is right. You are probably remembering RP-4s as those were used throughout Canada at that time.

1 RCHA in Germany frequently had K Rations after moving south to Lahr. I was on a flyover with Z Bty in 1980 and was employed as a FAC on a REFORGER. They issued my driver and I about a months supply of K Rations which were all Korea War surplus (I remember having a 1952 can of pound cake once.) Mercifully I spent most of the time attached to two different German divisional headquarters and got to eat with them instead. My young French Canadian driver hated German food but loved the K Rations -- go figure.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

We ate MRE's in europe when  was on Reforger exercise 84, 86. I recall getting our first IMP's during an exercise around 83-84. Might have been nice to tell us we were getting new rations rather than having the box handed to us in the dark at 11:00pm to figure how to issue and use them. I missed the canned bacon, but not the powdered tea. From the MRE's I still have the packaged brownie, even then it was hard enough to beat a man to death with.

 

[my72jeep]

I miss the Killer can openers that came with the IRP's I think I down to my last one.

 

[fraserdw]

I still have my last can opener from my last 24 hour IMP issued in 1982!  I too miss the canned bacon but they now sell it in foil wrapers at Sobeys so I take bacon canoeing all the time!

 

[jollyjacktar]

I still have my last can opener from my last 24 hour IMP issued in 1982!  I too miss the canned bacon but they now sell it in foil wrapers at Sobeys so I take bacon canoeing all the time!

World Famous brand camping gear sells the same type of opener.  The IMP one's were the best damn opener anywhere as far as I'm concerned.  What I miss the most from those rations is the cheese, liverwurst, and the honey in the squeeze tube.  Yes, and that delicious salty bacon too.  Mind you the ravioli was excellent as well.  Heated up nicely on the manifold of my duce during fire missions.