Rations

Verpflegung des Soldaten (Soldiers Rations)

Verpflegung im Frieden (Provisions in peacetime)

Translated the menu is approximately as follows:

Day	Morning Meal	Portion size  (g)	Midday Meal	Portion Size (g)	Evening Meal	Portion size (g)
Monday	Coffee	10	Rice soup Beef goulash, fat boiled potatoes celery salad, oil, vinegar	20 130, 20 1500 200	Coffee pork lard liver sausage	10 50 100
Tuesday	Coffee	10	Semolina soup  calf roast, fat boiled potatoes peas with carrots	20 140, 20 1500 200	Tea, sugar Butter Cheese	2, 50 50 100
Wednesday	Coffee	10	Noodle soup Meatballs, fat boiled potatoes spinach, bacon	20 140, 20 1500 200	Coffee Margarine Eggs	10 50 3
Thursday	Coffee	10	Rice soup pork roast, fat boiled potatoes salt, cucumber	20 140, 20 1500 1	Coffee Pork lard Bacon sausage	10 50 100
Friday	Coffee	10	Vegetable canned food soup roast beef, fat boiled potatoes Cabbage, turnips	30 140, 20 1500 200	Tea, sugar Butter Edamer Cheese	2, 50 50 100
Saturday	Coffee	10	Bean soup potatoes bacon	170 800 120	Coffee Margarine Sardines in oil	10 50 1 tin
Sunday	Coffee	10	Milk soup pork cutlet, fat  boiled potatoes Apple sauce	20 140, 20 1500 200	Cocoa, sugar Butter Pork sausage	20, 50 50 100

The gram portions in coffee, tea, cocoa do not indicate respectively the quantity of the coffee etc., the quantity of the prepared drink. The grams size in the soups (rice, semolina, noodles) indicate the quantity of the respective soup served in addition to the other ingredients such as broth, spices.  Moreover, every soldier received where available 750 grams of bread daily (for breakfast and supper) and margarine and jams were included with the morning meals. The provisions cost for the full day provisions lay between 1.35 and 1.50 RM per soldier.  Noticeable by todays standards is the complete lack of fresh fruit and the small amount of salad and milk products included in the soldiers diet.

Verpflegung im Kriege (wartime rations) 

How to produce your own 'Eiserne Portion'

One of our group, Andy, has been using the close season to come up with what we think is a fair representation of a useable 'Eiserne Portion' for our future events.

Whilst carrying out extensive research on this subject he found some conflicting information about the iron ration, however, he is fairly happy that it would have consisted of the following items:

Preserved meat (tinned) 200g
Preserved vegatables (tinned) 150g
'Zweiback' (twice baked biscuits) 250g
Coffee 25g
Salt 25g

This would have been packed together in a bag and sealed and was not to be opened by the troops unless ordered to do so by higher command.

Andy has used modern equivalents and all are edible, you will be able to work out where they come from by the photos!

The labels have been completed on a computer and in some instances copied from other re-enactors websites where they have given permission to do so. The labels have been printed onto brown ribbed packing paper and were cut to size and this gives a nice period look.

The tins have been sprayed in a grey primer colour to give them a German military feel. The paper bag used to complete the wrapping of the iron ration was also made from brown ribbed packing paper.

We think it's a good representative of the actual 'Eiserne Portion' which would have been issued to the troops of the 116th Panzer Division and are happy to share this information with you, please feel free to copy the portion and add it to your own impression!