Hello;
The German Army severely disrupted supply lines during the Bulge campaign and rations were very sparse a good part of that Battle.
Until then, we had K, C and D Bar rations. For emergency purposes, a Soldier carried D bars with him. If I remember correctly, I had two D Bars stored in a small pouch on my Ammunition Belt.
Armored vehicles, particularly tanks, had ten-in-one rations stockpiled on them.
I remember a day, and there were many times, when our Company had no rations at all; only what a soldier may have been carrying with him at the time. Suddenly, several Sherman Tanks rumbled by and one of the men in our squad snatched a ten-in-one ration off of it.
That ration had enough food in it to feed ten men. When our Company reached a stopping point (ten minute break), the box of rations was opened and the contents were passed out to our squad members. I received one can of
??. There was no way to identify the contents. I shook it and it felt very solid. My taste buds began salivating and my imagination determined that it must be a can of ham, or spam. Yet, until our Company reached a place where we would remain for a while, there was no time to open it.
At last the Company reached an area where we would remain for the night.
Now I could think about removing the lid from that can of what ever it was, which I envisioned as meat.
However, first things first and that was to dig a foxhole. The ground was froze to a depth of around eighteen inches. Consequently, that consumed some time and effort. With German artillery fire bursting in treetops nearby I had a good incentive to complete the task A.S.A.P.
To say the least, digging a foxhole in that terrain was not easy, as plenty of clay-like material and shale was mixed in with the soil. The task was almost finished when it was necessary to lay my entrenching tool aside in order to take care of a personal chore. While doing so, an artillery missile exploded in a nearby treetop spreading shrapnel and debris in all directions. In less time than it takes to write about, this Soldier hurried back to his almost completed foxhole only to discover a fellow Soldier occupying it. - - - Earlier in the evening he had rejected the idea of digging a hole just for one night and accused me of being a scardy-cat for digging one. In no uncertain terms, I informed him that in an emergency he was to let me in the hole first, then he was welcome to pile in on top of me.
Finally, the hole was finished, head and shoulders deep and my appetite was considerably sharpened. I opened the can only to discover that it was frozen solid.
Immediately, the can was placed between my thighs to thaw the contents out.
By the wee hours of the new day I was able to scoop out a bite with my fingers. My taste buds were adjusted for a bite of ham, or spam.
The next moments were not like a youngster with a brand new toy on Christmas morning but like the Dutchman who shot at a prized target and missed. - - - This Soldier had a mouthful of ice cold spinach.
As the disappointment simmered down I consumed the remaining contents of the can.
There was nothing else on the menu; what else was there for this Soldier to do?
Floyd,
424th Regiment
??. There was no way to identify the contents. I shook it and it felt very solid. My taste buds began salivating and my imagination determined that it must be a can of ham, or spam. Yet, until our Company reached a place where we would remain for a while, there was no time to open it.
