Table of contents:
- The hardest 1941 and strict adherence to the established quotas
- What they ate and features of special troop food
- Front-line lend-lease and trophy products
- The role of the military field kitchen on the front line and the feat of the cook
Video: What did the Soviet front-line soldiers of the Second World War eat, and How did they remember the captured German rations?
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Food supply during the Great Patriotic War played an important role. The servicemen will confirm that porridge and makhorka helped to win. During the war years, dozens of orders were issued regarding front-line supply. The diet was calculated based on the type of troops, combat missions and locations. The norms were analyzed in detail and adjusted with strict control over the implementation of higher orders.
The hardest 1941 and strict adherence to the established quotas
In the most difficult war of the 41st year, the formation of a soldier's ration was distinguished by a chaotic nature due to the disastrous situation at the fronts. But even in such circumstances, the command of the Red Army was closely engaged in the quality of food for the fighters. Unified quotas were established, which were ordered to adhere to regardless of success on the battlefield. According to the established norms, an adult man who was in a combat zone and actively moving along the front must consume at least 2,600 kcal per day. In the combat units of the Red Army, on average there were about 3500 kcal per soldier. Slightly lower were the norms for the guard, rear service military and in combat units (up to 3000 kcal), but in specialized ones (for example, the aviation forces and the submarine fleet) - they exceeded 4500 kcal.
What they ate and features of special troop food
According to the corresponding document, the servicemen were divided into categories, each of which relied on its own supply standards. For example, a Red Army soldier from the front line received 800 grams of rye bread per day (in winter, 100 g more), a pound of potatoes, 320 g of cabbage, beets, carrots or other vegetables, 170 g of cereals and pasta, 150 g of meat, 100 fish and 35 g of sugar. Daily allowances were paid to the middle and top management personnel (plus 40 grams of lard or butter, cookies, fifty grams of canned fish, two dozen cigarettes or 25 grams of tobacco). The pilots got more vegetables, cereals, sugar and meat. Their diet also included products that were rare for that period: milk, cottage cheese, eggs, sour cream, cheese. In the navy, sauerkraut, pickles and fresh onions were added to the daily ration. It is curious that non-smoking female military personnel were also encouraged with additional products - they were given chocolate or sweets on a monthly basis.
It is worth remembering about the "People's Commissar's 100 grams." This practice, by the way, has existed in the army since the times of Peter the Great. As for the Great Patriotic War, 100 grams of the military on the front line were given out until May 1942. According to the next order, 200 grams were already relied on, but only to the front line servicemen in the presence of success in hostilities. The rest from now on received People's Commissars only on public holidays. And in 1943, they poured only in those units that participated in offensive operations. Moreover, the military front councils were responsible for the fair distribution of vodka. It is noteworthy that usually not vodka was brought to the front, but pure alcohol. And already advanced foremen brought it to the required consistency. The abolition of vodka in the army happened after the German surrender in May 1945.
Front-line lend-lease and trophy products
A separate item of food for the Red Army was lend-lease products - stewed meat, canned sausages, corn flour, egg powder and various soup concentrates. Dry rations were also delivered, but they were mainly sent to aviation units as NZ. There were also trophy food products. Domestic servicemen highly appreciated the "German quality" of food, so they willingly used enemy products. Sausages, canned food, chocolate, Dutch cheese were favorite trophies after successful operations.
Another useful source of food for Russian soldiers was nature itself, rich in natural gifts, which repeatedly helped the military to survive in the difficult conditions of front-line everyday life. The soldiers replenished their kettles with mushrooms, berries, wild honey, fish, grain or potatoes from abandoned fields. Civilians also provided valuable assistance, while they themselves did not finish. The people rallied around the desired victory supported the army with all their might. In turn, the soldiers helped the peaceful as best they could. It was common practice to ask the servicemen to dig up a vegetable garden, chop wood, or repair a rickety fence. In return, the soldiers received feasible treats.
The role of the military field kitchen on the front line and the feat of the cook
As Grasshopper said in the legendary film "Only Old Men Go to Battle", it is more comfortable for a soldier to be away from his superiors and closer to the kitchen. This is also confirmed by the numerous memoirs of veteran front-line soldiers. In addition to the fact that the first and main purpose of the field kitchen was to maintain the vitality of the army, there was something else. The very image of her was for the soldier a shadow of a well-fed peaceful life. They gathered around the field kitchen in the pauses between battles, at halts, and regroupings. It was, in fact, a semblance of a home in front-line life. In 1943, the leadership of the Red Army instituted an insignia specifically for front-line chefs with a gilded image of a field kitchen. This badge of honor was awarded to those who, in a difficult atmosphere, under the whistle of shells and shelling, fed the soldiers in time, delivered hot food with tea to the edge of the front line.
Moreover, the merits of the chefs were not always limited only to the high-quality performance of their direct duties. Some of them skillfully handled more than just a ladle or a carving knife. The military cook Ivan Pavlovich Sereda became the hero of the Soviet Union. Once he was preparing dinner for soldiers in the Dvinsky forest and heard the sound of an approaching German tank. Without hesitation, the man armed himself with an ax and a rifle and managed to capture four enemy tankers.
In addition to food, the soldiers were also entitled to various rewards. Including alcohol. And today historians argue about what they really were People's Commissars one hundred grams - a weapon of victory or a "green serpent" that disorganizes the army.
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