US WWII Unopened K-Ration Set “Breakfast, Supper & Dinner”
Price: Sold
Description: 3 Matching-maker K-rations, all unopened (1) Unopened Breakfast Ration Type K (Doughboy Mills Inc); (1) Unopened Supper Ration Type K (Doughboy Mills Inc); (1) Unopened Dinner Ration Type K (Doughboy Mills Inc); circa 1944-45, as good as them come!
Background: The K-ration originally came packed in an unbleached tan-colored rectangular cardstock box with black lettering. The outer box was printed on its top in bold capital sans serif block letter type with the text: “US ARMY FIELD RATION K”, w/ the meal unit type (BREAKFAST, DINNER, or SUPPER UNIT) printed underneath it & a capital letter on each end (B, D, or S). While it was intended that the three meals be eaten in their named order, they were not always consumed in this manner. The inner box had the meal unit type printed across its top & a capital letter on each end (B, D, or S).
These later “Morale Series” had unique “camo” packaging designs that were color-coded and letter-coded on the ends for quick identification. The breakfast ration box had brown printing and was marked with a brown capital letter “B” on the ends, the dinner ration box had blue printing and was marked with a blue capital letter “D” on the ends, and the supper ration box had olive drab printing and was marked with an olive drab capital “S” on the ends. The packaging commencing with the earliest version of the ration consisted of a chemically-treated cardboard outer carton and a waterproofed waxed-cardboard inner carton to protect the contents from contamination or damage. The waxed carton was found useful by soldiers to start small fires in which to boil water for coffee or cocoa.
