B-ration

United States Army field cooks preparing B-rations at a field kitchen in Australia, 1942

The B-ration (officially Field Ration, Type B) was a United States military ration consisting of packaged and preserved food intended to be prepared in field kitchens by cooks.[1] Its modern successor is the Unitized Group Ration – M (UGR-M), which combines multiple types of rations, including the B-ration, under one unified system.[2]

The B-ration differs from other American alphabetized rations such as the A-ration, consisting of fresh food; C-ration, consisting of prepared wet food when A- and B-rations were not available; D-ration, consisting of military chocolate; K-ration, consisting of three balanced meals; and emergency rations, intended for emergencies when other food or rations are unavailable.[3]

  1. ^ "The Alphabet Soup of Army Rations". Fold3 HQ. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  2. ^ Institute of Medicine, Committee on Military Nutrition Research (1999). Not Eating Enough: Overcoming Underconsumption of Military Operational Rations. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-55656-9. OCLC 923266927.
  3. ^ U.S. Department of the Army (1967). Ration Breakdown Point Operations. United States: U.S. Government Publication Office. OCLC 1102669230.