The C-ration (officially Field Ration, Type C) was a United States military ration consisting of prepared, canned wet foods. They were intended to be served when fresh or packaged unprepared food was unavailable, and survival rations were insufficient.[1] It was replaced by the similar Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) in 1958; its modern successor is the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE).
Development of the C-ration began in 1938. The first rations were field-tested in 1940, and wide-scale adoption followed soon after. Operational conditions often caused the C-ration to be standardized for field issue regardless of environmental suitability or weight limitations. Though the C-ration was replaced in 1958, the new MCI was very similar to the C-ration, and was indeed still nicknamed the "C-ration" until its replacement by the MRE in the late 1970s.[2][3][4]
The C-ration differs from other American alphabetized rations such as the A-ration, consisting of fresh food; B-ration, consisting of packaged, unprepared food; 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.[5]
- ^ "The Alphabet Soup of Army Rations". Fold3 HQ. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ Meyer, A.I. and Klicka, M.V., Operational Rations, Current and Future of the Department of Defense, Technical Report Natick TR-82/031 (September 1982)
- ^ "MRE History". MRE Info. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
- ^ Mason, Vera C.; Meyer, Alice I.; Klicka, Mary V. (1982-06-01). "Technical Report TR-82/013: Summary of Operational Rations". U.S. Army Natick Research & Development Laboratory. Fort Belvoir, VA. doi:10.21236/ada131903.
- ^ U.S. Department of the Army (1967). Ration Breakdown Point Operations. United States: U.S. Government Publication Office. OCLC 1102669230.