Dry ration content. Dry ration

The need to introduce individual rations in the army was dictated by the Finnish War. Due to interruptions in logistical support, it was not always possible to deploy field kitchens in the immediate vicinity of the battle formations, which negatively affected the combat effectiveness and the political and moral state of the personnel. The idea of ​​introducing dry rations in the spring of 1940 was made by the head of the Main Directorate of the Red Army's rear, Andrei Khrulev. They were to be based on various food concentrates in the form of tablets. Already in November 1940, the composition of the first domestic dry rations was approved by order of the People's Commissar of Defense Timoshenko. The menu turned out to be quite modest:

Composition of dry solder sample 1940

The calorie content of a regular Red Army ration, depending on the configuration, ranged from 3146 to 3292 kilocalories. By the way, the ration did not have any packaging, concentrates and the same sausage were simply wrapped in paper. The diet weighed just over a kilogram.

The armed forces of the USSR: everything is in banks

In the post-war period, the emphasis in field nutrition for the soldiers was placed on canned food. In the Soviet army, there were several types (standards) of rations, the composition of which was calculated depending on the physical exertion experienced by the fighters of certain units. Mountain ration was considered one of the most "nutritious" - it consisted of chocolate and bacon. The infantry was content with a more modest diet:

The composition of the combined-arms ration sample 1974, artofwar.ru

The packaging also did not shine with special delights - in best case it was a cardboard box, more often the ration was given out in bulk. The calorie content of the combined-arms ration ranged from 3100 to 3350 kilocalories. The last changes in the composition of the Soviet dry ration were made in 1990 by order of the Minister of Defense No. 445. Condensed milk, juice and tea bags were added to the new diet:

Composition of the combined-arms ration of the 1990 sample

Russian Armed Forces: tasty and convenient

The individual food ration (IRP) of the modern Russian army is divided into two main types - everyday (IRP-P) and more high-calorie combat (IRP-B). The composition of the ration favorably differs in diversity from its predecessors, while the calorie content has remained practically the same. For IRP-P it is 3360 kcal, for IRP-B - 3590 kcal. That is, it turns out that since 1940 the army dry ration gained only 200 kilocalories, so much energy is contained in about 80 grams of black bread.

The composition of the dry solder sample 2007

As for usability, the modern ration has received a lot of useful functions and tools, for example, a device for warming up food, napkins and disposable spoons and a fork.

Daily Allowance Rates for Servicemen of the Soviet Army

Norm No. 1. According to this rate, conscript soldiers and sergeants, reserve soldiers and sergeants when they are at a training camp, soldiers and sergeants of extra-urgent service, warrant officers eat at this rate. This norm is only for the Ground Forces.
Product name Quantity per day
1. Rye-wheat bread 350 gr.
2. Wheat bread 400g.
3. Wheat flour (premium or 1 grade) -10g.
4. Different groats (rice, millet, buckwheat, pearl barley) 120g.
5. Pasta-40gr.
6. Meat * 150gr.
7. Fish ** 100gr.
8. Animal fat (margarine) 20g.
9. Vegetable oil 20g
10. Butter 30gr.
11. Cow's milk 100g
12. Chicken eggs 4 pcs. (Per week)
13. Sugar 70g.
14. Salt 20g.
15. Tea (brewing) 1.2gr.
16. Bay leaf 0.2gr.
17. Ground pepper (black or red) 0.3g.
18. Mustard powder 0.3gr.
19. Vinegar 2g.
20. Tomato paste 6g.
21. Potatoes 600gr.
22. Cabbage 130gr.
23. Beetroot 30g.
24. Carrots 50g.
25. Onion 50gr.
26. Cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs 40g.
27. Fruit or vegetable juice 50g.
28. Kissel dry / dried fruits 30 / 120gr.
29. Vitamin "Hexavit" 1 dragee

* Since January 1, 1992, the daily meat rate is 185 gr. , from January 1, 1993 - 200gr.
** Since January 1, 1993, the daily fish intake is 120 gr.
Additions to the norm No. 1
For the personnel of the guards to escort military cargo on the railway
Meat 120g.
Butter 20gr.
Sugar 10g.
For reserve officers on duty
Butter 30gr.
Cookies 20g.

Notes:

1. Since the daily ration of bread far exceeded the needs of the soldiers for bread, it was allowed to give out sliced ​​bread on the tables in the amount that soldiers usually eat, and put some additional bread at the distribution window in the dining room for those who did not have enough of the usual amount of bread. ... The sums generated by saving bread were allowed to be used to purchase other products for the soldiers' table. Usually, this money was used to purchase fruits, sweets, cookies for soldiers' holiday dinners; tea and sugar for additional food for the soldiers on guard; lard for additional nutrition during the exercise. The higher command encouraged the creation of a kitchen farm (pigsties, vegetable gardens) in the regiments, the products of which were used to improve the nutrition of soldiers in excess of the norm No. 1.

In addition, bread uneaten by soldiers was often used to make rusks in rations, which are set in accordance with Rule No. 9 (see below).

2. It was allowed to replace fresh meat with canned meat at the rate of 150 gr. meat 112 gr. canned meat, fish with canned fish at the rate of replacement 100 gr. fish 60g. canned fish.

3. In general, this order lists about fifty norms. The norm No. 1 was the base and, naturally, the lowest.

Sample menu for a soldier's canteen for the day:

Breakfast: Pearl barley porridge. Meat goulash. Tea, sugar, butter, bread.

Lunch: Salted tomato salad. Borscht on meat broth... Buckwheat porridge. Boiled meat portioned. Compote, bread.

Dinner: Mashed potatoes. Fried fish, portioned. Tea, butter, sugar, bread.

Norm number 9. This is the so-called "dry ration". In Western countries, it is usually referred to as a combat diet. This norm is allowed to be issued only when soldiers are in conditions where it is impossible to provide them with full-fledged hot food. Dry rations can be issued for no more than three days. After that, without fail, the soldiers must begin to receive normal food.
Option 1

2. Canned meat 450g.
3. Canned meat and vegetable 250-265 gr.
4. Condensed milk 110 gr.
5. Fruit juice 140 gr.
6. Sugar 60g.
7. Tea (brewing in disposable bags) 3 pack.
8. Sanitary napkins, 3 pcs.
Option 2
1. Biscuits "Arctic" / Bread 270-300gr. / 500gr.
2. Canned meat 325-328 gr.
3. Canned meat and vegetable 500-530 gr.
5. Sugar 180gr.
6. Tea (brewing in disposable bags) 3 pack.
7. Sanitary napkins 3 pcs.

Notes: Canned meat is usually stew, minced sausage, minced sausage, liver pate. Meat and vegetable canned food is usually porridge with meat ( buckwheat porridge with beef, rice porridge with lamb, pearl barley porridge with pork).

All canned food from dry ration can be eaten cold, however, it was recommended to distribute the products into three meals (example in option 2):

Breakfast: warm up the first can of meat and vegetable canned food (265gr.) In a kettle, adding a can of water to the kettle. A mug of tea (one package), 60 gr. sugar, 100 gr. biscuits.

Lunch: warm up a can of canned meat in a kettle, adding two or three cans of water. A mug of tea (one package), 60 gr. sugar, 100 gr. biscuits.

Dinner: heat the second can of meat and vegetable canned food (265gr.) In a kettle without adding water. A mug of tea (one package), 60 gr. sugar, 100 gr. biscuits.

The entire set of daily dry ration products was packed in a cardboard box. For the crews of tanks and armored vehicles, boxes were made of durable waterproof cardboard. It was supposed in the future to make the packaging of dry rations hermetically sealed, so that the packaging could be used as a saucepan for cooking, and the lid as a frying pan.

Dry ration of the Red Army 1940.

Reference.
According to the Book of Delicious and healthy food men between the ages of 20 and 45 should receive per day:
* not engaged in physical labor -2800-3300 kcal.
* those engaged in light physical labor -3000-3500 kcal.
* those employed with average physical labor - 3200-3700 kcal.

End of help.

The term "dry ration" or as it is now customary to call "individual diet" or "combat diet", today is understood as a set of ready-to-eat foods that a soldier can eat in conditions when it is impossible to feed him with ordinary hot food. As a rule, such kits are issued if one soldier or a small group perform their tasks in isolation from their unit and they do not have the opportunity to eat in a soldier's canteen or in catering establishments, or to prepare their own food from ordinary products.

In 1940, a slightly different meaning was put into the concept of dry ration. The experience of the Soviet-Finnish war 1939-40. showed that in combat conditions it is not always possible to deliver fresh food (meat, bread, fish, fats, vegetables) to the troops on time and in full. There are also certain difficulties in storing food in the field, especially perishable ones.
In winter, food freezes, which makes some of them completely unusable. In particular vegetables. Other foods must be defrosted (meat, fats) before processing and cooking. In summer, on the contrary, from the heat, many products quickly deteriorate (meat, fish, fats).
Meat, fish, meat and vegetable, canned vegetables in tin and glass jars in our country at the end of the thirties, they were produced in very small quantities, and the food industry was not able to provide them with the army.

And it is very difficult in the field to quickly prepare a full meal for a large number of people who eat. Fresh products require significant preliminary preparation (cleaning, cutting, slicing, washing, etc.), which in turn requires a significant number of support personnel (the daily kitchen outfit reached 30-40 people per battalion). And if this is perfectly acceptable in peaceful conditions, even in the field during exercises, then during the war it turned out to be completely unacceptable.

From the author. The experience of the Civil War, which the then Soviet major military leaders possessed, did not give them an understanding of how the power supply of large military formations should be organized in a war. The civilian was too specific. Then there was no centralized food supply, the regiments of the Red Army were fed from local resources. To put it simply, very often every soldier, company, squadron ate what they managed to get on the spot. Often simple robbery.
However, studying the organization of food for troops on a campaign in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the author found out that it was common practice in European armies to impose the responsibility for feeding and providing accommodation for passing troops on local residents.

It should be noted that the main type of field kitchens of the Red Army in the thirties were kitchens of pre-revolutionary models, slightly modernized.
This is a one-boiler field kitchen of the cavalry model of 1898. And two-boiler infantry and artillery arr. 1891.
These kitchens were designed to provide the personnel of the company (200-250 people) with one dish of hot food (soup, porridge or gruel), while in the Red Army food for the personnel was organized at the battalion level and lunch consisted of two courses plus tea. In the field, in peaceful conditions, their positions came out due to the fact that the soldiers ate in shifts, i.e. each company had its own time. In wartime, the entire battalion, or even the entire regiment, should be fed whenever possible at the same time.

The problem of nutrition in the Winter War turned out to be so significant that this issue, along with others, was raised at a large meeting of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, held on April 14-17, 1940, where the highest command staff of the Red Army was also invited.

At this meeting, the results of the war were discussed and the identified army problems and shortcomings were considered. In particular, it was found that with ample supplies of food, both in general and in the front-line warehouses, the Red Army did not receive hot food on time and regularly. And this is especially important in winter. Moreover, in many cases the soldiers were simply starving, literally sitting on boxes with frozen bread.

Here are some excerpts from the transcript of this meeting. (Khrulev is the head of the supply department of the Red Army):

Khrulev. The question of the content of the army arose with particular urgency. It must be said that here again the intervention of Comrade Stalin not only corrected the situation, but also opened, if you will, a new era in providing the army with food. On January 5, Comrade Stalin pointed out that now, due to the great difficulties of transportation, due to very severe frosts and due to the fact that the army rear is very stretched, it is necessary to obtain such a product that could be consumed in frosts, which could be easily transported with less transport costs ... ..... Concerning concentrates. We presented samples of concentrates that were provided by the industry .... They made a product from millet that is easily consumed by humans. This concentrate quickly turns into porridge: you put a pill, pour boiling water over it and after 3-4 minutes. you have porridge ... STALIN. I tried. V hot water put it and after 3 minutes it dissolves and you get porridge, ... ... You can issue it for two weeks - a month in advance. Khrulev. Yes. Comrade Stalin, the industry has now developed a very good concentrate - vegetable. This is an exceptional concentrate, a wonderful vegetable concentrate, and it is prepared in 24 servings. We made concentrates: sour cabbage soup, fresh cabbage soup and red borscht. In 10 minutes. boiling borscht is obtained. You know what kind of savings it is in the kitchen. Transportation of vegetables is completely unnecessary. The product is easy to stack and good ... STALIN. Do you know what the production capacity of these same concentrates from millet is? Khrulev. Now 100 tons per day. STALIN. How many pills? Khrulev. This is 1 million tablets per day. STALIN. 1 million rations? Khrulev. No, you have to give two tablets, only 500 thousand rations. Moreover, the industry can produce 200 tons per day in about a month. STALIN. Do not deteriorate? Khrulev. No. Comrade Stalin, they are now stored in the most different conditions... I guarantee that they will last at least a year. STALIN. A week, at least once, dry rations should be given to the Red Army in peacetime. Khrulev. Approximately once a six-day period, the army must at all costs eat these products, the so-called dry rations. It is necessary to accustom to this business, to accustom the command staff, to organize food from these products, so that the command staff knows how to feed the Red Army during the war. Comrade Stalin, I think that such a decision will be made.

Following the meeting, the food service of the Red Army was assigned the task of putting into practice food products, which would have a low weight and volume, could be stored for a long time in any temperature conditions, do not require preliminary preparation and processing, and quickly cook.

In fact, some of these products have existed and been used by the Russian Army since the end of the 19th century. These are, first of all, canned meat, fish and vegetables. And bread has long been replaced by bread crumbs. Actually, sausage is also canned meat.

From the author. I do not mean modern sausages, in which meat is not present at all. In the thirties, the chemical industry was fortunately unable to produce imitators, and sausages were made from natural meat. True true.

An interesting point. Analyzing the staff of a sapper company in 1916, the author came across such a position - cattle drivers. Those. the company on the march was accompanied by a certain amount of cattle destined for slaughter to feed the company. But in the company of the state in 1914, these positions are absent.

Note that Khrulev sought to introduce concentrates long before this meeting, but the leadership of the Red Army, headed by Marshal K.E. Voroshilov, did not show interest in this before the war.

In July 1940, as a result of a meeting in the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), a directive document was issued entitled "A Guide to the Food Service for the Commanding Staff of the Red Army," "dry ration".

An interesting point. This guide was signed for publication in January 1940, but it was not printed and sent to the troops until July. Even before the war, Khrulev understood that with the beginning of the war, the nutritional situation would surely turn out exactly as it did in reality. But he could not bypass the People's Commissar of Defense and turn directly to Stalin. I had no right. And Voroshilov did not understand and did not want to understand the full importance of nutrition.
Note that Stalin grasped the essence of the issue instantly and understood it correctly and, I am not afraid of this word, perspicaciously. And who else dares to assert that Stalin did not care about the soldiers and did not care about the needs of the Red Army, that they were of little value for him consumables. It is not true!

The handbook approved the following concentrates for personnel nutrition:

	First meal -
		pea puree soup,
		pea-soy puree soup,
		pearl barley soup with mushrooms,
		bean soup with vegetables,
		millet soup,
		noodle soup,
		borscht from raw dried vegetables,
		borscht from fresh vegetables,
		cabbage soup from raw dried vegetables,
		cabbage soup from fresh vegetables.
	.
	Second courses -
		buckwheat porridge,
		pearl barley porridge,
		rice porridge,
	.	milk noodles.
	.
	Third courses -	berry jelly.

These concentrates, in general, were not intended for individual nutrition, although they could be issued, and were given out to soldiers and small units operating autonomously. Yet they required some cooking operations rather than simple reheating. They were meant for fast food food units in field kitchens or in cauldrons on fires.

In general, this is the difference between the dry ration of 1940 and the modern one.

Here is a cooking example pea soup from concentrate. The concentrate of this and other soups was produced in tablets weighing 75, or in briquettes weighing 150 and 300 grams. One serving of soup is prepared from a 75 gram tablet. Accordingly, there are two and four portions of briquettes.
The composition of the tablet (briquette): boiled dried peas 75.5%, wheat flour- 5%, dried carrots - 2%, dried onions - 3%, fat - 10%, salt and ground pepper - 0.5%.

The concentrate is kneaded in a suitable container, poured cold water at the rate of 200 ml. water (1 glass) for each serving (75 g of concentrate) and stir.
Water is poured into the boiler at the rate of 400 ml. water (2 cups) per serving and bring to a boil.
The diluted concentrate is poured into boiling water in a thin stream with continuous stirring.
Cook with continuous stirring over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Do not add any seasonings or salt. Remove heat and distribute to kettles. One serving of soup 600 ml. Note that this soup is meatless.

It was recommended to add to the kettle at the beginning of cooking a part of fish or sausage put in small pieces for a day to improve the taste. If you cook one portion of the soup in a pot, you can immediately boil 600 ml. (3 glasses or two soldier's mugs) of water, and the concentrate, carefully crushed beforehand, pour a thin stream into the pot with thorough stirring so that no lumps form.

Each type of concentrate required some specific preparation characteristics. For example, the concentrate of buckwheat porridge was cooked for 15-20 minutes and the porridge reached readiness in 10-15 minutes after being removed from the heat.

From the handbook it follows that the Red Army had the following types of rations:

* The main Red Army ration.
* Reinforced ration.
* Dry food rations.
* Rations for patients in military hospitals and military hospitals.
* Rations for those treated in military sanatoriums.
* Diet ration for Red Army soldiers suffering from gastrointestinal diseases.

From the author. Pay attention - back in the thirties, Red Army men with weak stomachs were given a special dietary ration. I could not find anything like this in the food rations of the armies of Europe. It is possible that food for such European soldiers is organized according to some other document, I don’t know. However, the fact remains - the Soviet leadership took care of the soldiers' stomachs and the health of the soldiers.

In addition, there were additional food standards for those on duty in special conditions (antiscorbutic, polar, diving, sentry, etc.) and a holiday norm.

Actually, these rations, in addition to dry, existed before. But in the summer of 1940, all those who eat according to the norms of the main and reinforced rations were ordered, feed exclusively dry rations every sixth day... I will emphasize once again - not with dry rations as it is today, but with breakfast, lunch and dinner made from concentrates.

The goal was threefold:
1. Make dishes from concentrates familiar and familiar to the personnel.
2. Train food service personnel to prepare food from concentrates.
3. Be able to update stocks of concentrates in warehouses, since their shelf life was 1-2 years.

Do not take this as the fact that the command intended to feed the Red Army soldiers in the war only with dry rations. This, if you like, was a backup option for food, if for some reason it is not possible to prepare lunch from normal products.

Dry ration food standards have been established as follows:

Product name		Issuable (gr.)	Distributed by meals
			Breakfast (gr.)	Lunch (gr.)	Dinner (gr.)
Rye crackers ................................................ ....		600	200	250	150
Sausage "Minskaya" ..............................................		100	100	-	-
	or dry smoked roach...........	150	150	-	-
	or salted herring.................	200	200	-	-
	or dry smoked fish fillet	150	150	-	-
	or fat cheese-feta cheese ..........	150	150	-	-
Concentrate soup ..........................................		75	-	75	-
Concentrate porridge .......................................		200	-	100	100
Sugar................................................. ................		35	20	-	15
Natural tea ................................................		2	1	-	1
Salt................................................. ................		10	not distributed

This dry ration looks more than modest and poor. Especially for a solo fighter. This is a bag of crackers, a rather small slice of sausage, 7 lumps of sugar, and two tea bags.
You don't want to notice a tablet of dry soup and dry porridge briquettes. A soldier does not always have the time and opportunity to make a fire and cook soup and porridge for himself.
Well, the whole country in those days did not live satisfyingly. The old people remember how they dreamed of being in the ranks of the soldiers as soon as possible. Still - good food and even meat, soft bedding, whole clean clothes and real leather boots.

Let's note again - this dry ration was primarily intended for cooking in field kitchens for the entire division, but was also adapted for individual cooking in a pot using a fire or stove (stove).

In terms of calorie content, it was somewhat inferior to the usual Red Army ration, which had 3710 kkakl. And the above norm was intended for peacetime, not for wartime.
Also, products that are currently out of stock can be replaced with others. For this purpose, tables of substitutions are given in the Reference. For example, crackers were replaced by biscuits, sausage could be replaced with canned meat, bacon, eggs. Of course, the number is not one to one. For example, Minskaya sausage could be replaced with fresh meat at the rate of 134 grams of meat or 2 eggs or half a liter of milk instead of 100 grams of sausage. Sugar for raisins in double quantity or honey in one and a half quantity. Etc.

Let's see how the dry ration looked like in its composition:

	Soldering weight (g)	Proteins (gr.)	Fat (gr.)	Carbohydrates (gr.)	Kilocalories
Dry ration with sausage ..........................	1022	78	62	549	3146
Dry ration with dry smoked roach .......	1072	100	62	548	3228
Dry ration with herring .........................	1122	83	65	548	3190
Dry ration with cheese-feta cheese ...............	1072	94.2	69.99	552	3292

Subjectively, a fighter is hungry on the day he eats dry rations. After all, the feeling of satiety in us arises from the fullness of the stomach. A dry ration (about 1 kg.) Is half the weight of a normal ration (about 2.3 kg.). But he gets his allotted calories despite the fact that the transport transporting food is loaded half as much.

Please pay attention to such a moment - the protein content in food. For the normal functioning of the body, a person must receive 1 gram of protein per 1 kilogram of his weight per day. If the diet is composed in such a way that there is not enough protein in it, then the body will slowly begin to devour itself. And no amount of calories will save you from exhaustion. And the food rations of prisoners in Germany were drawn up so that there was a minimum of protein or it would not be at all.

To what extent the order to feed dry rations was carried out in the Red Army, it was not possible to trace. After all, much depended not only on good wishes and expediency. but also on the possibilities of the food industry. In any case, in some places in the memoirs there are references to the fact that during the war, concentrates were sometimes given out as constituents of dry rations. In particular, pea soup, barley porridge.

Whether there were concentrates in the Wehrmacht, I did not find documents on this account. In the Kaiser's army, even before the First World War, for cases when it was impossible to feed the soldiers with hot food, there was a so-called. pea sausage, which was a ready-to-eat product.
The Soviet press during the war and the fifties wrote a lot about the German "ersatz-sausage", which supposedly consisted of God all what rubbish, and which they say had to be sawed with a hacksaw. But most likely it was just dry smoked meat sausage that keeps well. Although it is really very difficult to eat it. She is very hard. Field Marshal E. von Manstein mentions this in his memoirs.

From the author. Back in those days, polar explorers and climbers widely used a very high-calorie and extremely compact product called "pemmican". This is dried and powdered meat. Why pemmikan did not find a place for himself in the Red Army dry, it is difficult to say. I had a chance to try this product and I came to the conclusion that there is this productor it can be used for cooking by a person who has a choice - to die of hunger or to eat pemmican. To say that it tastes awful is to say nothing.

P.S. The idea of ​​concentrates proved to be very tenacious, and not only in the army. Even in the sixties and seventies, many of various kinds briquetted soups, cereals and jelly, which were very popular with housewives. For example, pea soup, rice porridge in briquettes were in no way inferior to taste cooked from ordinary products, and they were cooked four times faster. Buckwheat porridge was in short supply.
The popularity of briquetted jelly turned out to be such that by the eighties, women had completely forgotten how to cook jelly not from briquettes. In some places in stores they can be found today.

Sources and Literature

1. Reference book on food service for the commanding staff of the Red Army. Military Publishing. 1940
2 A book about tasty and healthy food. Sixth edition. Food industry... Moscow. 1976
3. Secrets and lessons of the Winter War 1939-1940. Polygon. St. Petersburg. 2002
4. E. von Manstein. Lost victories. AST. Phoenix. Moscow. Rostov-on-Don. 1999

Dry rations, individual food ration (IRP) - a set of products designed for a day for one person (breakfast, lunch and dinner). The dry ration is intended for military personnel and citizens who find themselves in extreme conditions when it is not possible to cook hot food.

Individual food ration (IRP) - developed by scientific institutes around the world. Russian dry rations are considered the best in the world, they are balanced in the presence of carbohydrates, proteins and fats for quick assimilation of products in cold and hot form.

There are several types of dry rations in various packages: cardboard, sealed and vacuum, we will tell you about everyday food in cardboard packaging. The IRP set is thought out to the smallest detail, there is porridge, goulash, pates, cheese, bacon, biscuits, a tonic drink in the form of a powder, a water disinfectant, dry alcohol for heating food and much more.

The compact box of dry rations (PSF) includes everything you need to comfortably feed an adult in the most difficult conditions.

Individual food ration for the Russian army.

All this is included in a compact IRP box.

Rice with chicken and vegetables.

Braised beef.

Goulash.

Salted bacon.

Vegetable caviar.

Pate, Minced meat and apple puree.

Processed cheese.

Apple jam and tonic drink.

Reheat to warm food.

Special tablets for kindling a fire, burn long and well.

Cream, sugar, salt, coffee, tea ...

Disinfectant wipes, pepper, vitamin and even Dirol chewing gum.

Biscuits (biscuits) and matches that burn in strong wind and rain.

Instructions for the use of an individual diet, Distribution of products for meals. /

The combat effectiveness of any army depends not only on its weapons, the competence of the military command or the moral qualities of its rank-and-file soldiers, but also on the supply of servicemen. The main one of which, without a doubt, is the provision of military personnel with food. Because you can't fight much on an empty stomach. Since ancient times, commanders have paid great attention to this issue.

The best, of course, is to feed the soldiers with hot food prepared in the field kitchen. Unfortunately, sometimes it is impossible to do this. It is for this case in the army that there are individual food rations (IRP) or, in more familiar language, dry rations (dry rations). Army dry rations are a set of products that are issued to a serviceman for self-feeding in the field.

Currently, dry rations are used by all the armed forces of the world. Moreover, in many countries they are on sale freely and are very popular among hunters, fishermen, geologists, tourists - in a word, among those categories of citizens who are forced to stay away from cafes and microwave ovens... Russian army rations are no exception - you can easily buy them on the Internet.

When developing a new dry ration (PSR), as a rule, national culinary traditions- you will surely find borsch in Ukrainian dry rations, and meat pâté in French.

IRP can be designed to feed a fighter for one day or several days, but there are dry rations that contain products for only one meal.

You can also add that according to domestic standards, a soldier should not eat dry rations for more than seven days in a row. After this period, it must be switched to normal hot food.

Before proceeding to the description of the Russian dry ration, I would like to say a few words about general principles complete set of IRP and requirements for army dry rations.

What requirements should a dry ration meet

Modern armies pay exceptionally great attention to the issue of personnel nutrition: serious scientific institutions or large commercial organizations are engaged in the development of dry rations. New rations are taken for supply only after full-scale large-scale tests have been carried out.

Sukhpai is food for the field, sometimes even in extreme conditions. Therefore, its composition is calculated to the smallest detail. IRP should fully cover the energy costs of the human body. For each specific situation, they are calculated separately, on the basis of which a complete set of one or another dry ration is prepared. So, for example, a food ration for special forces or pilots contains more calories than a regular infantry ration. In addition, any dry ration is almost ideally balanced in terms of the content of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, many of them additionally contain vitamins. So, dry rations (PSI) must meet the following requirements:

• Dry ration products should be ready-to-eat or can be easily and quickly prepared in the field;
• Dry rations should be stored for a long time, so there is no place for perishable foods in its composition: unprocessed meat, fruits or vegetables, mayonnaise, etc.;
• The products included in the IRP should be easily absorbed by the body and not cause food disorders or allergies, even in people predisposed to this;
• IRP packaging should be durable and convenient, reliably protect its contents not only from dirt, water or mechanical damage, but also provide it with a long shelf life. In addition, it should be convenient for carrying and eating food by military personnel;
• Nutritional composition and energy value dry rations must be balanced and correspond to the loads experienced by a fighter in a given situation;
• The packed ration should be tasty. Unfortunately, the Russian army began to pay attention to this requirement only in recent years.

The usual composition of dry rations and what should not be included in it

Based on the above requirements, there is a list of products that are most often used in dry rations of different armies of the world. They usually include:

• A wide variety of canned food: stew, porridge with meat, stew, condensed milk;
• Dried or freeze-dried products: powdered milk, instant soups and borscht, instant coffee and etc.;
• Rusks, biscuits, crackers;
• Food additives (sugar, salt, spices) and vitamins.

The IRP also includes food warming devices, napkins, disposable dishes, water disinfectants, special matches, toothpicks, and chewing gum. To heat food in the field, burners of the simplest design and dry fuel are used. The composition of American dry rations, for example, includes special chemical heating pads, with the help of which the food is heated. Although most of the products that make up the IRP can be eaten cold, they will be less tasty and healthy.

Previously, cigarettes and condoms were also included in the dry rations of various armies of the world, but this practice has long been abandoned.

Now a few words about what, by definition, cannot be in dry ration:

• Fresh vegetables or fruits;
• Products, storage of which requires special conditions: temperature, humidity, etc .;
• Confectionery with a significant cocoa content or with a cream filling;
• Any food that contains a large amount of spices, table salt, cooking oil, or natural coffee.

A little about the history of the issue

Since ancient times, the issue of supplying the army on a campaign has been a serious "headache" for military leaders. How to feed a crowd of thousands of healthy men far from the points of permanent deployment?

In different historical periods, numerous attempts were made to create light and nutritious food that could be taken with you on a hike. The Mongols and other steppe dwellers cut the meat into thin slices and put it under the saddle on the horse's back. There it was soaked in horse sweat, after which it was stored for a very long time. Also, the nomadic peoples of the steppe obtained from ground bones and meat an analogue of modern bouillon cubes, from which they could then make soup or stew. The peoples of Central America made cocoa balls. However, all of the above products were suitable only for a "snack", they could hardly provide adequate nutrition to a healthy man.

A real revolution in the provision of food for the army took place at the end of the 18th century, when the Frenchman Upper invented canning. At the beginning of the 19th century, sailors of the British Royal Navy began to supply canned food in tin cans plated with tin. We can say that this was the first sea food ration in the history. The soldiers of the Anglo-French troops during the Crimean War also received canned meat in cans.

We owe the army the appearance of one more useful and tasty product- condensed milk. The technology for its manufacture was invented in 1856 by the American Gail Borden. but mass production He was able to launch condensed milk only after the start of the Civil War in the United States - this product was purchased in huge quantities to supply the army of the northerners. In Russia, the first plant for the production of condensed milk was opened in 1880.

The first dry rations, in our understanding of the word, appeared during the Franco-Prussian war. To increase the mobility of their own troops, the Prussians began to give them soup concentrates. Now each soldier could carry a supply of food for several days right in his knapsack. This significantly reduced the need for tactical units in the wagon train as such.

The new revolutionary product was manufactured by Knorr, which is still famous for its instant soups today. For this company, the Franco-Prussian war was a real "finest hour".

The generals of other countries drew attention to the German innovation, and by the end of the 19th century, almost all large armies in the world had their own dry rations. They consisted of a standardized set of products with specific nutritional properties and energy value. That is, the approach to dry rations of that time did not practically differ from the modern one ...

At the end of the 19th century, German quartermasters invented the so-called pea sausages- Erbswurst, which was a pack of several tablets of pea concentrate. Each of them could be dissolved in boiling water for a delicious and nutritious soup. Erbswurst were included in the diet of the German soldier in both world wars.

During the First World War, there were three IRP standards:

• Day. Contains a set of products that could feed a fighter for one day;
• Stored. It was intended to feed a soldier or officer for two to three days after being separated from the main forces;
• "Iron". It consisted of various canned food (hence the name) and could be stored for a long time. The soldier had the right to print it only after the appropriate order, in an emergency. Usually it came when the first two rations were already exhausted, and it was impossible to ensure the delivery of food.

In the Russian army there was a dry ration for officers and soldiers.

In Russia, the first cannery producing canned meat was built in 1870. By the beginning of the First World War, there were already five types of canned meat in its assortment, and they were very popular among the troops. In 1966, a can of stew made in 1916 was opened. For fifty years, the product did not deteriorate and was quite usable. Back in 1897, a method was invented in Russia to quickly heat up this product by mixing quicklime and water. It also found its use at the front.

The Red Army received its first dry rations only on the very eve of the war, in the spring of 1941. The reason for this innovation was the sad experience of the Winter War, which showed that it is far from always possible to arrange the supply of troops with adequate food in a combat situation. Moreover, the problem was so acute and obvious that it was taken care of at the very top - at the level of the General Staff and the Central Committee. The supply service was tasked with creating a new food set for the army as soon as possible. It had to have a low weight and volume, be stored for a long time, not require complex preparation and processing.

The first Soviet IRP was officially accepted for allowance on May 15, 1941. It was based on a variety of concentrates, which could be prepared simply by pouring boiling water over them. Rather, they were designed for group food for soldiers, and most often they were given out to small units. Although, of course, one fighter could himself make porridge from concentrate. Also, new daily general norms for dry rations were approved, which, in addition to concentrate, also included rye crackers, canned food or sausage, fish and feta cheese. Well, of course, tea and sugar.

After the war, dry rations in the Soviet army mainly consisted of various canned food. There were several types of rations, each of which was intended for soldiers in a particular combat situation. There was, for example, the mountain IRP, which was considered very “fat”, as it contained chocolate and bacon. The dry ration for the infantry was much more modest. It included two cans of "meat and vegetable" canned food, a can of stew, biscuits or crackers, tea and sugar. At that time no one bothered with group packaging, at best it was a cardboard box, but more often the fighter received his products in bulk. However, despite the unpretentiousness, exhaustion did not threaten the Soviet motorized rifle - the nutritional value Soviet dry ration was 3350 kcal. In 1990, condensed milk and canned juice were officially added to dry rations.

It should be noted that other countries followed a similar development path, completing their IRP with canned food. The revolution in this area was made by the Americans in the late 70s. After analyzing the experience of the Vietnam War, they formulated new requirements for the individual diet of a soldier, acting in isolation from the main forces. This is how the most famous dry ration in the world today - MRE (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) was born.

Its main difference from the IRP of other armies of the world was the complete rejection of metal canning containers, which were replaced by soft plastic. The MRE was divided into packs, each for one meal. It always included a chemical flameless heater, very convenient for heating food. At the moment, there are several dozen options for an individual MRE diet; there are also other types of rations for the US Army, including humanitarian ones. Today, the American army ration is the most successful in terms of commercialization, it is also produced in a civilian version.

Dry rations of the modern Russian army

In the mid-90s, the rear service of the Russian army began to develop a new dry ration, since the old Soviet IRP not only did not correspond to the spirit of the times, but simply looked like a mockery against the background of Western rations, now and then flickering on the TV screen.

The result of these works was the creation of an "Individual diet", which had two main varieties - field (IRP-P) and combat (IRP-B). The composition of these dry rations was officially regulated by order of the head of the military department dated July 24, 2000.

The complete set of the Russian IRP is built on the European (Soviet) principle, that is, one ration contains the amount of food that is sufficient to feed one soldier during the day. The calorific value of IRP-B is 3590 kcal, and that of IRP-P is 3360 kcal.

“Individual food ration”, of course, was a huge step forward compared to Soviet dry rations. The latter was superior in all respects: convenience of packaging, assortment of products, taste. The new IRP includes canned fish, dried fruits, instant coffee, jams, sausages, processed cheese and much more. Both diets had a variety of menu options, so they didn't bore the soldiers. Also, each package now contains burners for heating, dry fuel, napkins, dishes, matches. Each IRP was divided into three sections: breakfast, lunch and dinner. In 2014, at the initiative of Shoigu, the design of the Russian dry ration was changed, a single form of packaging was introduced for all IRPs.

In addition to the most common IRP-P and IRP-B, there are other types of similar power supplies for the supply of the Russian army, which are intended for use in special situations. There is a high-calorie meal for scouts and special forces. Food kits are available for helicopter and aircraft crews in distress. There is also emergency rations for seafarers. Special rations have been developed for divers, military personnel dealing with poisonous and radioactive substances, for pilots who are at alternate airfields. There are also FSB dry rations and special "mountain" rations.

Dry rations of the American army

As mentioned above, the most famous and popular dry ration in the world is the American MRE. In addition to good gustatory characteristics and convenience of packaging, it, like many other things connected with the American army, is pretty "promoted" thanks to Hollywood. This ration is packed in thick sand-colored plastic bags. Each of them is designed for one meal, the energy value of products in one package is 1300 kcal.

The package contains the main course of the menu and its number. In total, there are 24 variants of the diet, new dishes are constantly being added to them. For example, in 2013, pizza was included in the MRE. American dry ration, unlike Russian, contains confectionery... It contains muffins, cookies, biscuits, sweets.

Each box of MRE rations has an interesting "squiggle" - "smart" sticker, which can be used to judge the degree of suitability of products. It is a black circle in a red square. As long as the center of the circle is also red, you can safely eat dry rations. Its darkening indicates that the IRP in the box has become unusable.

Due to the wide geography of the US Armed Forces and the ubiquitous political correctness, the Americans had to develop kosher, halal and vegetarian options for the MRE menu.

The MRE diet is the most famous of the American army's dry rations, but besides it, there are other IRPs designed for use in special conditions:

• First Strike Ration (FSR). A dry ration intended for servicemen of shock units who perform tasks in isolation from the main forces, in conditions of increased physical exertion. The FSR is lighter and lighter and is designed to last for 72 hours. The approach to completing this ration is somewhat different: FSR is a ration that can be conveniently eaten on the go. It has energy drinks and high-calorie bars;
• Long Range Patrol (LRP). This ration is designed for military personnel who perform combat missions in isolation from the main forces for a long time. The main dish, which is part of it, is in a dried form. This ration is mainly used by the Marines and Special Forces;
• Meal Cold Weather (MCW). IRP designed to power fighters in cold climates (arctic zone). It has a high calorie content and consists not of one, but of two packages. The MCW main course is frozen. Caloric content - 1540 kcal.

In addition to the above types of army dry rations, the Americans also have the so-called humanitarian IRP - HDR (Humanitarian Daily Ration). It is intended for people in the disaster area. It does not contain animal products at all, so it is also suitable for Muslims, Jews or vegetarians. The information on the package is given as simply as possible, mainly in the form of diagrams and drawings, so that even an illiterate (or completely wild) person can use this dry ration.

Dry rations of other armies in the world

The dry rations of the European armies are staffed according to a different principle than the American ones. One set of RPI contains the food needed to feed a fighter for one day. For example, the composition of the French RCIR has been selected, which has 14 menu options and consists of ordinary "commercial" products. Those who have tasted this dry ration call it one of the most delicious RPIs. It features venison and salmon pates, cream pudding, Creole pork, muesli and caramel.

The German EPA also contains a daily set of products, but they are all made specifically for the military. In it you can find liver sausages, goulash with potatoes, biscuits, juices in powder form.

Italian dry ration, in addition to a set of products, contains 50 ml of forty-degree alcohol. Polish RPI contains bags for two meals.

Ukrainian dry rations (2017) is a real hybrid between the European and American IRP picking system. It is packaged in soft plastic bags (like MRE), each for one meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner). But at the same time, there is also a group package, which fits the daily ration of a soldier. Ukrainian dry ration has good taste, but there is no special chemical heating pad for warming up food in the kit.