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LargeSlowTarget -> RE: OT: An army travels on its stomach (6/21/2008 12:49:56 AM)
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I did only compulsory military service in the German Bundeswehr (12 months as a tank gunner) and never left the country, so I surely do not qualify as veteran in any sense, but since there are few German soldiers which may qualify as veterans anyway, I might as well comment on the German rations:For field operations and sometimes for exercises as well the Bundeswehr issues the "Einmannpackung" or EPa ('One-man-package') which contains two different hot meals (such as - yes, Wiki-quote- Lentils with Sausages, Yugoslav Sausage, Goulash, Beef Patties in tomato sauce, Italian Pasta, or Tofu stir-fry - can be eaten cold as well as it doesn't make any difference in taste) and foil "cans" of bread spreads such as jam, cheese (sort of, it is like viscous glue - horrible stuff...), liver sausage and dried-meat sausage to accompany a box of thinly sliced rye bread and a box of crackers. The EPa also contains a foil can of fruit salad, instant fruit juice powder, instant coffee, instant tea, powdered cream, a chocolate bar, sugar, salt, gum, water purifying tablets, two plastic bags (for what I never figured out...), matches and paper towels. No cigarettes, no beer, no Sauerkraut either.Apart form the cheese, the rations were okay, not great but not awful either. I especially like the crackers, a kind of hardtack. They are nicknamed 'Panzerplatten' ('armor plate') and rumour has it that they are actually a secret weapon of last resort: if you run out of ammo, throw the crackers at the enemy - a direct hit may knock them out...
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