Loose Rounds Episode 5 - Field Rations

Field rations - even if you have never eaten one, you probably associate the term with something rather unappetizing. Yet they have been instrumental in allowing large modern armies to move and operate efficiently. Previously, an army would either have to bring a supply train full of animals both intended for slaughter, but also to carry fodder for the food animals, both of which were slow and vulnerable. Alternatively, it would have to live off the land, and buy, steal or forage whatever it could, which meant that significant portions of the available force would have to be dedicated to that purpose.

With the invention of moden military rations, this has all changed, with armies distributing predefined packs of food designed to provide the amount of nutrients a soldier needs when on operations. Though the focus seems to have been more on efficient nutrition rather than taste, something which Adin Dobkin and Angry Staff Officer discuss in the fifth episode of "Loose Rounds", a special podcast series produced in cooperation between the podcast War Stories and Nammo.

You can listen to the episode below, or download it by searching for "War Stories" wherever you find your podcasts.