Rations of the German Wehrmacht in World War II

Jim Pool & Tom Bock have created a masterpiece on a subject that has been long neglected. This book isn't just eye candy either although its loaded with great, detailed photo's of numerous catagories of German food and ration related items as well as rare, never before seen period photo's of the items in use. The amount of backround information presented in the text is mind blowing. While geared to the militaria collector, I have to believe that there's enough information presented to hold the interest of anyone interested in the origins of some of todays most popular food produsts. Opinions of the author's regarding the authenticity of certain items are expressed in a clear, non-confrontational manner and where recreations of rare or extinct items are used, it is so noted.I would reccomend this book highly to anyone interested in the details of the era. There is no comparable work currently available on the subject to rival this and unless its written by these gentlemen, there probably won't be!!

Most books of history tend to go for battles, the soldiers, their weapons, uniforms and equipment. If they mention what soldiers ate it is usually in one small chapter with not much detail if the scholar reading is lucky. This book is unique in that it provides such wealth of information on what German soldiers of world war two were fed by their government, and I have yet to find any other book like it.Great source of information. I only wish somebody would produce a comperable book on the rations American soldiers were fed during this period, from what I have been reading, they were not exactly popular with the troops in the field.

I have to say this is one fine book and I am very pleased with the purchase! As a reenactor and collector, this is a great reference book chock full of excellent color photos and descriptions. You will like the size of this book, suitable for the coffee table. For the serious collector, this is a must have! I will be purchasing Volume 2!!

Easily one of the finest tomes ever written on the subject! This is an exhaustive evaluation of military rations, can markings, civilian packaging, civilian packaging labeled for Wehrmacht use, there's even a whole chapter dedicated to Scho-Ka-Kola (caffeinated chocolate) which is still available today. If you are even mildly interested in German rations, the German rationing system, or the appearance of those rations for reenacting, living history, museums, or motion pictures, you owe it to yourself to have this book in your library!

I absolutely love this book and the 2nd volume the author released. Great quality pictures and photos of labels of various German ww2 food items. As a German WW2 Reenactor, this book has been a valuable reference in helping me create various food rations for events.Well worth buying both books.

An area not normally seen when viewing all of the old WWII German newsreels. I'm not sure I would eat some of what was made available to the German soldier but if one is hungry enough Limburger cheese would sound good - maybe.

Verry good book.Pleasant to read. Nice pics. Good argumentation about the brands and era advertisings.A must have for the individual and non common items collectors also a must have forWehrmacht civilian, and decorative items collectors.

I study German military history at the infantry man's level. This book gave pretty good information, great examples and good photography. I gave it 5 stars because it is the first book I've come across solely on this topic and it is a good universal sampling.

Great book

Molto carino, molto interessante. Un argomento dedicato agli esperti del settore ma anche all' uomo della strada. Consigliato a tutti coloro che si sono chiesti almeno una volta nella vita "cosa mangiavano i soldati tedeschi"

私には、英語本なので文章の内容はよくわかりまあせんが、プラモデル作成の資料として購入しました。軍装ではなく、食料品とか缶詰とか食器とか小物の作成の参考になるでしょう。もちろん歴史研究家の方にもお勧めです。軍装関係ではDeutsche 1933-1945 Heeresuniformen und Ausrustung が参考になります。この本はアマゾンから購入できます。商品リンクができませんでした。

Se siete appassionati o collezionisti, non potete perdervi l'acquisto di questo volume

As soon as I saw this title in the pre-order list I knew I had to have it. I'm very interested in World War 2 history, and the German army in particular. I already have a fairly large selection of books about German uniforms, weapons and gear, but until now I've always had difficulty finding out what the rations used by the Wehrmacht were like. Everyone has heard the Rats, Kuch and Bohnen terms, but for me this is not concrete enough. Well, with this book I've got all the answers I need.The book is divided into chapters, each dealing with a particular product category. Each product is described in detail, and illustrated with colour photo's of the real thing. Where possible a contemporary US verdict on the product is included.To give an impression of what is included I'll list the chapters:1. Cereal and Baked Products; 2. Dairy Products; 3. Fish, Fats and Poultry Products; 4. Meat Products; 5. Fruit and Vegetable Products; 6. Coffees, Teas and Other Beverages; 7. Spices, Baking Aids, Bouillon and Miscellaneous; 8. Sugars, Candy, Jams and Other Desert Products; 9. Beverages; 10. Emergency and Special Rations Items.The appendices include: The Supply of Wehrmacht Rations and Utilization of Foreign Rations by the German Army, to name two.All in all the book gives me the impression it's as complete as it can be. I've found many interesting items I knew nothing about, and I'm very pleased with the large number of colour illustrations. I also like the US commentaries on the German products very much, as it gives a little more insight into what the products were like.It's a specialist title I feel, but if this is in your field of interest it's also a book you shouldn't miss.