German WW II Reproduction Iron Ration - Knackebrot

Reproduction German WW II Ration - Knackebrot Portion

This is a modern reproduction of the Wehrmacht's infamous "Iron Ration," carried by every German soldier in peacetime and in war. The packet contains one 300 gram tin of meat, and one 125 gram unit of hard bread.

The meat ration during WW II included a variety of meats, including Schmalzfleisch (similar to Spam), Rinderbraten (roast beef), Truthahnbraten (turkey) Hahnchenfleisch (chicken), Rind Schmalzfleisch (corned beef) and Fleischkonserve (literally “tinned meat”, which makes it the German mystery meat, since it could include any of the above).

The bread unit could contain any of the following:

Hartkeks - a hard biscuit/cracker sealed in a cello brick with an overwrap of green or tan paper, or

Hartzweiback, a hard biscuit more like bread than crackers, which is sealed in an air-tight cello wrapper and outer-wrapped in a bag with the proper period label from one of the various German manufacturers, or

Knackebrot, a hard, crisp bread which is sealed air-tight in a cello wrapper and outer-wrapped in a bag, again with a proper period label from one of the various German manufacturers. 

The label on this ration correctly identifies the contents as Fleischkonserve (roast beef, corned beef, or chicken) and Knackebrot. These are high calorie, high protein rations intended to carry a foot soldier through an arduous day. It is also a perfect item for your equipment layout, or for supper in the trench when the cooks don't show.

Please note – the photograph with this auction shows two rations. You are buying the one on the left in the sealed brown bag, which contains the two items shown on the right. You will receive one tin of meat and one unit of Hartkeks. 

You will be invoiced shortly after the purchase, and shipping costs will be based on your location. Please wait for the invoice before you submit payment, especially if buying more than one item BECAUSE if you buy multiple offerings, we will automatically combine them to save you shipping costs.