Army Field Rations 
The C Ration The American infantry soldier began WWII with the "combat" meal known officially as Field Ration, Type C. There were three individually boxed meals for breakfast, dinner (i.e., lunch), and supper. Soldiers quickly tired of these meat-and-hash meals because they were also served in the central mess tents when soldiers rotated off the front lines and yearned for more variety. The first version of the C rations offered a simple menu consisting of:
Package of Biscuits
Package of Graham Crackers
Package of Sugar Tablets
Meat Can of Ham (Breakfast), Chicken (Dinner), Turkey (Supper)
Fruit Bar (Breakfast), Caramels (Dinner), Chocolate Bar (Supper)
Powdered Coffee (Breakfast), Bouillon (Dinner), Lemon (Supper)
Piece Chewing Gum
4-Pack Cigarettes
Package of Toilet Tissue
Wooden Spoon
Matches
In early 1944 specifications for the C rats increased variety by alternating combinations of the "B," or bread, units, and the "M," or meat, units. An accessory pack included nine "good commercial-quality" cigarettes, water-purification tablets, matches, toilet paper, chewing gum, and an opener for the meat cans. A soldier's daily ration was three cans of B units, three cans of M units, and one accessory pack. M unit varieties Meat and beans Meat and vegetable stew Meat and spaghetti Ham, egg, and potato Meat and noodles Pork and rice Franks and beans Pork and beans Ham and lima beans Chicken and vegetables B unit components Biscuits Compressed and premixed cereal Candy-coated peanuts or raisins Powdered coffee Sugar Powdered lemon or orange juice Cocoa powder Hard candies Jam Caramels