Original Items: Only One Available. This is a very good original U.S. WWII Field Ration, Type K Breakfast Unit packed by Hiram Walker & Sons Inc., Peoria 1, Illinois, retaining its colorful late-war “Morale Series” outer carton and an impressive assortment of original contents. The ration has been opened for inspection, but several internal components remain sealed, making this a particularly complete representative example of the compact individual combat ration carried by American servicemen during the closing years of WWII.

The K ration was developed as a lightweight individual ration for troops operating where conventional field kitchens or larger packaged rations were impractical. Its direct ancestor was a pocket ration developed for paratroopers, and the Army subsequently adopted the concept for broader use in 1942 as Field Ration, Type K. The ration’s compact size made it particularly useful for airborne troops, armored personnel, couriers, assault troops, and others who needed food that could be carried easily on the individual soldier.

The later "Morale Series" had unique packaging designs that were color-coded and letter-coded on the ends for quick identification. The breakfast ration box had brown printing and was marked with a brown capital letter "B" on the ends, the dinner ration box had blue printing and was marked with a blue capital letter "D" on the ends, and the supper ration box had olive drab printing and was marked with an olive drab capital "S" on the ends.

The packaging commencing with the earliest version of the ration consisted of a chemically-treated cardboard outer carton and a waterproofed waxed-cardboard inner carton to protect the contents from contamination or damage. The waxed carton was found useful by soldiers to start small fires in which to boil water for coffee or cocoa.

The entrée came in a small, round metal can painted green with black lettering, with a metal key (dubbed a "twist key") to open it, packaged in a roughly square 3 × 23⁄4 × 17⁄16 inch (7.5 × 7 × 3.7 cm) cardboard box.

The rest of the meal came packed neatly in a waxed paper or laminated cellophane pack. The pack always contained two packages of 8 rectangular K-1 or 4 square K-2 calorie-dense cracker biscuits each, and either a flat rectangular stick of chewing gum or a square piece of candy-coated gum. Special items (like matches or Halazone tablets) were packed in one unit but not the others due to space limitations. Late production meals added a paper-wrapped paddle-like disposable wooden spoon and used the standard P-38 can opener instead of the "twist key".

This is a good unissued BREAKFAST unit by Hiram Walker & Sons Inc. of Peoria 1, Illinois. It is the later war "Morale Series", with the maroon design on the exterior. The ration is open, and the contents are shown. The original inner plastic “pack” is still wrapped and unopened, with some discoloration and minor degradation to one side. The original entree is retained in its small round metal can with the metal key still on the lid, but there is heavy oxidation and corrosion to the can as shown. The "Soluble Coffee Product” is still sealed, as is the small pack of Chesterfields and gum, but they both show corrosion. There is some minor material loss to the outer carton as shown.

The breakfast units would contain: canned entree veal (early version), canned chopped ham and eggs (all subsequent versions), biscuits, dextrose or malted milk tablets (early version), dried fruit bar, pre-mixed oatmeal cereal (late version) Halazone water purification tablets, Dentyne or Wrigley chewing gum, instant coffee, a packet of toilet paper tissues, and sugar (granulated, cubed, or compressed).

In total, the three meals provided about 8,000 calories and 79 grams of protein. depending upon components. As it was originally intended as an "assault" ration to be issued for short durations, the K-ration was designed to be used for a maximum of 15 meals. The K-ration was mass-produced by several major U.S. food production companies, including H. J. Heinz, Patten Food Products Company and The Cracker Jack Company.

This example is particularly noteworthy because it preserves substantially more than an empty carton. The Hiram Walker & Sons Inc. Breakfast Unit packaging, late-war Morale Series graphics, corroded entrée can with its original opening key, sealed Soluble Coffee Product, sealed Chesterfield cigarette package, chewing gum, and still-wrapped internal packet together provide an unusually complete view of the food, accessories, and packaging issued to American servicemen during the final phase of WWII.

Idiot Clause - the contents of this kit are pre-1945 manufacture and are NOT suitable for consumption. They are being sold as novelty collector pieces only. Even though some people on youtube have tried. Yuk!