United States military chocolate

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Hershey's Tropical Bar, 1943
Hershey's Tropical Bar, 1943

Military chocolate has been a part of standard U.S. armed forces rations since 1937, and is issued to troops as part of basic field rations and sundry packs. Chocolate rations served two purposes: as a morale boost, and as a high-energy, pocket-sized emergency ration. Military chocolate rations are often made in special lots to military specifications for weight, size and endurance. A majority of chocolate issued to military personnel is produced by the Hershey Company.

When provided as a morale boost or care package, military chocolate is often no different from normal store bought bars in taste and composition. However, they are frequently packaged or molded differently. The World War II K-ration included a bar of Hershey's sweet chocolate. But instead of being the typical flat thin bar, the K-ration chocolate was a thick rectangular bar that was square at each end.

When provided as an emergency field ration, military chocolate was very different from normal bars. Since it was provided as a quick emergency food source, officials initially outlined that it should not be a tempting treat that troops might eat before they needed it. But even as attempts to improve the flavor were made, the heat-resistant chocolate bars never received rave reviews. Emergency ration chocolate bars were made to be high in energy value, be easy to carry and to withstand high temperatures. Withstanding high temperatures was extremely important, since infantrymen would be outdoors, sometimes in tropical or desert conditions, with the bars in their pockets against their bodies. These conditions would make any normal chocolate bar melt within minutes.

[edit] Hershey at war

The first emergency chocolate ration bar commissioned by the United States Army was the Ration D Bar. Army Quartermaster Colonel Paul Logan approached Hershey's Chocolate in April 1937, and met with William Murrie, the company president, and Sam Hinkle, the chief chemist. Milton Hershey was extremely interested in the project when he was informed of the proposal, and the meeting began the first experimental production of the Ration D bar.

Colonel Logan had four requirements for the Ration D Bar. It had to:

  1. weigh 4 ounces
  2. be high in food energy value
  3. be able to withstand high temperatures
  4. taste "little better than a boiled potato."

Logan believed if the chocolate bar tasted good, troops would eat them casually instead of waiting until they needed them for an emergency meal.

Chief chemist Hinkle was forced to develop entirely new production methods to produce the bars. Chocolate manufacturing equipment was built to move flowing liquid chocolate into preset molds. However, the temperature-resistant formula of chocolate became a gooey paste that would not flow at any temperature. To produce the bars, each four ounce portion had to be kneaded, weighed and pressed into a mold by hand. The end result was a hard block of dark brown chocolate that would crumble with some effort.

Colonel Logan was pleased with the first small batch of samples. In June 1937, the United States Army ordered 90,000 "Logan Bars" and field tested them at bases in the Philippines, Panama, on the Texas border, and at other bases throughout the United States. Some of the bars even found their way into the supplies for Admiral Byrd's third Antarctic expedition. These field tests were successful, and the Army began making irregular orders for the bars.

With the onset of America's involvement in World War II after Pearl Harbor, the bars were ordered to be packaged to make them poison gas proof. Numerous changes in the packaging were made to reflect shortages and Army requests from 1941 to 1945.

In 1943, the Procurement Division of the Army approached Hershey about producing a confectionery style chocolate bar with improved flavor that would still withstand extreme heat. After a short period of experimentation, the Hershey company began producing Hershey's Tropical Bar. This bar was more similar to normal chocolate bars in shape and flavor than the Ration D Bar. The bar exceeded all tonnage for any other item produced by the wartime Hershey factory, including the Ration D Bar. While attempts to retain the sweetened flavor were somewhat successful, many troops found the chocolate tough and unappetizing. Nonetheless, it was perfect as a quick snack in the field, or as barter material.

It is estimated that between 1940 to 1945, over 3 billion of the Ration D Bars and Tropical Bars were produced and distributed to soldiers throughout the world. In 1939, the Hershey plant was capable of producing 100,000 ration bars a day. By the end of World War II, the entire Hershey plant was producing ration bars at a rate of 24 million a week. For their service throughout World War II, the Hershey Chocolate Company was issued 5 Army-Navy 'E' Production Awards for exceeding expectations for quality and quantity in the production of the Ration D Bar and Tropical Bar.

[edit] Postwar to modern day

Production of the Ration D bar was discontinued at the end of World War II. However, the Hershey's Tropical Bar remained a standard ration for the United States Armed Forces. The Tropical Bar saw action in Korea and Vietnam. The Tropical Bar returned to fame briefly when it was included onboard Apollo 15 in July 1971.

During Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, Hershey's Chocolate tested a new high temperature chocolate that they dubbed the Desert Bar. Hershey's shipped 144,000 Desert Bars to American troops, as a test market for the new chocolate bar. According to Hershey's, the bar could withstand heats in excess of 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit). While Army spokesmen said the bar's taste was good, troop reactions were mixed and the bar was not launched into commercial production.

[edit] External links

Confectionery products of The Hershey Company
Chocolate-based
5th Avenue | Almond Joy | Bar None (discontinued) | Cherry Blossom | Fast Break | Glosette (Canada only) | Heath bar | Hershey bar | Hershey's Kiss | Hershey's Kissables | Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme | Hershey's Pops | Hershey's S'mores | Kit Kat (U.S. only) | Krackel | Milk Duds | Mounds | Mr. Goodbar | Oh Henry! (Canada only) | PayDay Chocolate (Limited Edition) | Rolo | Reese's Peanut Butter Cup | Reese's Pieces | ReeseSticks | Skor | Take 5 (Also known as Max 5) | Whoppers | York Peppermint Pattie
Non-Chocolate
Bubble Yum | Ice Breakers | Jolly Rancher | Koolerz | PayDay | ZAGNUT
Other
Good & Plenty | Snack Barz | Swoops | Twizzlers | Whatchamacallit | ZERO
Hershey also manufactures Cadbury-branded products in the U.S. and military chocolate for the U.S. armed forces
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