World War I and II

While the military was fighting in World War I and World War II, sugars and sweets were with them… but not for the reasons most people think. From Jelly Beans to Sour Balls, from Chocolate to Bubble Gum, these sweets were used as a medicine, morale booster, and food. Enjoy this historic candy collection of soldiers rations spanning the two great wars of the 20th century. Candies sent by family, provided by the government, purchased from traders, and foraged or found. Comes with a keepsake card telling the story of each.

Overview

While American men and women were fighting in the World Wars, sweets were with them. They appeared in rations, in packages from home, and through fund-raising efforts whether volunteer-operated canteens or high schools collecting candy funds for graduates fighting overseas.

 

Among the candies sent to Doughboys were chocolate-covered fruits and nuts, marshmallows, licorice pastels, Lifesavers, and other popular delights.    Whether the soldiers received them is anyone’s guess. One thing is certain – the War Department added a new invention called “candy bars” aka “energy bars” to rations, a favorite among the troops.

 

In World War II, the War Department provided sweets in K-Rations, Bailout Rations, commissaries, and everywhere else for health and medicinal purposes. They sent tons of sour balls to troops in Europe which helped quench thirst and stave off hunger. Malted milk - sent in tablets - was considered nourishing. Chewing gum served numerous purposes: to clean teeth, protect against thirst, and relieve stress and boredom. Caramels provided fast energy as did Tootsie Rolls, also a code word for “ammunition.” Forrest Mars, of the Mars family, discovered a candy while in the Spanish Civil War, which he renamed “M&M’s,” made for the troops with investment money from Hershey.

 

Through it all, sugar was central to the supplies, as it had been for centuries before, used as a medicine, preservative, fermenting agent, and food the     military literally needed to survive.    

 

Opening

The Great War was the beginning of warfare as never known: industrialized, chemical, deep in the trenches. Candy played an important part in the food lives of the fighters, bringing sustenance, medicinal value, and comfort.