In 1937, the U.S. Army contracted with Hershey's Chocolate to develop a candy bar which would not melt and which would contain enough nutrients to provide a full meal for the troops in the field. The Army, in order to discourage soldiers from eating the candy prematurely, required that it taste little better than a "boiled potato."
Hershey's took the unpalatable requirement to an extreme and, with the use of oat flour and excessive cacao, produced the D-ration--an extremely bitter concoction hard enough break teeth. It also was called "Hitler's secret weapon" because of the unmentionable things it would do to the Americans' digestive tracts (for a genuine example of WWII alimentary warfare, click here).
Hershey's throughout the war produced about 24 million bars a week for the military, including a later version which was marginally more edible.
Many soldiers gladly shared their chocolate with starving youngsters in the war-torn areas. The recipients did not mind how it tasted.
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| D-ration photo courtesy of Hershey Community Archives at http://www.hersheyarchives.org/ |
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