Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 129:
Description
US Army Field Ration Type C, B-1 Unit Tin, Bread/Biscuit and Confection Components, Packed by Van Brode Milling Co., Inc., Clinton, Massachusetts – Korean War to Early Vietnam Era Offered here is an original U.S. military C-Ration B-1 Unit tin, packaged by the Van Brode Milling Company of Clinton, Massachusetts. The B-1 unit was one of three standardized bread/confection components (B-1, B-2, B-3) issued alongside the meat-based M-units to round out the Field Ration Type C, providing biscuit, beverage base, sugar, and confection items in a single sealed can. No individual recipient or unit association attaches to a ration tin of this type, and no separate published biography or provenance accompanies the lot; its significance rests entirely in the maker markings and printed specification data stenciled onto the can itself, which allow collectors to place it within the postwar revision cycle of the C-Ration program. The C-Ration traces its lineage to prewar experimentation with self-contained combat feeding, but the version represented by this tin reflects the substantial overhaul of military rations following World War II. Revised specifications in the early 1950s standardized can sizes, contents, and labeling as the ration carried American forces through the Korean War and into the early years of American involvement in Vietnam. Van Brode Milling, a Massachusetts-based cereal and dry-goods processor, was among the private contractors awarded military packaging contracts during this period, supplying B-unit tins stamped with their company name and Clinton, Mass. origin – details that place this example firmly in the Korean War/early Vietnam era rather than the Second World War, despite frequent miscataloguing to the earlier conflict by casual sellers. The tin is a cylindrical, olive-drab painted steel can of standard C-Ration dimensions, with stenciled lettering identifying the contents as a B-1 unit and crediting Van Brode Milling Co., Inc., Clinton, Mass. as packager. Government specification and lot data appear stenciled to the body consistent with period military procurement marking practices; bidders should refer to the accompanying photographs to confirm the precise wording and legibility of these markings, as well as whether the can retains its original seal. No additional ration components, outer cartons, or accessory items accompany this lot; the tin is offered as a single stand-alone example. Surface oxidation, light wear to the olive-drab paint, and some fading to the stenciled text are consistent with age and should be weighed against the photographs when assessing overall condition. A solidly identified, maker-marked Van Brode B-1 ration tin that anchors a tangible piece of Korean War-era logistics history on the collector’s shelf.
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