|
Packaging for Zwieback
By
Jim Pool
(Lt.Col., Ret.)
|
|
|
|
Special thanks to Jim
Pool for providing the article below. Mr. Pool is a
well known collector, historian, & author with focus
on the topic of WWII German rations items . He has
contributed several articles to this site & we are
always excited when we receive a new one as they are
always full of great information and images.
If you enjoy reading this article, then we highly
recommend you pick up his new book,
Rations of the German Wehrmacht in World War II.
It is definitely a "must have" for those of us
interested in things like this.
Introduction
Perhaps one of the most misunderstood ration items by
collectors has been Zwieback. Many assume the war
time bread looks like the present day Zwieback,
widely available at stores, and sometimes referred
to as a "teething biscuit" for children. It was
widely used by the Wehrmacht for emergency rations
and as a substitute for the standard loaf of rye
bread. It was baked to remove most of the moisture
for long storage life, which resulted in dry, hard,
biscuit type bread. This is how Zwieback is
described in the U.S. Army ration report:
|
German Bread Ration (Biscuit Type):
This bread ration had the appearance of
a miniature loaf of bread, with a very
slightly rounded top. Two docker holes
penetrated each bread piece. The average
dimensions were 1 x 0.625 x 0.437
inches. The top was a shiny brown,
indicating that some wash was used on
top of the pieces. The internal color
was creamy and slightly dark. Three or
four caraway seeds were evident in each
piece. The texture was quite hard,
flinty, and difficult to bite through.
The moisture content was three to four
percent higher than that for the U. S.
Army "C" ration biscuits, but the
texture was harder, because of the low
fat content. It had a flat dry taste and
would not appeal to the American
soldier. |
In the book Der
Feldkochunteroffizier (The Field Cook NCO), the
author describes Zwieback as, "well baked bread,
light brown in color, with holes along its surface,
which results in a hard, crumbly, almost
nonperishable product. Since the product crushes
less easily then most bread, it results in less
wastage during transport and in the field. It is
made from wheat, rye or potato flour, sugar, yeast,
salt, seasoning, and water".
|
H.Dv. 320/4 Wehrmachts
Verwaltungsvorschrift für Heeresverpflegungs
dienststellen (Administrative Regulation for
Army Food Supply Agencies) provides some additional
insight into the production of Zwieback. Zwieback
was susceptible to moisture and molded easily. Great
care was taken to process the product in a dry
environment. The majority of the military's supply
of Zwieback was provided by the Field Bakery
Companies. After the product was baked it was
subjected to a rigorous quality control process,
before being packed into 250 gram bags (Zwiebackbeutel).
One hundred of these Zwiebackbeutel were then placed
into a good strong sack for storage and transport. The lowly Zwiebackbeutel still
remains a mystery among the collecting community.
Some Soldbuchs are annotated with "Zwiebackbeutel"
in the equipment issue section. So was the
Zwiebackbeutel a piece of individual equipment or
are the Soldbuch annotations simply a means by some
units to control packing materials, which were
highly regulated. There is some evidence to suggest
that it was an issue piece of personal equipment, at
least for a short period, and later regulated as a
controlled packing material. According to H.Dv.
320/4 Zwieback was packed in Zwiebackbeutels
manufactured from fabric (aus gewebe) or
plastic/synthetic materials (aus kunststoffen), in
paper sacks, or in viscose foil (Zellglass) more
commonly known as cellophane. Each of these is
discussed below.
|
|
 |
Zwiebackbeutel aus gewebe
This is the best known packaging for zwieback and
the only style the author was able to verify through
wartime photos. From wartime pictures and a
surviving example we know that it was of a simple
two piece construction, consisting of the body and
closure ties. It was manufactured from undyed linen
or cotton. The body was manufactured from a single
piece of fabric which was stitched along one edge
and along the bottom. The closure ties were
positioned inside the side seam and then sewn
together. This style of bag could be washed,
disinfected and reutilized.
Zwiebackbeutel aus kunststoffen
It’s likely that this style of bag was similar in
construction to the linen/cotton bag discussed
above. The major difference is synthetic materials
were used in its construction. The author is fairly
confident “aus kunststoffen” refers to the use of
rayon. Rayon was widely used in the clothing
industry and used in the construction of certain
items of field gear. Rayon was a very versatile
fabric and took dyes very well. The picture below
shows an equipment bag made from rayon. Note that
the construction of the bag body is different from
the Zwiebackbeutel shown above. The body was made
from a single piece of cloth and stitched along each
side. There is no stitching along the bottom of the
bag.
Paper sacks used
to pack Zwieback
H.Dv. 320/4 states that
Zwieback was packed in paper sacks by the Field
Bakeries. After being filled they were sealed with
adhesive tape. Paper sacks were destroyed after they
were used. There were a number of firms which
produced paper sacks during the war; which resulted
in numerous differences in materials and
construction. Its likely that many different types
of bags were used by the Field Bakeries. The example
shown below was used to pack items the German Tank
Crew Candy Ration. The bag was described in the U.S.
Army ration report in this manner: “This ration was
packaged in a two wall (pasteboard) brown bag, made
of two sheets, 40 pound Kraft paper. The backing was
6.5 x 10 inches. The gross weight of the wrap was
15.5 ounces”.
Cellophane sacks
used to pack Zwieback
H.Dv. 320/4 states that
Zwieback was packed in viscose foil (Zellglass) more
commonly known as cellophane, by the Field Bakeries.
Its assumed that bags were used; as opposed to over
wrapping the Zwieback in a cellophane sheet and
sealing it with tape. However this method of
wrapping was used commercially and shouldn't be
completely discounted. After being filled the sacks
were sealed with viscose foil adhesive strips.
Cellophane bags were destroyed after they were used.
There were a number of firms which produced
cellophane bags during the war; which resulted in
numerous differences in materials and construction.
It’s likely that many different types of bags were
used by the Field Bakeries. The example shown below
was used to pack Knäckebrot. This particular example
is made from very thin cellophane. It’s likely that
a thicker grade of cellophane was used to pack
Zwieback.
Commercially
packaged Zwieback
Zwieback was
available commercially packaged in a variety of
different ways. Wax paper bags, sheets of various
types of paper, cellophane bags, and paper bags are
just a few types of packaging used. Cans and paper
cartons were probably also used. A few examples of
commercial packaging are shown below. It’s likely
that commercial firms also supplied Zwieback to the
military.
Conclusion
Tom and I
tried our best to write the definitive study of
German rations; however a lack of wartime pictures
and references made that goal unachievable. Because
Zwieback was a component of the Half Iron Ration it
was probably one of the more widely distributed of
all bread products. The packaging requirements had
to be enormous and consequently it would have taken
a number of manufacturers (German and foreign), to
fill the orders. So it’s likely that variations in
construction, materials, and colors existed in
manufacturing the Zwiebackbeutel and that alternate
forms of packaging like cans and boxes would have
been considered.
BACK TO ITEMS
|
