food at the 401st

Posted:
By: Dale Anderson
On: 11/05/2003

Hello, For those who do not know I am the 401st group Historian. I am seeking input from the group on how the food was at the base. Was there special meals before missions? Do you think your meals at the crew mess were good? In short let me hear from you on your views on food. Did any of you bring things to eat on long missions? I need your input for a future PFG article. Thank you Dale Anderson Group Historian.

Re: food at the 401st

Posted:
By: Dale Anderson
On: 11/05/2003

Just as a note if anyone wants to reply to my request for info on food at the 401st, you can contact me at our groups historian site by e-mail to Dale anderson
hist401@alaska.edu

Thanks

Re: food at the 401st

Posted:
By: L.A.Mitchell
On: 11/06/2003

A couple of things I remember..Combat crews at breakfast were given fresh eggs instead the powdered kind that was the staple fare.On occasion, even tho I wasn't flying on a mission, some times I would get dressed and ride up to combat mess with my mission bound buddies ,just to enjoy fresh eggs.That food at other meals caused me to develop a love affair with strawberry jam and peanut butter,
Crews fying missions were issued a good sized oatmeal cookie and a candy bar,(milky way) .After bombing the target at 25000 ft, and heading home andflying at a lower altitude, I'd bresk out the "rations".Due to thecold temperature at bombing altitude, 50 below zero, the candy wa a chocolate brick and the cookie was brownish colored phonograph record. Yum Yum.

Re: food at the 401st

Posted:
By: Ed Login
On: 11/06/2003

Hey L A , did you guys ever have SOS for breakfast?
It was goood too.
Ed

Re: food at the 401st

Posted:
By: Win Bryson
On: 11/07/2003

Food always brings questions, and while I later really liked SOS - astonishing some - I was then only in diapers.  So can you help me with the 401BG food service routine (I'm trying to relate it to the 613SQ, who's quarters were located way-south of the field):
1. Did squadrons have their own mess; and
  a. Did they serve "3-squares" a day; and
  b. Did officers have their own (squadron) mess;
2. Was there a central combat crew mess (besides each squadron's mess); and
  a. Where was it located (the Fall PFG has a photo - "pool outside the combat mess");
  b. Did it serve only air crews or mission-bound crews only;
  c. Did crews' (officers and enlisted) eat together;
3. Was the typical (mission-bound crew) sequence: Reville>dress>eat>briefing>t/o?

Thanks, but no seconds on the SOS, please.

Re: food at the 401st

Posted:
By: Jake Shepherd
On: 03/16/2004

I have fond memories of the "continental" style breakfast set-up that we had in the officer's mess on those days when we were not flying on the mission. This informal set-up was made available for those who did not get to the mess hall before regular breakfast service was over. They made a small section of the mess hall equipped as a "do it yourself" area, with a bread toaster, coffee maker, and furnished loaves of bread, jellies, jams and good English Orange Marmalade, and plenty of butter. The butter was in a bowl which was kept warm on a small stove. Being warm, the butter was liquid and there was a brush with which to apply the butter to the toast.. When you fixed all you wanted of the sweet toast, you could sit down with a cup of hot coffee and enjoy some real good "down home" food. I still dream about it at times, and that was my favorite breakfast.

Re: food at the 401st

Posted:
By: Ben Mallon
On: 03/21/2004

Hello

My name is Ben Mallon.  I am the son of Richard William Mallon, who flew (mostly) B-17G Stormy Weather from early October 1943 to May 22 or 23 1944, mostly as co-pilot.

Dad tells me that the stoneware plates were very cold, and the thick, country-sliced bacon was barely cooked (due to the shortage of fuel of all kinds in England in WWII).  The bacon would almost immediately congeal to the plate.  The rest of the meal wasn't much better.  Dad tells me that he was already pretty nervous because of flying combat later the same morning, but he knew he had to eat because it was so cold at altitude- gotta have the calories.  He mentioned the powdered eggs being pretty bad, but made no mention of fresh eggs on mornings of a combat mission.

He said one morning one of the crew members at his table took an extra portion of meat (bacon?) leaving one crew member short, and another morning someone used all the cream before the others got their share.

Dad didn't care much for the candy bar in flight, he would give it to another crew member who didn't drink, and then he would get that guy's whiskey ration after they got on the ground.  I think he said that this was pretty good stuff, scotch maybe.

He said there was a ration rule that in order to buy one bottle of good whiskey, you had to buy two bottles of really lousy stuff.  The label on the lousy stuff said "Colored and flavored with wood chips.  Product not more than 90 days old."  He and his friends called it "pop-skull" after the horrendous hangover it would cause.