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The standard German military field ration is designed to provide the front-line soldier with high-calorie protein-rich food that can sustain him through an arduous day. Where the soldier is unable to be fed from a field kitchen the following ration packages are issued.

Einmannpackung (Individual Pack)

The basic blocks of the field ration comprise one 300-gram tin of meat, one 150 gram unit of hard bread and one 150 gram unit of processed cheese. Together with amenities these components were packaged in a wax-sealed paper carton.

The meat unit of the ration would contain one of the following:

• Hahnchenfleisch – a pre-cooked chicken product, sealed in a tin
• Rinderbraten – parboiled roasted beef with gravy, sealed in a tin
• Schmalzfleisch – a pre-cooked pork product, sealed in a tin
• Truthahnbraten – a pre-cooked turkey product, sealed in a tin

The bread unit of the ration would contain one of the following:

• Hartkeks – a hard biscuit/cracker sealed in a cello brick
• Hartzweiback – a hard biscuit more like bread than crackers, sealed in an air-tight cello wrapper

The cheese unit of the ration consisted of Schmelzkäse, a pasturised processed cheese product

The amenities unit of the ration included: one packet of Milchkaffee – a dried instant coffee product combined with powdered milk; one 25-gram cello-pack containing sugar; one 25-gram cello-pack containing salt; one 20-gram cello-pack containing Zitronendrops (lemon-flavoured hard candy); one cello-pack containing four cigarettes; one cello-pack containing four matches; one cello-pack containing Latrinepapier.

Zusätzlichepackung (Supplemental Pack)

When the individual soldier is reliant upon the individual ration for more than three days issue of a supplemental ration pack is authorised. This pack includes:

• Bohnenkaffee – a 20-gram cello-wrapped packet of ground coffee
• Erbstwurst – a compressed soup ration comprising six individual pellets of compressed split-pea soup
• Knackebrot – a hard, crisp whole wheat cracker-like product sealed in an air-tight cello wrapper
• Schokolade – a 50-gram foil-wrapped bar of chocolate

Gruppepackung (Squad Pack)

The squad pack was designed to feed ten men for one day and was most often issued to motorised troops. It was normally packaged in two small crates. Its components comprised:

• Bohnenkaffee – a resealable tin containing two cello-packs of ground coffee and two cello-packs of sugar – two tins issued per ration
• Eintopf – a tin containing 500 grams of meat and vegetable stew – two tins issued per ration
• Eipulver – a tin containing 250 grams of dehydrated eggs – two tins issued per ration
• Fleischextrakt – a resealable tin containing five 30-gram cubes of bouillon type soup base cubes (Maggi-brand) – two tins issued per ration
• Früchtebrot – a tin containing 500 grams of a brown-bread – whole wheat and rye with molasses as sweetener, with raisins added – two tins issued per ration
• Hafermehl, Zucker und Frucht – a resealable tin containing two cello-packs of oatmeal, one cello-pack of raisins, one cello-pack of sugar and one cello-pack of salt for oatmeal preparation – two tins issued per ration
• Hartzweiback – a resealable tin containing five standard 150 gram cello-packs – two tins issued per ration
• Kondensmilch – a tin containing 500 grams of condensed milk – two tins issued per ration
• Kondessuppe "Tomate" – a tin containing 500 grams of condensed tomato soup – two tins issued per ration
• Leberwurst – a tin containing 250 grams of liver loaf – two tins issued per ration
• Margarine – a tin containing 250 grams of margarine – four tins issued per ration
• Pflanzenöle – a tin containing 100 grams of cooking oil – two tins issued per ration
• Rinder Fleischkonserve – a tin containing 500 grams of beef with gravy – two tins issued per ration
• Schokolade – a resealable tin containing five 50-gram chocolate bars – four tins issued per ration
• Wiener Würstchen – a tin containing 250 grams of Vienna sausage – four tins issued per ration

The supply troops of the Deutsches Heer include field kitchen (feldkochherd) detachments and field bakeries (feldbäckereien). Whenever possible, troops are fed hot meals provided by such units.

The prescribed daily ration for troops not engaged in active combat operations comprises:

• 750 grams of bread
• 400 grams fresh or frozen meat, or 200 grams of preserved meat, or 200 grams of bacon
• 800 grams of potatoes
• 600 grams of vegetables
• 100 grams of fruit or 50 grams of fruit preserves
• 100 grams of butter or 100 grams of margarine
• 25 grams of coffee or 3 of grams tea
• 20 grams of sugar
• 25 grams of salt