When I was first posted to Germany (1964) to 4 CIBG, being single I was only allowed a cigarette ration. We would scrounge a liquor ration from the married rats as they got a liquor, coffee and tea ration card. Eventually, in 65 I believe we were given a ration card for two (2) bottles of liquor ration when going on leave. Some where around 66 or 67 some one noticed the inequality of this and single men got a liquor ration as like the married rats. To get coffee or tea we just signed out for it in a book held at the coffee/tea counter in the MLS/Canex. This irritated the German sales ladies no end. They figured we were mostly getting it for German friends or our landlords. They weren't far wrong.

I remember the large bottles of brandy...Dujardin and Urault I think. Massive things...and my parents used them for pfennings as well. Even 1/3 full they made great doorstops!

Mom still had an empty one she had sitting down by the door of the family room in her condo a few years ago, filled with pennies and nickels. A major conversation piece!

I remember the cigarette ration cards. They were in use in 62/63, ostensibly we were rationed so we couldn't make a fortune selling fags to the Germans. If memory serves the ration was 200 per week. As far as I can recall we didn't have rationing for Spirits, tea or coffee. But having said that I don't recall ever trying to buy any of those from the Naffi. Certainly tea and/or coffee was sourced from the cook house, using said cigarette ration to bribe Janker wallahs on the odd occasion that a frontal assault failed.

I also recall ciggie ration cards and quite agree with wrinkles in that the concept behind rationing them was to discourage black marketeering...of course, there were always ways around it.

For instance, Mom smoked but my Dad had quit smoking some years earlier yet still had a ration card for cigs so of course both got used.

When I turned 18, I was issued my own ration card (and started to smoke...still do!).

We mainly used Dad's quota to ensure Mom never ran out (if she did it was best to head for the hills as quickly as possible LOL) but periodically, as a treat, would get German friends a carton of cigs.

Oddly, some spirits were rationed while others were not. This, of course was MLS/Canex not NAAFI I'm talking about. Canadian Club, as I recall was rationed, Crown Royal was etc., yet other quite decent brands weren't; I could never figure out the rationale.

Perhaps Hardrations might have better insight/recall on this point.

Coffee I'm pretty sure was rationed, at least some brands were. Again, I suspect because "good coffee" was a desired commodity amongst German civilians and therefore efforts were made to limit access re amounts and such. I wasn't a coffee drinker at the time, so I never paid much attention. However, I do recall my Mom stating that German coffee was far better than any of the instant coffee crap we Canadians were getting. Keep in mind, this was circa 1970/71 and hardly anybody used filtered coffee as is popular now; it was almost always instant...no wonder I didn't drink coffee! Vile....

Tea...hmmmm...I know Red Rose wasn't rationed as I could purchase it no problem when I was back in Soest as a civilian in 1972/73 and often bought several packages, small boxes, of it for Frau Elizabeth, formerly of the Sally Ann.

Certain brandies/cognacs were not rationed as well. Others were, some of the premium brands for instance. Asbach-Urault wasn't, as I recall.[i]

If my memory is correct late 60s and 70s the only spirits on ration were whisky and gin along with coffee and fags not sure about tea

Thanks soprano54 the Germans still do not have decent tea and we supply friends and family with tea from Tesco when we are passing through Kent on the way back from UK regards Steve

[quote="Stephen Lock"]
Oddly, some spirits were rationed while others were not. This, of course was MLS/Canex not NAAFI I'm talking about. Canadian Club, as I recall was rationed, Crown Royal was etc., yet other quite decent brands weren't; I could never figure out the rationale.

Perhaps Hardrations might have better insight/recall on this point.

Up north (Soest area) all hard liquors were rationed I believe. Down south in Lahr. Only Canadian hard liquors were rationed. American, British, French, German booze were not rationed. In reference to cigarettes I was probably the only Canadian who got unlimited free German cigarettes. This was from a friend of mine who worked in the Rotehandle cigarette factory in Lahr. The employee's were given so much a month free to stop pilfering and Manfred would gladly take those from fellow employees' who didn't smoke. Must have been a first for a Canadian to have a German friend that he didn't supply smokes to, but recieved freebies from him. The French, British, and American troops could shop in Canex and buy booze but not the Canadian liquors.

Which brings back a happy memory of a young French Officer (remember FFA was supposed to stand for Forces Francais Alemein. But really stood for F***en French Army) who got caught up in thinking he was God in the Canex booze shop.Which I'll tell in detail later on.

i remember my first posting to germany[fallingbostl]iwas living in bks as i had,nt been allocated a quater,i had a single soldiers ration card this was for ciggs only.when my wife arrived out there i exchanged my singlies card for a families card,my new card was for cigarettes,tea coffee, whisky and gin..ps,that was 1969.

[quote="Hardrations]
Up north (Soest area) all hard liquors were rationed I believe. Down south in Lahr. Only Canadian hard liquors were rationed. American, British, French, German booze were not rationed.[/quote]

While rationing changed over the years, I am pretty sure that in 1970-71 when we were in Soest, it was possible to buy Asbach-Urault off-ration and one other brandy, the name of which escapes me at the moment but I think was Canadian. Certainly premium brands like Crown Royal and Canadian Club were rationed. And in high demand.

[quote="Hardrations]
In reference to cigarettes I was probably the only Canadian who got unlimited free German cigarettes. This was from a friend of mine who worked in the Rotehandle cigarette factory in Lahr. The employee's were given so much a month free to stop pilfering and Manfred would gladly take those from fellow employees' who didn't smoke. Must have been a first for a Canadian to have a German friend that he didn't supply smokes to, but recieved freebies from him. [/quote]

I'd forgotten about Rotehandle cigs! When I was back in Soest working for a German construction company I had to buy German cigs if I wanted a smoke. German cigs used Turkish tobacco as opposed to the Virginia tobacco found in Canadian and AMerican cigs. Foul smellng stuff, like camel dung!

However, and I am going to catch it for this one I know, I preferred those to some of the British cigs like Embassy!!

I prefered British cigs if no Canadian available, Embassy was a good smoke I thought. I never really caught onto German cigs except when after having a few brews.

It's hard to believe now, but if I had a filter cigarette I would break the filter off before lighting. I was an Export man, which, people said, was a fairly strong brand. My next favourite was Senior Service. Trouble was I'd have to get a British guy to buy them for me because, despite it being clearly printed on our ration cards that they were to be accepted in the NAAFI, the German staff, in their customary inflexible adherence to what they perceived to be 'the rules', inevitably refused to accept them. (I still have an old MLS ration card somewhere. I'll post it if and when I find it.)

Yes, the German ciggies were a bit over the top unless your throat was well lubricated with sufficient quantities of the local brew. On the odd occasion I would get caught without and would have to buy those awful Reemstmas out of the vending machine. The only other alternative, aside from fleeing back to barracks to replenish, would be a cigar which wasn't really much of a choice.

Sure glad I quit smoking in 1973 (November 28th while sitting in Shakey's Pizza Parlour in Sacramento California to be precise).

yes,they were a treat i remember ernte 23,i hope thats right,23 ciggys in one packet, what a horible taste.of course i am pc now as well managed to pack in about 5 years ago.

back on line afterrepairs to pc ,the ration element when i was a naafi manager was 140 cigs aweek.1 botttle of whisky/gin per month.160 tea bags/quarter pound loose tea per week and 4oz of coffee per week. all other spirits were on open sale.when you got your car serviced in a local garage the going rate was your own oil(cheap from the naafi and a bottle of asbach)PLUS A COUPLE OF D.MARKS.graham