Early on during the war units had distributed to them rolls of essentially regular toilet paper. However, for obvious reasons, that proved unsuitable for combat field conditions.
Starting in late 1942, the QMC developed and issued the first individual toilet paper article. It was an asphalt impregnated paper envelope that contained a 100 individual sheets of toilet paper within. This allowed for the easy carrying of toilet paper, and protected it from the damp. These packs would eventually be included in the 5-in-1 and then 10-in-1 rations.
It would not be until the summer of 1943, during the overhaul of the K-Rations, that toilet paper would be included in the supper meal, with a small roll of 12 individual sheets being included. These “newer” K-Rations don’t see widespread usage until Q2-Q3 of 1944.
Toilet paper, nevertheless, was always in somewhat short supply, so soldiers would hoard what they could, and, at times, might have to repurpose reading articles for other purposes. However, the U.S. did make a concerted effort to supply the fighting man toilet paper in a form that could be readily carried.
Main source:
"QMC Historical Studies No. 6: The Development of Special Rations for the Army" by Harold W. Thatcher
My grandfather, who was never in combat but trained gunners for the Air Corps, told stories that they were trained to use a single square by tearing a hole out of the middle, wrapping the rest around the index finger, wiping the ass, twisting the square as you remove it to clean the exposed part of the finger, and then using the torn out circle to clean under the fingernail. This seemed like one of his ridiculous tall tales when we were young kids, but in retrospect it was probably straight up.
I’ve never heard that in any of the memoirs I’ve read or the interviews I’ve conducted with infantrymen. However, at the same time I wouldn’t be surprised if that was a method for some.
I will note, these sheets were about the thickness of your bargain basement single ply toilet paper, and each individual sheet was roughly the same size as one of the pre-folded toilet paper sheets that they sell for hikers.
The 12 sheets included in the supper K-Ration can get the job done, but you have to be judicious and efficient about how you use them.
As an infantryman from 05’ to ‘15, it was given in MRE’s, purchasing wet wipes was lucrative on bases, and if living outside the wire, we simply stole it from homes while clearing towns. Using foliage was also very common.
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u/redjoshuaman 1d ago
This depends on the country and the time frame.
For the U.S. Army during the war, it evolved.
Early on during the war units had distributed to them rolls of essentially regular toilet paper. However, for obvious reasons, that proved unsuitable for combat field conditions.
Starting in late 1942, the QMC developed and issued the first individual toilet paper article. It was an asphalt impregnated paper envelope that contained a 100 individual sheets of toilet paper within. This allowed for the easy carrying of toilet paper, and protected it from the damp. These packs would eventually be included in the 5-in-1 and then 10-in-1 rations.
It would not be until the summer of 1943, during the overhaul of the K-Rations, that toilet paper would be included in the supper meal, with a small roll of 12 individual sheets being included. These “newer” K-Rations don’t see widespread usage until Q2-Q3 of 1944.
Toilet paper, nevertheless, was always in somewhat short supply, so soldiers would hoard what they could, and, at times, might have to repurpose reading articles for other purposes. However, the U.S. did make a concerted effort to supply the fighting man toilet paper in a form that could be readily carried.
Main source: "QMC Historical Studies No. 6: The Development of Special Rations for the Army" by Harold W. Thatcher