Submitted by Eric Daniel
The German military of WWII was famous for a number of technological inventions, which, at the time, were the benchmarks of their time. The MG42 (which is still used by the German army today as the re-chambered MG3) machine gun, the 8.8cm FlaK 18 (commonly known simply as THE "88"), the PzKpfw Mk. VI (the Tiger I tank) are just a few. One of the devices for which they are, unfortunately, less well known is their excellent mess kit. The German mess kit is a 3-piece design that incorporates a large boiling pot, a small frying pan, and a small bowl. All three pieces nest to form a compact kit with ample space within the kit to store condiments such as salt and pepper shakers, hot sauce, as well as matches, fire starter, and dish soap. While the army has phased out its 3 piece aluminum kits years ago, I still use the German kit simply because of its versatility. The pot and frying pan seal to form a container capable of transporting prepared food, which means that you meal gets delivered to you still hot and dirt free as opposed to cold and full of dust, which is how most meals are delivered in a tactical environment. Furthermore, the pot, now that the steel pot is no longer available, is an excellent source of boiling water for the entire squad (rather than have everyone boil their own canteen cup full.)
