Hello all. I am doing some research about my late grandfather's experiences in the Regio when he was assigned to the occupation forces in Albania. From what I understand, he was a cook and helped operate a front line field kitchen near the southern border. I have found few resources about the Italian field kitchen of that time and so I have had to rely on the 1942 US Army technical manual on field cooking to help me understand how things were done (https://archive.org/details/1942TM10-405/page/n3/mode/2up?view=theater). I wonder if anyone on the forum could help me answer a few questions:
-Are there online Regio tech manuals that describe field kitchen operations?
-Were camp-based field ovens and stoves heated by coal (like the US versions) or did the soldiers forage for wood?
-Were coffee beans roasted in a central supply location (circa 1941-1943) and then shipped to the field kitchens or were beans shipped as green and unroasted, requiring the field cooks to roast them on their own?
-How did the field kitchens make coffee for the troops? The US Army manual recommends throwing a bag of coffee grounds in a simmering pot for ten minutes if there is no percolator available. Not sure if that version of Cowboy Coffee would fly among the Italians.
I know these are pretty specific questions and there may not be many answers available, but thanks for offering whatever information you're able to.
-Are there online Regio tech manuals that describe field kitchen operations?
-Were camp-based field ovens and stoves heated by coal (like the US versions) or did the soldiers forage for wood?
-Were coffee beans roasted in a central supply location (circa 1941-1943) and then shipped to the field kitchens or were beans shipped as green and unroasted, requiring the field cooks to roast them on their own?
-How did the field kitchens make coffee for the troops? The US Army manual recommends throwing a bag of coffee grounds in a simmering pot for ten minutes if there is no percolator available. Not sure if that version of Cowboy Coffee would fly among the Italians.
I know these are pretty specific questions and there may not be many answers available, but thanks for offering whatever information you're able to.