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Chapter 7
Champagne from a Canteen Cup
The World War II canteen was a quart-sized bottle made of some dull gray metal
with a screw-on cap secured from loss by a short chain connecting cap and bottle. The
canteen had high shoulders, a short narrow neck, and a concave side to fit against a
human hip. The companion piece was a cup of the same metal which fitted over the base
of the canteen. It would probably have held 20 ounces of liquid, had anyone been
foolhardy enough to fill it to the brim. It had a hinged handle which folded neatly under
the bottom of the cup, after which the cup could be fitted over the bottom of the canteen
and the whole assembly stuffed into a snug fitting padded canvas case with hooks to
fasten onto the eyelets of a web cartridge belt or pistol belt.
The canteen cup was the only vessel the soldier had for drinking beverages with
meals or otherwise, and it was only marginally satisfactory. The handle locked into
position for drinking with a sliding clip which required eternal vigilance to keep it from
slipping and dumping the contents of the cup onto whatever - more often whoever - was
nearby. And the metal was an excellent conductor of heat: when coffee or any other hot
drink was poured into it, the rim of the cup not only became too hot to touch to one's lips,
but also stayed too hot until the coffee was too cool to be palatable.
At the conclusion of a meal, each soldier took the handle to his metal mess kit
(officially designated meat can) and slipped his knife, fork, and spoon over it, using the
slots in their handles, plus the mess kit lid and the canteen cup. Then, having scraped out
the remnants of the meal into the garbage can, he would line up to dip the whole
ensemble into a GI can of hot soapy water and give it a couple of strokes with a long-
handled brush. Then after another dip into clear boiling water and a few brisk shakes to
dry it, all the stuff was ready to stowaway until the next meal. Anyone within half a mile
could tell when supper was over by the deafening clatter of mess gear.
Officers, being privileged characters, got luxuries: a folding table to eat at, with
restaurant type cutlery and enamelware plates and cups. However, if we wanted coffee
between meals, we drank it out of our canteen cups, same as everyone else.
Now, on with the war! After our victory at Chambois - generally styled the
Falaise Gap - we started wondering whether we would get home by Thanksgiving or
might have to wait for Christmas. The U.S. Seventh Army was landing on the
Mediterranean Coast of France. Germans were withdrawing everywhere. Paris had fallen:
two-thirds of the French 2nd Armored Division had been rushed there so that French
troops would be among the first to enter the liberated city. The French brigadier general
who commanded the remaining combat command was in a profound sulk at having been
left behind, and refused to obey orders from the American corps commander.
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