01M mounted field bakery oven

By “weapon” in this section, I sometimes rather mean technical equipment. I believe that this is also justified, since these tools also contributed significantly to the success of the war effort. A good food supply, for example, definitely improved morale and fighting ability. Bread played a prominent role in the supply of combat units. I already wrote about this here. It required a very serious organization and material effort to supply the combat units, millions of people with fresh bread on a daily basis. Of course, this was not always possible, as the supply units were located behind the front line. And the delivery was increasingly hindered by enemy artillery. At the end of the Great War, the biggest problem was the lack of raw material (flour).

The most important role in ensuring the supply of bread fell to the supply troops organized alongside the divisions. Some of them were engaged in baking bread. When the front was on the move, the work of bakeries was carried out under protecting tents. When the front stood in one place for a long time, more massive buildings were also used. The photo attached to this post shows a temporary bakery with 12 ovens. Under the tents are the ovens of an infantry division. The bread-making process is shown by the badge with the inscription “Verprlegstruppe”, i.e. “supply team”. The oven can be seen on the left side of this. Its maximum output was 3,000 one and a half kilogram loaves per day.