Among the many peculiarities of the Wehrmacht, there was one very classical rule that no foreign counterpart dared to adopt.
That is, all expenses had to come out of one's own pocket.
From the governor to the rank-and-file soldier, everyone's daily food costs were the same. These were uniformly deducted from their pay each month, and the military kitchen provided a unified catering service. There were no special meals; everyone enjoyed the same dark cuisine of SPAM and MREs, with no escape. If one wanted to eat steak and drink red wine, they could, but at their own expense, including hiring chefs and servants and providing the ingredients.
This was actually typical of military aristocratic culture. In the past, human knights also paid for their own equipment and hired servants out of pocket. Some knights, eager to maintain their expenses, were keen on marrying the daughters of wealthy nobles, and the resulting courtship poetry and duels were considered romantic stories.
