Hi All,
>With all this confusion about different gas gans, it is worth
mentioning
>that not only the US made
>5 gallon gas cans during WWII. The Germans came up with the idea
(hence the
>name Jerry-can).
>This can is actually 20 liters (close to 5 gallons), has 3 handles so
it is
>easy to pass the can from
>one man to the next, has a cross-like indentation on the sides to allow
for
>expansion, and a quick open-close
>cam lever opening (quite small), which it is actually possible to pour
from.
>When filled, it has enough room left for
>air to allow it to float if dropped in water. When the British saw
this in
>action in North-Africa, they soon realized
>that this can was vast superior to their leaky tin-cans, so they went
ahead
>and copied the german design down
>to the last detail. They also used all German cans they could get hold
of.
>The Americans preferred to use their design, I don't know how much the
>german can
>influenced this design.
>
The "jerrican", as its usually written here, does indeed take its name
from "jerry" being the most common collective noun at the time for the
German forces, it is actually 4.5 Imperial gallons (very nearly).
Drawing on two information sources: "The story of the RASC 1939 - 1945"
(Royal Army Supply Corps), the official history of the RASC published by
G. Bell & Sons 1955. A 3 inch thick volume that is minutely detailed
and a definitive source of data for the whole conflict, very rare now
but buy it if you see it.
The other source being an old "Desert Rat" relative who was shot out of
a Stuart (Honey) and finally a Grant in the N African desert whereupon
he was detained by Erwin for the duration.
The logistic necessities were well recognised before the out-break in
1939 and the RASC set up a committee in 1935 headed by William Frasier
(later Sir WIlliam), the deputy chairman of the Anglo-Iranian Oil
Company, to address the problem of petrol supply and distribution, this
was a problem before the BEF left for France as roadside pumps were
virtually non-existent over there and analysis of the fuel suggested it
was unfit for the UK mil engines of the time (!), the domestic French
supply being by can any way.
There were two containers in production at the time, the pressed steel 2
(Imp) gallon rectangular can that you see carried on early UK and CMP
vehicles as reserve fuel and made only in the UK. The quantity
available or produceable was a tiny proportion of the projected
requirement.
The second being the 4 (Imp) gallon "flimsy" tin plate container already
in production here and in the Middle and far East, whilst its
shortcomings and fragility were well known these containers were
available in quantity, used little raw material, could be made in third
world factories, were non-returnable and believed to be robust enough if
packed in a wooden crate two at a time.
Bulk tanker supply direct to the front line vehicles was impractical,
dangerous and impossible with the number of vehicles then available.
The N African desert and the often stony going proved differently,
losses often reached 30% or more, trucks could be seen leaving depots
trailing fuel and vehicle losses owing to leaked fuel fires outstripped
enemy action by a handsome margin. Even so the 8th Army was awash with
fuel all trucked across some difficult terrain by the Bedfords,
Morris's, Austins, Albions etc, Aussie Maple Leafs and the healthy
supply of CMP's.
The flimsy was rightly loathed for all reasons although empty ones had
further uses as general containers for all manner of things including
the making of defences by filling with sand or concrete to produce a
substantial "brick". Most importantly the cut-down flimsy would be part
filled with a shovel of sand, some stones, a healthy glug of petrol and
lit for boiling the kettle to make tea, so essential to keep the British
forces rolling and an effective smokeless stove. The old tanker also
tells me that Grant (Lee) AVGAS is very good for washing the oily,
sweaty head-band of your uniform cap in the desert, such was the
desperate shortage of water, but a minimum of 3 days are needed to
thoroughly air it or a horrendous, painful skin rash occurs.
The actual capture of the jerrican drew instant interest from the UK
military, sufficient numbers were to hand that they were pressed into
service, and were better than cash amongst the troops, samples were sent
to the US for production under lease-lend arrangements but it went
rather awry.
The US factories claimed they could improve on it and a lot of time was
wasted making alternate samples and bickering at inter governmental
levels. The US Mil kept to their modified design for the moment but
eventually we got production of the jerrican as is, this was actually
too late for the N Africa campaigns and the Allied forces, after the
Torch landings, were all supplied by the RASC using captured jerricans
and the desperately bad flimsies.
The Wehrmacht adopted the jerrican as we know it somewhere about
1936/37, previously using a triangular prism shaped device with the
filler central on the top edge, a large part of Czechoslovakia was
considered to be German territory at the time and a fiefdom of Himmler's
control; the SS jerricans in particular were only made at the Sandrik
works there and unusually carry the SS runes pressed in the central
reinforcing rectangle with Sandrik below. Highly collectable if you
ever see one.
>So the "correct" gas can for a Jeep could be of several types, at least
if
>it is restored as an ETO-veteran. If you
>look at pictures from WWII, for example from the CCKW's carrying
hundreds of
>gas can on the red ball express,
>you see that all types are present.
>
I suspect they took what they were given or could get hold of !
Richard
(Southampton UK)
===
To unsubscribe from the mil-veh mailing list, send the single word
UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of a message to <mil-veh-request@skylee.com>.