Jerry Cans

Discussion in 'Weapons, Technology & Equipment' started by von Poop, Nov 17, 2007.

  1. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Canuck -
    what you say is perfectly correct as they were at equal risk of being blown to bits - BUT we just didn't have them - except for water - after awhile - it the old story your generation is well used to the big tankers refuelling planes - how did they do it in the 40's ...? and a new electronic gizmo every week but we weren't -things were much slower in those days - TV was invented in 1928 but wasn't shown in london only until the mid 30's- penicillin the same in 1928 BUT we had our first shipment in 1943 in Italy - fuel tanks - they were still thinking about them but the crocodile flame thrower came first I guess as well as the PLUTO pipeline - floating docks etc - funnies - they were the things that won the war - DD Tanks - not mollycoddling Tank Crews ....

    Cheers
     
  2. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Google gives an answer of 4.3Kg for an empty 20l can.
    You could guestimate this, if the steel is 0.9mm thick, but I'm too thick.
    So Drew is pretty close.

    Ah, thanks, so that's the tare weight to add to the contents :)
     
  3. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Tom raises an interesting point about refuelling aircraft,presumably by petrol bowser.Oiling was also carried out by the smaller lube oil bowser.However this gear was only available in the home or secure forward airfields and in the latter case,was a risk in that the enemy might then overrun an airfield.Innovation as ever, was the order of the day.

    There is a petrol depot near here which was built during the war and supplied the North Lincolnshire Bomber Command airfields via sub fuel depots throughout the war. It still in use but now it supplies three principal RAF airfields by pipeline.A fourth is now a civilian airport.I would think that when B.C was first founded in 1936,fuel deliveries would have been delivered from nearby small depots and there would been many tankers seen on the roads.

    Refuelling at these forward airfields was done by jerry can or from barrels with delivery done by hand pump.Lube oil would be delivered by barrel.

    I remember seeing film of US forces operating in the Pacific when they first entered the war and the 35 gallon fuel barrel appeared the norm.Delivery by hand pump is demanding work and would take a few barrels to fill up an aircraft.

    Not a small fuel container in sight.Hard work required from the groundcrew who at Henderson Field,Guadacanal had to service aircraft while fighting off the Japanese.

    Regarding tank refuelling,Patton in his thrust east, beyond Paris,came to a standstill for the lack of fuel.I think he was told by his superiors not to overstretch himself and run out of fuel...but he did.
     
  4. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Thanks for that Tom but I'm still not getting it. A truckload of Jerry cans seems to be at the same risk as a tanker but much less efficient. Was it the ability to store fuel in small lots that made the Jerry can the preferred choice?

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    Those Jimmys in the last picture look they have 250 cans on them. That's around 10.000 pounds on a 2 1/2 ton trucks. Pretty good! :)

    Dave
     
  5. canuck

    canuck Closed Account

    Canuck -
    what you say is perfectly correct as they were at equal risk of being blown to bits - BUT we just didn't have them - except for water - after awhile - it the old story your generation is well used to the big tankers refuelling planes - how did they do it in the 40's ...? and a new electronic gizmo every week but we weren't -things were much slower in those days - TV was invented in 1928 but wasn't shown in london only until the mid 30's- penicillin the same in 1928 BUT we had our first shipment in 1943 in Italy - fuel tanks - they were still thinking about them but the crocodile flame thrower came first I guess as well as the PLUTO pipeline - floating docks etc - funnies - they were the things that won the war - DD Tanks - not mollycoddling Tank Crews ....

    Cheers

    Thanks Tom

    A perfect explanation. For those of us who came after, the 'context' that you lived in is often the hardest aspect to appreciate. Another good example that you cannot apply a modern rationale to the events of ww2.
     
  6. unionjack

    unionjack Junior Member

    Ah, thanks, so that's the tare weight to add to the contents :)

    Nope, depends on the age. My 1992 dated can is definitely lighter than my 1944 dated can. And I imagine a modern Halfords can would be lighter still.
     
  7. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit

    Nope, depends on the age. My 1992 dated can is definitely lighter than my 1944 dated can. And I imagine a modern Halfords can would be lighter still.

    I guess there are lots of 'Chinese copies', not built to the original military spec:

    The US version of the jerrycan is covered by military specification MIL-C-1283[1] and has been produced since the early 1940s by a number of US manufacturers, according to a current manufacturer, Blitz. The National Stock Number is 7240-00-222-3088 but it is considered obsolete, having been replaced with plastic versions.
     
  8. unionjack

    unionjack Junior Member

    Yes, but my 1992 can is a MoD item, certainly not Chinese. It's just lighter than my 1944 WD can.

    WD/MoD cans would have been made to a British Standard, not to any US specificatons. They were nothing to do with us, and American cans are different anyway.
     
  9. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    So what is the empty weight of your WW2 era jerrycan, UJ?
     
  10. unionjack

    unionjack Junior Member

    dunnp, too cold to go and get it!
     
  11. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Alright, you can tell us when Spring comes :)
     
  12. gunbunnyB/3/75FA

    gunbunnyB/3/75FA Senior Member

    hey Za, if i remember correctly the wwII metal cans were about 5 us lbs, the last metal cans before we switched over to the plastic were about 3 us lbs.
     
  13. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    Via Twitter somehow: Join Tank Museum Curator David Willey at home, as he talks you through the history of the Jerry Can. It is a YouTube clip (20 mins): I have not viewed it all.
     
  14. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    V solid appraisal of a fine design.
    Interesting on American issues with copying.

     
    Dave55 likes this.
  15. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    "African or European Jerrycan?"

    Sorry :)
     
    Chris C, TTH and von Poop like this.
  16. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

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