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I'm wondering when the USA adopted the german style jerry can into service. I always believed it was during the second world war after the americans had come into combat with the germans, say 1942 onwards.
However, recently I saw a picture from 1940 showing an M2A4 light tank on a training exercise fitted with a rear deck rack with 3 or 4 jerry cans.
So when did the USA adopt the jerry can and how did it come about?

regards
ryan

take a look here

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerrycan

HTH

The Paul Pleiss story should be treated with a pinch of salt. IIRC - that particular story (and some images of newspaper clippings) cropped up before on one of the old versions of AFV News and is based on the fact that he tried to claim millions from the US Government by alleging responsibility for the design despite the fact there was no actual proof that the US Army had actually received anything from him.

The fact of the matter is that the design of the US version was bit of an abortion obviously designed by a committee who had little access to the original German design and was more expensive and elaborate than the much simpler German design which has outlasted it..

I would take the Wiki article with a grain of salt for another reason. You can't (realistically) use a can that has been used for gas for drinking water later. My father used to tell a story that when he was in Korea ('52) there was a whole truckload of new water cans being delivered forward. Some LT got the idea to make use of these empty cans going forward to resupply the unit with gas that was also needed. Even after he was told they were water cans (porcolin lined and with the cam lock cap instead of the screw on top for a spout) he insisted that they be filled with gas. When they got the cans up at the front lines there was no way to clean them out. Even when they were taken back and steam cleaned there was still a bad taste, oily film and bad stomach effects that precluded their use for water.

Water cans were water cans (lined and with a lever lock top) and fuel cans were fuel cans (unlined and with a screw top)

Thanks for the replies guys.
Still a little confused though.
Was the US jerry can designed pre war or during the war?

During the war.

I have a shell type 2-gallon can that G-Grandpappy received with his Model-T in 1917 that is dated 1908 and they should be acknowledged as the true ancestor of the jerrycan as the brits used them for military purposes well into WW2