Jerry Cans: The True Secret Weapon of WWII

Jerry Cans have had a ubiquitous presence in our world for decades but where did they come from? We explore the incredible design, engingeering and history of the humble jerry can, as well as its roots as a secret weapon of WWII.

Other sources:

Jerry Can Book:

Thik Defence - The Amazing Jerry Can

Vinzenz Grünvogel and the astonishing jerry can

WELDER Article

0:00 - The Amazing Engineering of the Jerry Can
3:56 - The Origins of Fuel Cannisters
5:08 - The German Secret Weapon
5:53 - Relentless Development
7:23 - The Original WhermachtKannister
10:50 - Thank You Share-A-Cart!
12:32 - The British Discover the 'Jerry Can'
14:19 - British 'Jerry Can' Duplicates
15:10 - US Attempts at a 'Jerry Can' Duplicate
17:32 - The American 'Blitz Can'
18:21 - Allies Finally Adopt the Jerry Can Standard
19:46 - The Jerry Can & D-Day
20:55 - Outro
22:14 - Waffling on for a Bit

[xclaassen]

I am german, have some of these in my garage. I always thought its an american invention. Now i know the history of it. Thank you.

[stevemuller]

The other thing worth mentioning is the fact that the mass of the container doesn't stick out beyond where the handles are, which means when carrying them you can let your arms hang by your sides, instead of having to hold your arms away from your body because the handles are in the middle of a larger container. May seem like a small thing, but after you have carried 200 of them and put them on a truck, I can assure you it is not a small thing. :) Wonderful video.

[klackon]

Having lifted one or two Jerry cans whilst serving in the British Army, I did not think I would find myself sitting through an entire 30 minute video detailing the history of said can. Well done, you have convinced me to subscribe.

[brentwakeling-cisq]

One design aspect of the German can was the slight "bulging " of the sides which the American cans never had (according to my uncle). As this enables cans to be removed from the centre of a line of cans. The flatter sides tend to stick together making it almost impossible with some other designs.

[amanofmanyparts]

During the desert campaign, the Germans found another use for their can. Since they knew that the enemy (mostly Great Britain) was foraging for these cans, it wasn't uncommon for a small stash to be 'left behind'. Touching any one of them could result in an explosion sufficiently violent to kill or injure any one close enough. In short, they had been repurposed as IEDs!

[w.w.]

Great video. The air bubble hump at the back of the can may have other uses apart from allowing it to float. Any container that is 100% full of liquid will be incompressible and likely to fail if dropped. That air gap chamber acts like a shock absorber if the container is compressed. It also allows for thermal expansion and contraction along with the pleated sides.

[SageThyme]

I really thought the person with a torch looking through the window would come back somehow or cut to a advert but nah just never mentioned. Great video. I love finding out about all these details.

[phitsf]

1:50 What you failed to mention about the weld is the joint configuration, the way the edges are folded means that when the two sides are mated together you have a joint that is extremely easy to weld to a high quality.

Welding around the edge of two pieces of sheet metal stacked on top of each other is much easier than two pieces of sheet metal butted together edge-to-edge

[azarellediaz]

I spent 23 years in the US ARMY and must have handled hundreds of these cans but today I finally hear about what the features were for. Well done.

[jonhogblom]

The ergonomics are also very well thought through, besides the three handles already mentioned.
The rather tall and narrow shape means you dont have to bend down very far to pick up the can, yet when you carry it, it hangs from a straight arm without touching the ground. It is narrow enough so that you can walk witout it bumping into your leg.

A full jerry can in each hand is a pretty heavy burden, but it is absolutely possible to carry two cans for limited amounts of time. By carrying one can in each hand, the weight is balanced so that it is in fact easier to walk than with just one. Carrying weight is more than just a matter of mass, strenght and stamina. Weight distibution is extremely important.
Again, the tall, slim shape means that the mass stays close to your own center of gravity, wich means you have to use less effort to keep your balance.

[stevedoolan]

There's a section in the great book by Eugene Sledge (from the Pacific TV show) where he talks about the two different types of ammo crates his unit had to work with. One had nice robust rope handles and was fairly easy to carry over even awful terrain, the other had no handles and just a lip that you could hook your finger / fingers undo, meaning that when they were carrying heavy crates over rocks while being shot at, it kept slipping and falling. Sledge mentioned his unit spent a lot of time thinking up horrific tortures for the people who designed the bad one. Just goes to show how important the little design details are.

[ristllin]

No one is going to mention the sneaky peeker at 2:20?

[lyamschuss]

This remembers me of what a professor always told us: "Everything, for small and mundane that it may seem, has a reason and justification to be that way"

[kimfucku]

If you open a completely full jerry can, you tilt it backwards and the liquid will fill the bubble while the outlet is free of liquid. This allows you to open it without spilling fuel. Specially important when pressure has been built up inside the can.

[Archangelm]

Speaking as a WWII reenactor who portrays a clerk, there can never be enough content covering the *real* way that wars are won: logistics and administration. This was a superb piece of work, Calum. Bravo! ❤

[tastx]

As a child in the 60’s, we used these to carry water while camping. We had Army mess kits that we ate and cooked with, military wool blankets, military down sleeping bags and military canteens all obtained from military surplus stores some dating back to WWII. We had military canvas belts to carry the canteens as well as the right angle military flashlights. That stuff was durable.

[timothymulholland]

I grew up in the Brazilian outback in the 1950s where my parents were missionaries. We regularly used war surplus Jerry Cans for fuel and water on trips in our Willys station wagon on dirt roads. They were life savers.

[thbse_]

I am astonished. I honestly would never have thought I would watch a 30min long video about fuel canisters which felt like it was 10 minutes long because it was so well made.

[hobbitilius]

Jerry-Cans definitely are one of the greatest pieces of industrial design.
Some other things like Shipping-Containers or Euro-Boxes and -Pallets are also great, but Jerry-Cans win on the magnificient amount of details they have.

[kristianh]

I love how he decides to film 3 seconds of floating with the jerry can in freezing waters. Dedication