Jerry Cans: The True Secret Weapon of WWII

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 22 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 7 тис.

  • @stevemuller3324
    @stevemuller3324 2 роки тому +2077

    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.

    • @SjplayinCODMO
      @SjplayinCODMO Рік тому +7

      🥵😪🥵😁👍

    • @Cyromantik
      @Cyromantik Рік тому +36

      Even having not done that, as a person who has to haul books and education equipment up several flights of stairs I can appreciate keeping containers close to my body!

    • @GardenGuy1942
      @GardenGuy1942 Рік тому

      Yes, the Nazis had really good ideas.

    • @stevemuller3324
      @stevemuller3324 Рік тому +6

      @@Cyromantik Well said! Yes this idea applies to more than just jerry cans! Good luck moving those books and education gear around. :)

    • @eekee6034
      @eekee6034 Рік тому +4

      This surprised me because my experience with bicycle panniers is the opposite. With a handle attached to one side only, the center of mass hangs outside and presses the bottom edge of the pannier into my calf. It gets painful before too long. Thinking about it, the culprit must be the reinforcing rib fitted to the bottom edge of the same side as the handle. On the bike, it presses against the mounting frame helping to keep the pannier from slipping around, but when carried by a person, it's a pain.

  • @SaxonSpooner
    @SaxonSpooner Рік тому +354

    I love the fact you film for a brief second the Gerry-Can Killer in the back window at 2:15

    • @NoHandlebars87
      @NoHandlebars87 Місяць тому +11

      I paused the video when I saw a light back there, I was so confused lol

    • @casedistorted
      @casedistorted Місяць тому

      And that he went into a river with one for a split second shot..

    • @cllncl
      @cllncl 9 днів тому +2

      The one time I decided to look at the background, I noticed him. Definitely kept me engaged the rest of the video

  • @klackon1
    @klackon1 2 роки тому +3458

    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.

    • @leohughes6921
      @leohughes6921 2 роки тому +33

      Same, except in the US.

    • @souly0741
      @souly0741 2 роки тому +6

      The more you know..! C.Brown

    • @Beetless
      @Beetless 2 роки тому +4

      @Jesus has given you all. Repent or die. I dont like jesus

    • @zforczek8653
      @zforczek8653 2 роки тому +7

      @@Beetless How can anyone not love Jesus? Mind boggling.

    • @Beetless
      @Beetless 2 роки тому +16

      @@zforczek8653 he smells bad

  • @brentwakeling-ci1sq
    @brentwakeling-ci1sq Рік тому +486

    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.

    • @theapexsurvivor9538
      @theapexsurvivor9538 Рік тому +57

      Probably also why they have the indented sections run right to the edge of the bulge: allows air to get in when they're tightly packed, so they come out easier.

    • @thediddly
      @thediddly Рік тому +37

      We get army surplus here in Australia from overseas so no idea what gets used by our forces, but we get used German cans, and can say they last the distance and they do actually have that "bulge" that flexes. Similar to what you would see under a brake Reservoir cap, an accordion type of film that allows pressure or vacuum to be created whilst still sealing. Because of the swages (embossed seams) it allows for that flex. The ones without the square in the middle are very rigid. You will see this method on custom cars used to make flat sheets rigid over a span. TLDR: its hip to be square

    • @1nvisible1
      @1nvisible1 6 місяців тому +1

      *@**2:13** you are under assault.*

    • @AdmiralStoicRum
      @AdmiralStoicRum 5 місяців тому +4

      Ah so that explains why the big square in the middle is completely flat it's so that when they stack up they're still on a flat level surface so they may wiggle a little bit but it's not like they're going to be a pain in the butt to keep from sliding. Very very neat thank you for pointing that out

    • @rhyslogan6490
      @rhyslogan6490 2 дні тому

      Yeah I've noticed that on some american cans. A lot of them have screw caps rather than the attached compression cap so a spout could be screwed in. Those are typically meant for fuel alone and often lack the plastic lining making them useless for water

  • @xclaassen
    @xclaassen 2 роки тому +3488

    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.

    • @ML-sj3gi
      @ML-sj3gi 2 роки тому +167

      They are called Jerry cans but I guess in German they are called something like ...Kraftstoff.

    • @davemccage7918
      @davemccage7918 2 роки тому +132

      I don’t think Jerrys call themselves Jerrys. Might even be a racist slur, like “Polack” or “Nip”. I’m a Pole, so can attest to Polack being a derogatory term, but we use it all the time!

    • @ML-sj3gi
      @ML-sj3gi 2 роки тому +49

      @@davemccage7918 i expect that they do t call themselves Jerries, but might be aware of the term considering the prevalence of Hollywood. In regards to racism, Nip is certainly considered racist, and like Jerry it is simply a shortening of a normal word, Nippon, where Jerry is from "German", I believe. While neither of these innovations seem very offensive, those that didn't do well in the war seem to find such terms very offensive, while those that won seem to have no problem being called Tommy or Tommies, for example. In any case, I would guess that the British and German's are the same race.

    • @rhesusfactory
      @rhesusfactory 2 роки тому +86

      @@ML-sj3gi "Wehrmachtskanister"

    • @kriley9386
      @kriley9386 2 роки тому +46

      @@ML-sj3gi “Nip” is short for Nippon, which is actually used in Japan referring to their country. It's printed on Japanese money, precisely “Nippon" in roman letters. So “Nip” is just a short, slang term for someone from Nippon. Not a slur unless you use it as one.

  • @w.w.8823
    @w.w.8823 2 роки тому +1339

    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.

    • @SgtBeltfed
      @SgtBeltfed 2 роки тому +142

      It also provides a an air pocket for the vent line to go to, so that you don't end up with a vent line full of fuel and it failing to act as a vent.

    • @RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts
      @RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts 2 роки тому +38

      I learned this the hard way when i hurriedly put down a plastic jug of milk. It went everywhere

    • @jayandrusiak
      @jayandrusiak 2 роки тому +20

      Good job nerds

    • @DaibhidhBhoAlba
      @DaibhidhBhoAlba 2 роки тому +15

      @@RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts Funny how Americans call milk bottles 'jugs'. English has so many regional differences!

    • @mikeoglen6848
      @mikeoglen6848 2 роки тому +11

      @@DaibhidhBhoAlba I found it funny that they call 'jugs' , 'pitchers'....

  • @azarellediaz4892
    @azarellediaz4892 2 роки тому +669

    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.

    • @TillusxXx
      @TillusxXx 2 роки тому +4

      and rly noone cares

    • @mide8845
      @mide8845 Рік тому +39

      @@TillusxXx it's just a comment why are you so damn pressed

    • @andydunn5673
      @andydunn5673 Рік тому +8

      @@TillusxXxwhat does that mean?

    • @EulianDax
      @EulianDax Рік тому +14

      ​@@TillusxXx I care.

    • @GardenGuy1942
      @GardenGuy1942 Рік тому

      The Nazis had some really good ideas.

  • @phitsf5475
    @phitsf5475 Рік тому +360

    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

    • @cheahyeah7134
      @cheahyeah7134 Рік тому +11

      damn thats nifty

    • @MachinedFace88ttv
      @MachinedFace88ttv 6 місяців тому +4

      Very cool

    • @theexchipmunk
      @theexchipmunk 3 місяці тому +9

      Really, there is a lot more detail point´s to this fuel can. Like the lid that cannot be overtightened, and even if levered open with ease, yet thanks to it´s placement and tab recessed between the handles not come undone by accident. And the slightly slanted areas at the edges of the sides, not only giving additional strength but also preventing it from catching on your legs while carrying and making it slide past your legs. I would go out and say that this can is probably one of the best designed and engineered objects to ever be made.

    • @grimreefer9324
      @grimreefer9324 11 днів тому +1

      ​@@theexchipmunkI imagine some details of design had to be skimmed over for the sake of a more digestible video, but a full deep-dive of the ergonomics of th Jerry can does sound pretty cool

  • @jonhogblom9908
    @jonhogblom9908 2 роки тому +669

    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.

    • @beeble2003
      @beeble2003 2 роки тому +18

      No, the tall shape of the can means that its centre of mass is farther from yours -- the longer shape means that the cenre of mass of the can is farther from the handle. And the centre of mass of something held with a straight arm is not at all close to yours: the centre of mass of a jerry can is somewhere near your knees, and it's that low centre of mass tha makes it easy to balance.

    • @FaradayBananacage
      @FaradayBananacage 2 роки тому +53

      @@beeble2003 No, the tall shape of the can means it can smugly look down on all the other fuel cans in your garage.

    • @curmudgeon1933
      @curmudgeon1933 2 роки тому +9

      Also having three handles means 2 people, who are not so strong, or on uneven terrain, can carry a full can between them.

    • @random.3665
      @random.3665 2 роки тому +29

      @@beeble2003 I'm pretty sure he meant that the narrow shape means that you can carry it with your arm straight downwards, which means the force the canister's mass imparting to you is also pretty much downward (as opposed to a can you have to hold with your arms extended to any degree, which would mean there is a force pulling you away from your center of gravity). So in a purely horizontal sense, a slim shape DOES allow the mass to stay close to your center of gravity (imagine looking at it from a bird's eye perspective.)

    • @beeble2003
      @beeble2003 2 роки тому +1

      @@random.3665 Possible but he already made that point in his first paragraph. I doubt he'd try to make the same point again, and do so in a less accurate way (talking about height when it's actually the width that's significant for that point).

  • @amanofmanyparts9120
    @amanofmanyparts9120 2 роки тому +2663

    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!

    • @paullangton-rogers2390
      @paullangton-rogers2390 2 роки тому +219

      Yes I remember hearing about that, the Nazi's were sneaky like that. My grandfather served in one of the mechanised tank divisions of British Army in North Africa. He would tell me stories like that. He also said the German tanks were far far superior to theirs and our losses were astonishing, something like 5 tanks to every 1 German tank as their armour was good and their bigger longer range shells capable of going straight through allied tanks. The German's coined a name for allied tanks 'Tommy burners'!

    • @MrRandyhk
      @MrRandyhk 2 роки тому +94

      Yeah during my time in the Singapore Armed Forces, we learned how to make a directional explosion with 5 bricks of explosives tied around the Jerrycan with detonation cord and igniter.

    • @windhelmguard5295
      @windhelmguard5295 2 роки тому +158

      you don't even need to make it blow up, just contaminating a few cans with water or just the wrong kind of fuel (like putting diesel in) would go unnoticed until it completely fucks up the engine beyond repair, one or even several enemy vehicles disabled because some guys pissed in a couple fuel cans.

    • @amanofmanyparts9120
      @amanofmanyparts9120 2 роки тому

      @@windhelmguard5295 You're missing the point. The aim wasn't to inconvenience _the enemy,_ but to actually kill them. Both sides did similar things: The British 'Dirty Tricks Back Room Boys' manufactured fake elephant dung that incorporated anti-tank mines for use in the African Campaign! They even came up with explosives that were edible to enable guerrilla soldiers to carry them around on sabotage missions. Gentlemen don't wage all out war, bastards do, and they usually win!

    • @Aikano9
      @Aikano9 2 роки тому +113

      iirc they also hid bombs in the wall and covered it with a crooked painting, some poor soldier with OCD would then straighten the picture, detonating the explosives.

  • @stevedoolan1540
    @stevedoolan1540 2 роки тому +637

    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.

    • @mwethereld
      @mwethereld Рік тому +20

      Sledgehammers With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, along with Leckies Helmet for my pillow, have been both amazing books to read!

    • @n.harmonvilla7648
      @n.harmonvilla7648 Рік тому +15

      Totally remember reading that and thanking God we had the gear we deployed with back in '08.
      It always amazed me previous generations of Marines made war with a t-shirt, helmet, a single action rifle, and an e tool.
      Semper Fi, hangm high at 8th and I.

    • @Frankensteins_Highboy
      @Frankensteins_Highboy Рік тому +8

      The government was the ones who requested those worse crates.
      The side panel has a lip made by plunging a dato stack into it.
      No rope means quicker to make
      Quicker to make means cheaper
      Cheaper means more
      More more more
      All contracts were approved by some general

    • @hoyschelsilversteinberg4521
      @hoyschelsilversteinberg4521 Рік тому +1

      Haha yeah that part in the book I really sympathised. Given how exhausting moving around with your gear let alone those impractical crates. Logistics really does play a key role in warfare.

    • @neiltitmus9744
      @neiltitmus9744 6 місяців тому

      ​​@@hoyschelsilversteinberg4521demoralising your troops is never good

  • @tastx3142
    @tastx3142 Рік тому +136

    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.

    • @Left4Plamz
      @Left4Plamz Рік тому +2

      Were they fine for water? I want one for drinking water but I keep hearing they rust from water.

    • @tastx3142
      @tastx3142 Рік тому +10

      @@Left4Plamz I don’t have the jerry cans any more, but I don’t recall any rust. As far as the canteens, there is also a separate piece that has a folding handle that can be used as a cup or to heat food in. We were always taught to clean everything well and turn the items upside down to drain. I am 65 and still have the mess kit and canteen. I bought modern plastic canteens that always leaked after dropping a few times. Metal is heavier to carry but the old stuff is thicker and constructed by workers who took pride in making them. Nothing is worse than going on a long hike and having your canteen drip leaving little or nothing for you to drink.

    • @oceanceaser44
      @oceanceaser44 Рік тому +2

      Super cool, I inherited a WW1 mess kit that I used for camping for years until someone told me it likely had lead in it.

    • @tastx3142
      @tastx3142 Рік тому +3

      @@oceanceaser44 It’s amazing how we all survived. Lead crystal has at least 24% lead in it. Older ceramic paint for pottery did as well. Lead does leach into food and the longer the food is in contact, the more lead is leached. The higher the acidity of food, the more lead is leached. People still drink from lead crystal glasses, but it’s advised not to store wine in lead crystal decanters. I doubt that eating food off of the mess kit occasionally would affect you since it’s probably consumed quickly unless you cooked the food in it. Older pewter contained lead as well. Several years ago, there was concern that children’s costume jewelry contained lead. Older buildings were painted with lead based paint and peeling paint caused issues in children especially by children chewing on it and it was banned in the 70’s. Our gasoline used to contain lead and other products such as solder contain lead. Lead toxicity builds up over time if exposed consistently so if you cooked with it, stored food in it, especially acidic food, and ate off of it daily you might eventually get lead to accumulate.

    • @rogergroover4633
      @rogergroover4633 6 місяців тому

      One of the benefits? of war production was lots of surplus equipment when the war ended.

  • @SageThyme23
    @SageThyme23 2 роки тому +4055

    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.

    • @Oldsmobile69
      @Oldsmobile69 2 роки тому +235

      Creepy stalker spotted!

    • @russellnixon9981
      @russellnixon9981 2 роки тому +78

      I had to rewind to see it as thought was that some one or a strange refection.

    • @paulhaynes8045
      @paulhaynes8045 2 роки тому +94

      So odd, I was left wondering if Callum had even noticed. Although, with all those takes and rewrites, he probably couldn't face going back and doing it yet again!

    • @CannaCJ
      @CannaCJ 2 роки тому +41

      I thought it was a person using a torch inside the garage to illuminate the camera’s subject relocating to avoid creating glare on Callum’s glasses.

    • @fwqkaw
      @fwqkaw 2 роки тому +249

      It's the someone in a gorilla costume test.

  • @ristllin
    @ristllin Рік тому +530

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

    • @crunkambassadeur7837
      @crunkambassadeur7837 11 місяців тому +59

      Came here for this comment. Who was that? :)

    • @Itried20takennames
      @Itried20takennames 10 місяців тому +14

      Didn’t catch that before….hope that was a planned thing and not some potential thief casing the workshop room.

    • @David-e1b3t
      @David-e1b3t 6 місяців тому +47

      It was a WW2 ghost, looking for his petrol.

    • @braveworld2707
      @braveworld2707 6 місяців тому +1

      @@crunkambassadeur7837 Well they call him _The Flash._

    • @simbriant
      @simbriant 6 місяців тому +4

      Calcum is now popular enough that he has his own stalker! 😂

  • @hobbitilius
    @hobbitilius 2 роки тому +242

    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.

    • @marwerno
      @marwerno 2 роки тому +3

      Plus the latches can be used to attach a spout very easily and quickly.

    • @MatthewJBD
      @MatthewJBD 2 роки тому +4

      Check out Tom Scott's video on the UK plug. Also an engineering masterpiece

  • @CS_247
    @CS_247 Рік тому +41

    I have use Jerry cans for offroad racing for 30 years, and have ten VERY early Jerry cans, and the design is remarkably effective. I have had hundredsof knock-offs over the years, and none of them have been as effective or resilient as the old ones. My most treasured tools for sure.

    • @sultanofsick
      @sultanofsick Рік тому +3

      I can't compare to the old ones, but Wavian is what you seek for new production.

  • @Archangelm127
    @Archangelm127 2 роки тому +518

    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! ❤

    • @ZGryphon
      @ZGryphon 2 роки тому +68

      Around 20 years ago, I was working as a reporter for my small-town local newspaper, and my editor asked me to talk to as many World War II veterans around the area as I could find and put together a feature article for our Veterans Day issue. (Note to overseas readers: That's November 11, you may know it as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day or the like in your area.) One of the vets I found didn't want to take part, because he hadn't been in combat--he was a seaman on a Navy supply ship in the Pacific, and it was clear that even ~60 years later he was embarrassed about it. "Nobody wants to read about what _I_ did in the war," he said. "All we did was haul crap like socks and food to the Marines." I put it to him that the Marines were probably very glad to _have_ that crap, but since it wasn't an After-School Special, he remained unmoved.
      That was an interesting assignment. Oddly enough, the stories that have stuck with me the most are the ones I couldn't use for one reason or another, including that one.

    • @alaric_
      @alaric_ 2 роки тому +51

      "An army marches on its stomach". Few can appreciate how accurate that saying is.

    • @jamesgillen2339
      @jamesgillen2339 2 роки тому +40

      Officers study tactics. Generals study strategy. Great generals study logistics.

    • @CalumRaasay
      @CalumRaasay  2 роки тому +45

      @@ZGryphon haha great anecdote, I'll met most army guys were often much more grateful for the sock delivery than the ammo delivery!

    • @diamonddogie
      @diamonddogie 2 роки тому +7

      >won
      *Original canister made by German*
      Ironic

  • @timothymulholland7905
    @timothymulholland7905 2 роки тому +269

    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.

  • @lyamschuss8786
    @lyamschuss8786 2 роки тому +362

    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"

    • @chengdogu6352
      @chengdogu6352 2 роки тому +22

      This holds true so long as the item in question has been well designed! If not, the reason may be poor design or thought.

    • @lyamschuss8786
      @lyamschuss8786 2 роки тому +13

      @@chengdogu6352 tbf he never said it was a good reason, or that said reason was valid. He only said that it wasn't just made at random, to make us think more about why thinks are the way they are instead of just accepting it

    • @P_RO_
      @P_RO_ 2 роки тому +16

      @@lyamschuss8786 I don't know your Professor but I think we'd have gotten along famously; most people do not think that deeply. Much of the world around us has evolved into it's simplest or most useful state of design and much of it can be improved for specific uses, yet few bother to do that. In my trade I try to instill thinking into apprentices; when they ask me to show them how to do something I also show them why it is done that way because if you can't understand that you can't improve on it, and nearly everything can be improved.

    • @jdinkorea
      @jdinkorea 2 роки тому +3

      " remembers me"... am I the only one who finds this to be more than a tad...odd? Isn't it "Reminds me", or is this one of those British idioms that they insist is 'the right way' and that America has corrupted?
      Seriously.

    • @lyamschuss8786
      @lyamschuss8786 2 роки тому +8

      @@jdinkorea I'm not native speaker actually, so might just be me spelling it wrong

  • @hero_knightusp7416
    @hero_knightusp7416 Рік тому +14

    2:15 I love he is being spied on and doesn't even notice.

  • @michaelneuwirth3414
    @michaelneuwirth3414 2 роки тому +507

    The Jerry Can represented a logistical concept and was not only an excellent container for fuel. Faced with the question of whether it was better to supply the masses of vehicles with a few tankers or individually with canisters, the experts around like Adolf von Schell(1893-1967) came to the conclusion that it will be always easier to supply individual vehicles with a minimum of 40 to 80 liters of diesel than to move a full tanker across the battlefield. 2 to 4 canisters could easily be brought to a broken-down tank by a motorcycle with sidecar or a "Kübelwagen", the last few hundred meters on foot if necessary, but a truck full of gasoline on a platter would be a gift for the enemy.
    PzKfw. 1 B 146 Liter/140km(Strasse)/115km(Gelände)
    PzKfw. 2 A-C 170 Liter/200km /130km
    PzKfw. 3 E-N 320 Liter/170km /100km
    PzKfw. 4 B-H 470 Liter/200km /130km
    Tiger 1 540 Liter/100km /60km
    Panther A,D,G 730 Liter/200km /110km

    • @SavageGerbil
      @SavageGerbil 2 роки тому +22

      There's definitely good logic to that. Sending a full tanker on the battlefield kind of amounts to putting essential resources out as a target that functionally IS the broad side of a barn

    • @Norsilca
      @Norsilca 2 роки тому +36

      Shh, don't tell the Russians

    • @spvillano
      @spvillano 2 роки тому +12

      @@Norsilca fuel is the least of their logistical problems. Their entire logistical trains started in disarray and lost ground once combat began. Once snarled by logistical issues, particularly fuel, getting fuel up from front to rear train of the stopped convoys was comically problematic.
      Indeed, their entire convoy could've been turned into disarray with just a couple of artillery batteries, with one strike taking out a half dozen vehicles, halting all progress until the burning wreckage was cleared from the roadway.
      The movement alone spoke of poor training and discipline, the action revealed that further and continues to do so. Let's hope that they keep making and repeating mistakes!

    • @michaelneuwirth3414
      @michaelneuwirth3414 2 роки тому +13

      @@spvillano For me as a German who hopes to have learned at least something from history, it is clear that the greatest danger for the ordinary soldier comes from the great ideas and ingenious plans of his superiors. That this "special operation" became such a debacle is also the work of the brave Russian soldiers who knew this all along and sabotaged this bullshit in their own way from the beginning. These soldiers, the first to be forgotten in the current "fog of media war", are the only Russian heroes in this wretched story who have upheld the legacy of their brave ancestors. Let us give them a brief moment of recognition here.
      P.S.: Those who continue, of course, should go to hell.

    • @spvillano
      @spvillano 2 роки тому +7

      @@michaelneuwirth3414 honestly, their operation looks like a uniquely Russian take on the German offensive on Moscow, partially reversed. Scorched earth along the way, preventing foraging for supplies and no logistical trains to keep the offensive moving, again, opposite of the German advance. The only thing they didn't do to further blow their operations was sniping themselves, which the Ukraine forces happily assisted them with.
      Still, they got their orders and followed them, some "only following orders" that they shouldn't have, the rest just caught up in their own meat grinder. For those who initially began, having no clue, I agree.
      For those who continue now, hell is a damned sight too good for them.
      And for the Wagner forces, they should be happy I'm retired from the military. Reprisals for Geneva and Hague violations can be bitch, as the Wehrmacht learned in France after executing Allied POW's and slaughtered villages. May their pieces rest in pieces.

  • @EdgyNumber1
    @EdgyNumber1 2 роки тому +424

    As the phrase goes: "Infantryman win battles. Logistics win wars."
    ..and this was a prime example of that. The phrase is very apt today, as we see Russian forces bogged down outside Kyiv. You never aim at armoured tanks, you aim at fuel tankers. In the allies case, in WW2, Jerrycans would've been vital as part of their logistics tool.

    • @PanduPoluan
      @PanduPoluan 2 роки тому +15

      The Army of my country has a similar saying, "Logistics might not win the war (outright), but without logistics, wars cannot be won."

    • @roguespearsf
      @roguespearsf 2 роки тому +7

      As a former infantryman from early to mid OEF/OIF who's married to a supply clerk, I completely agree. Though I still call my wife a POG all the time

    • @cv507
      @cv507 2 роки тому

      lite in vFäntree

    • @HoorayTV21
      @HoorayTV21 2 роки тому +3

      *Kiev

    • @georue98
      @georue98 2 роки тому +9

      @@HoorayTV21 looks like the spelling has become kyiv, as kiev is translated from Russian as opposed to kyiv from Ukrainian. So I don't think it can kiev just yet. You can ask where Leningrad is at the same time, perhaps?

  • @th0bse_
    @th0bse_ 2 роки тому +319

    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.

    • @sparkyfromel
      @sparkyfromel 2 роки тому +8

      It's an excellent demonstration of what good engineering is about , finding a way out of a problem
      scratch your head , try some ideas , select a promising one and relentlessly improve by little touch
      any stone tool maker would approve

  • @Valerie_Dawn
    @Valerie_Dawn Рік тому +55

    “If this video get 100,000 views…” FOUR MILLION VIEWS LATER… Congratulations on the overwhelming success of this video. I had absolutely no idea that the story of the Jerry can was so compelling. Great job putting this together.

    • @GardenGuy1942
      @GardenGuy1942 Рік тому

      Yeah, I’m surprised so many people enjoy watching videos about the Nazis. They had really good ideas.

  • @rickbear7249
    @rickbear7249 2 роки тому +75

    My dad, who was a senior army vehicle engineer, told me that those indentations and the angular bulge on the side of the Jerrycan were to give the sidewalls rigidity, preventing the metal sides from bulging from fuel expansion or being crushed when carried empty, it is actually the camel's hump at the top rear of the Jerrycan that allows for expansion. Surprisingly 20 litres of diesel can expand to almost 21 units of diesel in hot (e.g. desert) temperatures. So, an airtight 20-litre Jerrycan needs space to hold the additional volume of just under 1 extra litre of fluid (which, being a fluid, isn't compressible) by compressing the air held in that camel's hump. Those corrugations on the sides are simply for rigidity (as, where the sides to flex, as is suggested in this video, you'd have the risk of a massive fuel spillage when you opened a can that'd been carried to a tropical climate.) That camel's hump, as I term it, has is more about fuel expansion than floatation, although Jerrycans are actually designed to float as (I suspect) a fortuitous consequence of having that air pocket in the hump.
    Rick

    • @JimWhitaker
      @JimWhitaker 2 роки тому +4

      Both air and diesel are fluids. Right idea, wrong explanation.

    • @dangerouslyuninformed6058
      @dangerouslyuninformed6058 2 роки тому +6

      @@JimWhitaker Air is a gas.

    • @Ab-wv5df
      @Ab-wv5df 2 роки тому +2

      @@JimWhitaker Obviously Rick meant fluid lato sensu - liquids.
      What else seems wrong?

    • @FallNorth
      @FallNorth 2 роки тому

      Sounds very plausable, gas being hugely more compressable than a liquid + the fact it would be very hard to fill that hump.
      I'm not sure why having an indentation would make the metal side more "bendy", but might make it stronger, or less slippy if on it's side etc.

    • @herrkulor3771
      @herrkulor3771 2 роки тому +2

      Pay attention to the shape of the sides. The lines have nocommon center. This makes it stronger than an X.

  • @Reman1975
    @Reman1975 2 роки тому +49

    Back when I was a long distance technical courier I used to keep my old Jerry can of emergency fuel behind the side door of my van. One day I'd just finished some work at a little old couples house, and was carrying my toolbox and a box of broken kit back to my van. The old guy had decided to help me by carrying my clipboard, so he was there when I opened my vans side door. He stood there squinting at the jerry can for a couple of seconds, then suddenly started calling out for his wife to come quick, and something about me "Having one of her Jerry cans" ?!?!?
    It was a bit of a shock because I was assuming that he was accusing me of stealing it, but it turned out that during the war, while this guy was out fighting, his wife had decided to do her part by taking a job to help the war effort, and had been one of the girls who worked making these cans !
    My Jerry can's from 1944, and she said that she was working there all through that year, so there was an ever so slight chance that it could have even been one of the can's she'd assembled. Dispite these things being turned out in their thousands, She seemed genuinely surprised to see one still being used for it's intended purpose over 60 years later. We chatted for a few minutes about how they made them, but even though it was actually pretty interesting I had to cut the conversation short because I was already late for my next drop off. :(

  • @tswdev
    @tswdev 2 роки тому +78

    About the shape... the first things that come to mind when I see the "bubble" on the back is the extra room for gas fumes from gasoline. If it was filled to the brim, gas wouldnt have a place to expand, making it much more prone rupture/explode.
    About the sides, the groves also make the jerry cans not stick to each other when wet. Imagine them stacked on a truck and rained on, a large flat side would make the cans really hard to separate because you would have the suction from two surfaces with water and also the weight of the jerry can itself.
    The angled "edges" also means you can throw them.. like literally throw... and they will align nicely with each other instead of the edges hitting other cans and you having to go on top of the truck to re-align them. It also means they can slide on the ground, so you can throw them and they will slide downhill instead of catch dirty and start rolling downhill uncontrollably

    • @skat1140
      @skat1140 2 роки тому +1

      He never mentioned whether/if some of the specifications allowed them to be stacked easily? (eg, some sort of interlocking ridges)

    • @seymour2113
      @seymour2113 2 роки тому

      The stackability was mentioned a few times my friend

  • @lnSubash-f1x
    @lnSubash-f1x 4 місяці тому +6

    When you say “If this video get 100,000 views…” 5 MILLION VIEWS LATER… this is the power of good content! Really a successful compliation. I am adding the subscription

  • @bfeezey
    @bfeezey 2 роки тому +1003

    As informative and well researched as this video is, no one is mentioning the various sight gags. The neighbor you stole fuel from looking in the window, the fact that you cut away just as you flick a lighter to light the supposed fresh gasoline you just poured everywhere. Don't stop with the little touches.

    • @CalumRaasay
      @CalumRaasay  2 роки тому +124

      Hahaha glad you noticed!

    • @MastaChiefa99
      @MastaChiefa99 2 роки тому +52

      I thought I was going crazy! Nobody else seemed to notice the man in the back.

    • @s.alpinus8395
      @s.alpinus8395 2 роки тому +3

      At what time does this happen? :)

    • @benjaminliang8103
      @benjaminliang8103 2 роки тому +6

      @@s.alpinus8395 2min 10 seconds

    • @robinvanlier
      @robinvanlier 2 роки тому +32

      Don't forget the little airtight "seal" popping up at 3:19 :)

  • @robhaver8704
    @robhaver8704 2 роки тому +546

    When serving in the army, i was stationed in Germany at a fuel-station. Because of too much time and too little to do, our superiors made us move thousends and thousends of these petrol-tanks from one place to another, just to give us a purpose. My overall lenght decreased, but my arms became longer then ever before.

    • @srccde
      @srccde 2 роки тому +53

      Should've moved them using your 'third arm'.

    • @superchuck3259
      @superchuck3259 2 роки тому +39

      Rotating the stock, ha ha. like when the spouse wants to rearrange the furniture.

    • @daleshelden8394
      @daleshelden8394 2 роки тому +6

      Thousands you mean.

    • @potterj09
      @potterj09 2 роки тому +5

      Have you seen the 2001 movie Buffalo Soldiers ? :)

    • @jameswestover8403
      @jameswestover8403 2 роки тому +17

      Yup, got nothing to do, go dig a hole then fill it back up, had a few bosses like that

  • @theobserver9131
    @theobserver9131 2 роки тому +182

    This inadvertently brought me back to my youth in the 70s when there were army surplus stores everywhere. You could get all kinds of really cool stuff dirt cheap.

    • @DFX2KX
      @DFX2KX 2 роки тому +13

      that continued well into the 90's and early 00's to some extent, and they did indeed sell Jerry cans, all of them Olive Drab for some reason. I thought it was an American thing, had no idea the Germans where the ones to design it.

    • @BlackSoap361
      @BlackSoap361 2 роки тому +10

      I miss the food surplus stores. Now all the good surplus gets left overseas, or destroyed as “too dangerous for civilians”

    • @davesy6969
      @davesy6969 2 роки тому +9

      I remember seeing an entire deep sea divers rig (copper helmet) with compressor in an army surplus store when i was a kid.

    • @steventaylor3884
      @steventaylor3884 2 роки тому +5

      @@DFX2KX The name Jerry can is big clue to its origins 😊

    • @theobserver9131
      @theobserver9131 2 роки тому +1

      @@davesy6969 cool find! It would be awesome to have one of those!

  • @rezzophantasma
    @rezzophantasma Рік тому +5

    I love the littlest details in anything, design, art, function, etc. It just goes to show that it is the little things that matter, whether we notice it or not.

  • @Indylimburg
    @Indylimburg 2 роки тому +218

    Never realized or appreciated how well designed the Jerry can was. The lid design is really cool.

    • @GardenGuy1942
      @GardenGuy1942 Рік тому

      Yes, the Nazis had some really good ideas.

  • @someonebald2022
    @someonebald2022 2 роки тому +196

    A much underappreciated part of the logistics chain, and a brilliant and innovative design. Thank you for the history lesson.

  • @HU1212ICAN3
    @HU1212ICAN3 2 роки тому +33

    I absolutely love these longer spouts about things like this! Almost like a debate or conversation. The format and tone of your videos keep me coming back! I normally wouldn't pay any attention to these things but if i miss a single word i find myself rewinding. Absolutely stunning how thorough you are with your research and history. Thank you Calum!

  • @sapuseven
    @sapuseven 5 місяців тому +8

    Didn't think I would sit through a 30 minute video about jerry cans, but I'm glad I did. This was really interesting.

  • @normanperkel139
    @normanperkel139 2 роки тому +291

    I’m not sure how this found it’s way into my feed, but I’m sure glad it did! I never knew so much could be learned about the canister. Very well done Calum, bravo!

    • @CalumRaasay
      @CalumRaasay  2 роки тому +11

      Glad you enjoyed it!

    • @Go1US1Marines
      @Go1US1Marines 2 роки тому +1

      Of course, just add this to your extensive compendium of useless information. Too bad you can't take it to the bank.

    • @kayhoww
      @kayhoww 2 роки тому +4

      @@Go1US1Marines wtf

    • @g60force
      @g60force 2 роки тому +1

      @@kayhoww I don't think you understand him correctly...
      he is actually praising this video that it is WORTH something
      but for most of us this VALUABLE INFO will remain useless in our brains aka VAULT!

  • @derkeksinator17
    @derkeksinator17 2 роки тому +93

    We do have a new and an old german one at home, they're identical, except for the paint and liner. Both accept the spout, but as you said, pouring works so well, it's usually not needed. The new one was gifted to me at my 18th birthday and was filled with diesel(cola and beer).

    • @nickg3664
      @nickg3664 2 роки тому +4

      Cola beer sounds delicious

    • @dickJohnsonpeter
      @dickJohnsonpeter 2 роки тому +1

      @@nickg3664 That sounds like a disgusting combination.

    • @nickg3664
      @nickg3664 2 роки тому +2

      @@dickJohnsonpeter always has to be someone, doesn’t there? Who knew it’d be you?

    • @Mondbirge
      @Mondbirge 2 роки тому

      @@dickJohnsonpeter what does sberadht mean?

  • @nickcruickshank8243
    @nickcruickshank8243 2 роки тому +123

    When I was in the Australian army we had a Jerry can from 1957 and another one from 1958 in my vehicles kit. This was in 2019. So at the time they were over 60 years old and still in circulation.

    • @JRLdesigns
      @JRLdesigns 2 роки тому +5

      They don't make them like they used to.

  • @Cdr_Mansfield_Cumming
    @Cdr_Mansfield_Cumming 2 місяці тому +5

    Thanks for making this. Well researched and presented with minimal distractions, save the murderer in your window at 2:18 where, I thought I was watching the start of something spooky.

  • @davidp520
    @davidp520 2 роки тому +48

    My great grandfather died at 35 in WW1 from drinking water from fuel cans in the trenches. Ulcerated stomach. Left a trail of hardship for my great grandmother, and still for my great uncle today. Living with the ramifications.
    Here's hoping that never happens to anyone ever again.
    Great video btw, very enjoyable!

    • @CalumRaasay
      @CalumRaasay  2 роки тому +17

      Wow what a horrible way to go, the conditions those guys had to go through is just unreal.

    • @CATASTEROID934
      @CATASTEROID934 2 роки тому +5

      Mine died of cancer post-war, thought to be a product of chemical weapon-related cancer, possibly benzyl chloride or some other alkylating gas judging by the musty odour my grandmother says he described it and the people affected by it as having, a product of the alkyl groups being forcibly shoved onto the proteins in the skin and bits of fabric and leather.

    • @JustAGooseman
      @JustAGooseman 2 роки тому +1

      @@CATASTEROID934 Likely he died from gas mask filters. Back then they contained all sorts of gnarly chemicals, in some cases even asbestos which causes long-term cancers and what not.

    • @P_RO_
      @P_RO_ 2 роки тому +1

      And the same thing happened to US Marines and Infantry in the Pacific during WW2 where drums which once held aircraft fuel were filled with water because they had nothing else to put the water in on their supply ships. Given the logistics of that war it took a couple months to solve the problem as all the new drums were back home.

  • @schrauber-stolln4445
    @schrauber-stolln4445 2 роки тому +154

    Really great explanation, I still use one of such similar canister till today (made by a East Germany Company that still exists and was former known as Blechformwerke Bernsbach).
    I think you forgot to mention two more great features:
    - the spout has a outward bended edge to make it impossible to let liquid run down the outside while pour out liquid (try this with a plastic canister)
    - the spoud is of one side of these canister halfes not only because of easier manufacturing, but also to make it easier to pour out a full can by hand. So if you hold it with the opposite flat side to the ground it is easy to pour out even small quantities of liquid.

  • @Miata822
    @Miata822 2 роки тому +83

    I bought a new jerry can at the first of this year (Live in Texas, preparing against another winter power failure like we had last year). I stopped this video in the middle and got mine out of the garage to follow along with the discussion of the features. This brand-new production made in Latvia and sold on Amazon is almost identical to the late '30s German design. Interestingly, it is labeled as a "NATO fuel can".

    • @JulianSildenLanglo
      @JulianSildenLanglo 2 роки тому +9

      Well Germany is a NATO country, so it is technically correct.

    • @Mixz1890
      @Mixz1890 2 роки тому +7

      Huh...Did not know we produced and exported jerry cans lol. Nice

    • @Miata822
      @Miata822 2 роки тому +7

      @@Mixz1890 I think it was made by Valpro.
      We make some things here too. Will be glad to bring them over if uninvited guests come your way. We got your back.

    • @c0ldyloxproductions324
      @c0ldyloxproductions324 2 роки тому +3

      I bought a used on from my old boss’s former bf for 25 dollars it was red and has a G on it labeled as gas (though it had diesel in it) this on is a formal military one from what I’ve been told but I’m gonna repaint it military green, unfortunately it doesn’t have this cool spout just a spin on cap but I have a unique fluid transfer pump that has a gas station style filler neck on it so u can manage lol

    • @Miata822
      @Miata822 2 роки тому +3

      @Water King I lived in Upstate NY for years. Even there 0F with no heat or power would be considered tough conditions. For me the hardest part was finding generator fuel at a gas station that had both power to run the pumps and fuel left to pump.

  • @PaulAstier
    @PaulAstier Місяць тому +8

    did anyone else catch the guy with a flashlight looking into the window behind him around 2:13?

  • @kristianh2570
    @kristianh2570 2 роки тому +47

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

  • @brycebehnke9566
    @brycebehnke9566 2 роки тому +22

    Love whoever has the flashlight and is waving in the window around 2:07.

  • @EvilFandango
    @EvilFandango 2 роки тому +43

    I remember hearing about how good jerry cans were on the history channel many years back, but you've done an excellent job telling it's story. Thank you.

  • @jaredking3361
    @jaredking3361 3 дні тому +1

    I watched this video 2 years ago and just watched it again… this is an awesome design!! Great video! Thank you

  • @charliepearce8767
    @charliepearce8767 2 роки тому +160

    Im still using a 1941 Jerry Can in perfect condition.
    I wouldn't mind having all the fuel its had in it over the years .
    I have one i cut a hidden door in the bottom that i carry "Goods" that i want to be kept secret.
    It sitts with my other Jerry Cans in back of my truck not looking unusual.
    What an informative video.
    Stay safe everyone

    • @NobodyCaresALot
      @NobodyCaresALot 2 роки тому +7

      Mad Max coming soon to neighborhood near you?

    • @charliepearce8767
      @charliepearce8767 2 роки тому +5

      @@NobodyCaresALot
      I do live just out of an Australian outback desert opal mining town ..
      Mad Max lifestyle is just a normal part of living here.
      Take care man !

    • @89justgame
      @89justgame 2 роки тому +2

      @@charliepearce8767 Damn mate, how hot does it get in summer? It barely gets over 40 here in Sydney.

    • @gezglobal1117
      @gezglobal1117 2 роки тому +2

      @@charliepearce8767 Cooper Peady?

    • @amazoniancustodian
      @amazoniancustodian 2 роки тому +7

      Not a secret anymore, mate.

  • @AdministrativeReload
    @AdministrativeReload 2 роки тому +57

    I wanted to get some metal fuel cans and a friend offered me a couple of Army surplus cans with the screw caps. Having used a couple of those monstrosities before I politely declined and kept looking. Ended up buying some of the NATO pattern cans (GLEG) that more faithfully reproduce the original German design. Absolutely perfect. They just don't leak, even if bouncing around the bed of a pickup truck on their side.

    • @smilemore1997
      @smilemore1997 2 роки тому

      Did you get one with a screw on hose?

    • @smilemore1997
      @smilemore1997 2 роки тому

      Did you get one with a screw on hose?

    • @GameMaker3_5
      @GameMaker3_5 2 роки тому

      All my father has are the American style ones with the screw cap.
      And yes, they leak when on their side...

  • @nooblangpoo
    @nooblangpoo 2 роки тому +51

    Jerry Cans are really one of the biggest unappreciated developments of ww2. People take them for granted but the moment you ask why it's called Jerry Can, you get to go into a great rabbit hole. Great work!

    • @bunzeebear2973
      @bunzeebear2973 2 роки тому +1

      First off they were called Gerry Cans(German)Note similar spelling. No "J" in German. Gerry sounds the same as Jerry. > Gary uses a "hard G" sound like gasoline. So, I knew a Gerry who was British, and Gary who got his name from his German parents.
      . Comparing them to what the British were using which were simple sheet metal cans of an awkward size & shape & smaller capacity. They do not look strong enough to stand on. That bulge at the top of the original Gerry Can - it's main purpose would be to leave an airspace at the top for when liquids get warm, they expand so that air pocket would be enough space to allow the liquid to expand without distorting the metal can. The liquid also shrinks in cold weather, so the air space would be the cushion to prevent the Gerry can from distorting inward. The newer style Gerry cans do not have that bulge (because manufacturers are idiots) They also had a round opening for a large screw cap which means larger amounts of fuel can be poured out quickly, so spillage occurs. Unless you buy the screw on flexible spout. But U.S. military does not care about spillage as they had plenty of fuel. So they "GOOSH" it into the filler hole of a tank...and all over the tank and ground and they light up a smoke at the same time. If it really was gasoline they would be ON FIRE. TV movies so fake.
      . Metal Gerry cans are no longer allowed to be filled up at service stations because of a possible spark? They only allow red plastic gas cans that are somewhat similar in shape to Gerry can. Mine never had a plastic liner...or a flexible filler neck.

    • @EtherFox
      @EtherFox 2 роки тому

      Hmm, nice name.

    • @BOBO-ut3mn
      @BOBO-ut3mn 2 роки тому +1

      There is a reason I have 30+ of them.

    • @alanhat5252
      @alanhat5252 2 роки тому

      @@bunzeebear2973 I don't know where you're from but UK regulations specify a screw cap if you're filling from a filling station. (& the slogan "petroleum spirit highly flammable")

    • @magni5648
      @magni5648 2 роки тому +2

      @@bunzeebear2973 It's Jerry. Literally any source you can find, both modern and contemporary to the world wars, it's always Jerry. Not Gerry. That goes for the cans, and for the nickname for the Germans alike.

  • @vikto07081980
    @vikto07081980 Рік тому +156

    So far so good. I’ve filled it twice and it’s great getting 13 gallons at one shot ua-cam.com/users/postUgkx-vlHjazTv30m_UAq9Ht-fuPo2jBx7tTx . It pumps out by using gravity so the bottom of the tank needs to be above the vessel you're filling. Not a drop spilled filling the generator three times. Let’s see where we’re at after 20 fills.

  • @MrAdopado
    @MrAdopado 2 роки тому +52

    Excellent information and presentation! I am now retired but it was only a few years ago bought my first real metal jerry can. Having struggled with dreadful pouring plastic cans for years I was immediately impressed by all the features you describe. I even extolled the virtues of the "new" can to my wife, pointing out the nifty cap linkage and how well it seals and doesn't flop down when pouring ... I don't think she quite managed to match my own enthusiasm for the product so I'm glad to see someone else appreciates it and has investigated the history so comprehensively!

  • @choo-choo4922
    @choo-choo4922 2 роки тому +56

    Speaking from experience you can also increase the amount of Jerry cans a person can carry by putting wooden poles through the handle and carrying them between two people. Two or three wooden tent poles usually have the strength to carry 6 cans, and help spread out the weight so you can carry it on one shoulder. Helps if you though a rag or coat over your shoulder for comfort.

    • @CalumRaasay
      @CalumRaasay  2 роки тому +19

      Good point, but man people need to be carefuly carry heavy stuff on their shoulders like that, can fuck them up five ways to sunday!

    • @michaelplunkett8059
      @michaelplunkett8059 Рік тому +1

      Merrill's Marauders did that in Burma.

  • @nickabbott6278
    @nickabbott6278 2 роки тому +47

    1992, working in a F&V wholesaler, said to my manager, "if I replace that petrol can, can I have it?" "I could say it got run over by one of the forklifts." Two days after I did the swap, the brand new can was run over by a forklift,I still have my AMPOL stenciled can as one of my most treasured possessions. A 1942 Jerrycan, now joined by a 1960's Australian can. Hard to tell the difference.

  • @MrKotBonifacy
    @MrKotBonifacy Рік тому +5

    There's also this extremely handy addition to the jerrycan - detachable (or "attachable") spout that makes pouring the petrol out a breeze (no need for any funnel to fill up a car tank) and minimises any spillage - and thus, which is added benefit, minimising the risk of fire.

  • @51WCDodge
    @51WCDodge 2 роки тому +25

    Intresting note: For D-Day , some 8,000,000 Jerry cans were used. By the time of Operation Market Garden only some 2,000,000 could be found. I have a number of British WW2 dated Jerry Cans and 2 US cans. I still use the British ones, the American ones are 'For Display Only' Two of my British cans, which are , and have always been Sand coloured , were given to me some years back by an old farmer in Normandy, who had 'aquired' them post D-Day, at Goldbeach. Both go on my WW2 Dodge trucks, a WC51 Weapon Carrier and a WC54 Ambulance.

    • @joe18425
      @joe18425 2 роки тому

      You were probably over there stealing them off the army so you can wait 70+ years to make a massive profit.
      Genius idea
      👁👄👁🍿

  • @teaspoon1711
    @teaspoon1711 2 роки тому +235

    The ingenuity is incredible. My wife's family lived next to the inventor, Vinzenz Grünvogel, in Schwelm Germany. His daughter still lives there. Lovely little town right next to Wuppertal, known for its Schwebebahn (a hundred year old hanging monorail system, still in use today). Also quite close to the also famous Neanderthal.

    • @fosterkennel649
      @fosterkennel649 2 роки тому +9

      I am very proud of the inventiveness of the German people. A country that tried to weather the storm of the Versailles treaties And turned itself around to the chagrin of Western societies.. While the Rest of the world was still in a depression financial state Germany became Paramount in Doing what they have always done best... Breaking away and creating their own system of banking could not and would not be tolerated by The Western Banking system. To this day The psychological warfare inflicted on the German people it's still running rampant and it's very sad.. Blessings

    • @ScrubsIsee
      @ScrubsIsee 2 роки тому +2

      That‘s groovy. All of the region around Wuppertal is very nice. And the city itself has a great reputation for beeing the home of some great inventors and their inventions. It’s also called the craddle of German industrialisation.

    • @thenevadadesertrat2713
      @thenevadadesertrat2713 2 роки тому

      I lived in Hoesel/close to Ratingen. I passed Neandertal twice a day going to school by train.

    • @skat1140
      @skat1140 2 роки тому +3

      @@fosterkennel649 You don't have issues, you have a subscription.

    • @gordon1545
      @gordon1545 2 роки тому

      @@fosterkennel649 This is frighteningly untrue and full of dangerous myths. German economic recovery after the Great Depression was fuelled by unsustainable military spending, encouraging workers to work longer hours (through ideology), slave labour from the huge numbers of political prisoners and stealing Jewish property. Hitler's Germany went massively into debt, which they expected to pay back from plundering the countries that they would occupy.
      You should cure your ignorance on these matters by reading some history. I suggest you start with The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and the first two books of Richard J Evans famous trilogy.
      No "psychological warfare" was ever inflicted on the German people and this siege mentality myth was one of the causes of WW2. As for your claim it's happening today, I'm 99% sure that's a dog whistle and I know what hate you're promoting.
      Maybe if the "great German inventiveness" before 1945 had gone into improving society instead of preparing to wage war on an entire continent and more, millions of us would have got to spend time with our grandfathers and there would be a lot more Jews in the world today. Because the country that this video creator lives in was home to people who invented things like the telephone, television and penicillin; isn't that better than missiles, weapons and Zyklon B?

  • @BiGDuke6Actual
    @BiGDuke6Actual Рік тому +3

    Quite possibly *the* most comprehensive video I've ever seen on this topic matter. Thank you, Callum and keep up the great work!

  • @andreasheld2362
    @andreasheld2362 2 роки тому +113

    Calum, you've an amazing talent to pluck somewhat obscure topics seamingly out of thin air and transform them into wonderful, interesting and, yes, entertaining video. Proud to be a Patron!

    • @CalumRaasay
      @CalumRaasay  2 роки тому +6

      Thank you Andreas! Really appreciate that.

  • @GrantSwanepoel
    @GrantSwanepoel 2 роки тому +9

    I grew up in the desert in N Kenya and the Jerry can has been a constant companion through my life. It’s great to hear of its amazing history. Thank you.

  • @RGC-gn2nm
    @RGC-gn2nm 2 роки тому +72

    In the US Army we still use very close versions in the field. In training and for day to day they use the plastic ones which are much cheaper and less sturdy. Due to high pilferage rates the metal cans are kept under lock and key used only during active deploymenst.

    • @jfarill834
      @jfarill834 2 роки тому +10

      In the military for the better part of 25 years. Never saw a metal one even in a transportation unit. I’m calling bullshit.

    • @RGC-gn2nm
      @RGC-gn2nm 2 роки тому +12

      @@jfarill834 28 years myself. Those really big rail containers at the back of the motorpools are where the supply nco locks up all the non serial numbered expendable items like driver toolsets, driver/mechanic coverallls, 100mph tape, 550 cord, the stanley thermos bottles, etc. to include the metal gas cans and 'donkey dick' pouring spots.

    • @TheTeremaster
      @TheTeremaster 2 роки тому +2

      You say that but every time i go to a hardware store, the plastic ones are always more expensive

    • @CalumRaasay
      @CalumRaasay  2 роки тому +14

      @@TheTeremaster hot take but plastic Jerry cans are better in most ways these days. Tough plastic is more resilient and lighter but more importantly accumulate less condensation

    • @Devin_Stromgren
      @Devin_Stromgren 2 роки тому +4

      @@TheTeremaster Are you crazy? Military grade metal jerry cans cost around seventy dollars. I have yet to see a plastic gas can of any shape that costs that much.

  • @stevezodiac575
    @stevezodiac575 6 місяців тому +1

    Excellent research, terrific video, and thoroughly enjoyable to watch. Last week I had been explaining the significance of the Jerry can in WW2 and since, and now, having discovered your video I have forwarded it to him and strongly encouraged him to watch it as it contains so many fascinating and historical perspectives! This is one of the best videos I've watched in a long time! Huge thanks and admiration!

  • @tensevo
    @tensevo 2 роки тому +121

    The "Jerry can" is one of those design case studies,
    where everybody just agrees, yeah it was pretty much the best designed fuel can of ww2,
    still used today.

  • @p1nelord
    @p1nelord 2 роки тому +48

    Dude you took a metal fuel container (that i had no real interest in really) and made me appreciate how much work actually went into it wow

  • @badbiker666
    @badbiker666 2 роки тому +233

    Great video! I was in the US Army for 14 years. Unfortunately, I can state, having much personal experience, that we are NOT using the superior Jerry Can design. I spent a lot of time using the inferior, fuel-only, American can design with the rolled seams and silly screw-on cap that needed a wrench to open. And to pour out of it you needed a funnel that screwed in place of the cap. Due to the shape, it is called a Donkey Dick. The cap was attached to the can via a small, short, chain that breaks easily and inevitably gets lost.
    Naturally, someone will troll me and tell me I'm an idiot, so as a caveat I will state that the can I described was being used in every field unit in which I served. There may very well be other units somewhere using the better can. Also, I left the service 27 years ago, so maybe the US Army has upgraded their fuel can design in the meantime.
    I super enjoyed your research, use of video, and your script. Your delivery was spot-on as well. I am looking forward to viewing more of your content! At the time I am watching (3 March 2022) this video has received 1,625, 785 views! Congratulations!

    • @jerrycowan6828
      @jerrycowan6828 2 роки тому +3

      My first jerry cans were the screw on cap design purchased at a army-navy store in the 60's.

    • @MervandtheMagicTones
      @MervandtheMagicTones 2 роки тому +8

      Everything you say is true. And even the newer poly cans suck.

    • @garybarnes4169
      @garybarnes4169 2 роки тому +35

      "so maybe the US Army has upgraded their fuel can design" to 1930s standards...

    • @yummychips_
      @yummychips_ 2 роки тому +14

      as a US Army Veteran Cook. I often used that plastic one you mention, for field cooking. We trained using it pretty often. I got out in 2015, and served 6 years. The entire time we called it donkey dick.
      To add one, another important flaw. The issued donkey dick would often break. People would just tighten it to hard that it snaps the end. We actually just used makeshift funnels to fuel our burners for cooking, because of how often they snapped.

    • @rondoclark45
      @rondoclark45 2 роки тому +4

      I got out the same year as you. Can confirm we were still using those crappy screw cap cans.

  • @glendamico9004
    @glendamico9004 Рік тому +6

    Who knew a video about a can could be so fascinating! Great work Calum!

  • @ApfelFlix
    @ApfelFlix 2 роки тому +12

    Great timing! I bought a jerry can a few month ago and immediately wanted to find out more about its design and origin. Now I stumbled across this gem of a video. Because of its racing green colour and me associating jerry cans with Land Rovers, I initially thought they were of British origin. As a German it’s great to know they originated here. Thank you!

  • @SailingWindGypsy
    @SailingWindGypsy 2 роки тому +101

    This was one of the videos that you come across on the internet that you don't expect to come across but find oddly entertaining. It was timely for me in that I recently attempted to fill a lawn mower with a poorly designed 5 gallon plastic can and ended up making a mess all over the lawn mower. Also we tend to transport extra cans of fuel on our sailboat which are bulky compared to the jerry can. Thank you so much for putting up this enjoyable video Cheers!

    • @jamesarcher1289
      @jamesarcher1289 Рік тому +1

      Suggest purchase of justrite metal gas can. They are pricey. You’ll never need to purchase another gas can ever. Cans are DOT approved. Well worth the price

    • @CommunismIsCringe
      @CommunismIsCringe Рік тому +1

      Wavian has two packs of Jerrycans with spouts on Amazon.

  • @aussiepaul44
    @aussiepaul44 2 роки тому +37

    Hi from Australia. I've really enjoyed watching this video and learning of the history behind the Jerry can. I have an old Jerry can in my garage that I keep fuel for my lawn equipment in. I was prompted, after watching this video, to have a closer look at it. The can is date stamped 1973 and was manufactured by a company called Sandrik. Apparently Sandrik still make Jerry cans in the Czech Republic using the original tooling from WW2. Great video!

  • @fractalcat2121
    @fractalcat2121 Рік тому +1

    Thanks. A great video, I've watched twice & shared around. Well done :-)

  • @desertfox314
    @desertfox314 2 роки тому +30

    This is hands down one of my favorite videos on the internet. Your delivery of the fascinating information on an item that by first glance seems mundane.
    I would love to watch more content like this however I can only assume how much time and resources must've gone into this video.
    I eagerly await similar videos. Thank you!

  • @The_BenboBaggins
    @The_BenboBaggins 2 роки тому +46

    Great video - always had a real appreciation for the Jerry Can.
    What I can't get my head around is how time and time again, our soldiers are knowingly sent to war with inferior tools and equipment - and yet, they still manage to find willing volunteers. Not only that, but also, the top knobs are often if not always fully aware of the superior kit available, either to buy or to copy, but they don't out of sheer pig headed pride and bloody politics! Following the family tradition of joining the services was the best thing I never did!

    • @eekee6034
      @eekee6034 Рік тому +3

      I caught myself nationalistically thinking "typical American arrogance," but quickly reminded myself there are plenty of examples from my own country, Britain. I've forgotten most of my war history, but in peacetime, the automotive industry was nationalised and the lord who owned Jaguar was put in charge. Rover at that time could build very good reliable cars and were gearing up to export to the biggest car market there ever was; the USA. Lord Jaguar wasn't having a rival be better than his own brand! He destroyed Rover's plans, costing the country a good bit of income and a lot of pride. Over the next 20 years, the quality of all our cars went down even as the quality of Japanese cars was rising.

  • @bokkenrijder172
    @bokkenrijder172 2 роки тому +89

    When I started watching, I thought: “no way he’ll be able to talk for 30 minutes about a Jerrycan.’” Obviously I was wrong! Very interesting! 😃 👍🏻

  • @gluberfandenflaskersoff7964
    @gluberfandenflaskersoff7964 Рік тому +5

    You missed the fact that the bossing also allows drainage. When the cans are stacked on their sides, water can not collect between them and cause rust.

  • @thesteveus
    @thesteveus 2 роки тому +29

    Wow, I never noticed the subtleties of the minor design features, despite the fact that we always had jerry cans in my Dads shed and still do. A perfect example of lots of little things without over-engineering.

    • @Nudhul
      @Nudhul 2 роки тому +2

      Too bad the same can't be said of their tanks.

    • @minecraftzocker272
      @minecraftzocker272 2 роки тому +1

      @@Nudhul Especially gearboxes and propshafts.

  • @cadecarp11
    @cadecarp11 2 роки тому +21

    I found two Jerry cans in a trash can at a racetrack. They have the recessed weld but I haven't looked closely enough to learn when or where its from. Thanks for the info!

  • @ZGryphon
    @ZGryphon 2 роки тому +56

    That round cap with the rolled steel "ears" turns up all over the place in 20th-century American military equipment, and it's always a pain in the butt. It doesn't want to turn, except when it turns without permission, usually when no one's looking. The "ears" have the amazing power to bust your thumb _and_ the knuckle of your index finger at the same time. The cap itself is easy to lose, which you can tell the War Department knew because in a lot of applications, it's chained to the can/tank/vehicle/whatever with a length of weird flat chain that likes to get twisted and lock up in strange, inflexible configurations. Truly a masterpiece of industrial design in its own right.

    • @CalumRaasay
      @CalumRaasay  2 роки тому +9

      Yeah I’m a bit confused by that weird cap, are the ears for a wrench to grab onto?
      I can sort of see the logic of the military planners wanting to keep the same caps/fillers on all canisters but they don’t seem like the easiest thing in the world to operate

    • @ZGryphon
      @ZGryphon 2 роки тому +10

      @@CalumRaasay I think they're just to give a gloved hand something to push against to open/close it without slipping, although I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that more than one soldier over the years has improvised some kind of spanner to help it along, because they really do love to get stuck.

    • @e-curb
      @e-curb 2 роки тому +4

      My father has one of those cans. I've never heard of it being called a "Blitz can". The one he has is stamped USA. One good feature is that there exists a screw-in goose-neck spout so it will be easier to prevent spills compared to the German design.

    • @zniloserkrf5790
      @zniloserkrf5790 2 роки тому +4

      @@CalumRaasay This cap is very similar to the larger cap that was on the steel 55 Gal (US) drum. I don't know that is the case however I think that this design of cap was all ready in use in the US Army and it seemed simpler to use a design that was use. But this is all speculation.

    • @buttonmonkey6845
      @buttonmonkey6845 2 роки тому +1

      We have a nozzle (about 6 inches long) that clips into the lugs that the clamps the cap down, it’s ideal for fuelling into awkward filler necks without spilling fuel.

  • @aussiefarmer8741
    @aussiefarmer8741 Рік тому +5

    I use these as the price of fuel goes up and down significantly here, I do have 1 of the old Blitz cans but it leaks. It hangs in the shed now with all the other old motor gear. Thanks for the vid, it was very interesting. The only problem with jerry cans is when you are over 60 they are starting to get heavy.

  • @williamj.stilianessis1851
    @williamj.stilianessis1851 2 роки тому +46

    As a history major in University, I found this incredible! Far better than many of the lectures.

  • @karlramberg
    @karlramberg 2 роки тому +193

    Fuel logistics of warfare is unfortunately very timely, seeing all the Russian tanks stranded without fuel. Great video as usual

    • @CalumRaasay
      @CalumRaasay  2 роки тому +65

      I know, didn’t realise how pertinent the timing war!

    • @patchthesinclair5896
      @patchthesinclair5896 2 роки тому +22

      @@CalumRaasay loving the Freudian typo!

    • @evanray8413
      @evanray8413 2 роки тому +5

      @@patchthesinclair5896
      #MeToo

    • @poopslots
      @poopslots 2 роки тому +2

      That's all I could think about haha

    • @Gradymeister
      @Gradymeister 2 роки тому +19

      To be fair putin has sent in random lads that were forced into war or jail time if they declined. Many of these guys are operating old soviet tanks, untrained and it shows. Many have been captured and have said they'd rather be a prisoner of war than to go back to Russia and probably be executed /jailed for not wanting to go to war. Many have only been trained for a week or two, nothing more. A lot of them are realizing they are basically being sent in to die and are abandoning tanks and equipment.

  • @30000paddy
    @30000paddy 2 роки тому +22

    After serving 30 years in the French Foreign Legion, yes when I joined in 1990 the Willys Jeep and Jerrycans of all different manufacturers, German, American and British passed in my hands. Of course today the Willys are in museums and I only see the French copy of the Jerrycan. Thank you for an enjoyable half hour.

    • @jour2gloire
      @jour2gloire Рік тому

      Hey, what about French copy of the Jerrycan ? Im french and would love to get some, do you know where they are produced (the brand maybe?) and where to get some ? Cheap jerrycans arent lasting long...

  • @TheGodpharma
    @TheGodpharma Рік тому +1

    I'm so pleased this video appeared in my feed. I would never have imagined a 30 minute video on jerrycans could be so fascinating and enjoyable.

  • @ashleyhansen6150
    @ashleyhansen6150 2 роки тому +6

    I'm nothing but impressed with this video. I rolled my eyes into the back of my head when I saw that it was 30 mins long and thought that this video would put me to sleep and goddamn was I wrong. I was actually disappointed that it ended. Well done sir and you just got yourself a new fan and subscriber.

  • @tonylaut585
    @tonylaut585 2 роки тому +14

    Calum, thank you for putting this informational video together. Most of the details I was already familiar with as I used to own a business here in Canada🇨🇦 dealing with the Canadian Department of National Defence as a supplier of military hardware and ordinance. My involvement with the "Jerry Can" began back in the late 80's when DND published a request for proposals for a new style of a portable Fuel & Water container made from rotomoulded or injected polyethylene meeting various operational performance standards. To make a long story short, the eventual winning bidder was Sceptre here in Canada. Of course there was a requirement for Canadian content being given a slight advantage, but the bid was open to anyone. I submitted a bid on them as a backup to Sceptre just in case something went wrong with their proposal. The final production item was fantastic and met every aspect of the required performance specs. The initial colour was Olive Drab (what else?) and a few years later the colour (Sand) was added mainly due to American requirements and the upcoming gulf war. I still have a sand one. Then the colour Yellow was added to denote Diesel fuel as more and more equipment were being procured with diesel power plants. I think there was also a colour for potable water but I'm not sure what colour was used (not blue!). I supplied some various ones to NATO for their vehicles and these were the Olive Drab ones. It always looked strange to me to see a 8 wheeled vehicle being readied for UN deployment where everthing was painted white, but the Jerry Cans stood out like sore thumbs on the ass end of the vehicles beside the ramp door!
    Just to add, the mouth on our cans were a lot larger with a coarse thread, retainer chain and removable 'V' filter screen collar/tube. With the larger mouth you could dump 5 gal or 20 L into, say a 5 ton saddle tank in about 15 seconds. The German original design and most of the copy cats were of the smaller mouth and lever action retainer/closure which meant that the fuel flowed much slower. Also the european design had the alternate contents (other than gasoline) stenciled on both sides of the container. This meant that you had to stop and read what you have so that diesel is not accidentally put into a vehicle that used gasoline, or vice versa. Some units resorted to using yellow duct tape wrapped around the outside handle to allow quick visual identification of the contents. The plastic ones were quite durable with a very strong thickness. But they also expanded during the warmer weather and based on the vehicles brackets used to hold the cans, they would expand or balloon so much so that removing them became impossible if not opened first, which took valuable time when your driver called for fuel.
    Ok, that's it on my input.
    🇨🇦😎🇨🇦
    🇺🇦🙏🇺🇦

    • @jamesphillips2285
      @jamesphillips2285 2 роки тому

      I was in cadets in the 90's. Pretty sure the potable water colour is black.

  • @tgypoi
    @tgypoi 2 роки тому +45

    It's incredible to realize how much of a difference something like this can make. Makes me wonder how many really significant things have completely changed the world without anyone noticing.

    • @jamesphillips2285
      @jamesphillips2285 2 роки тому +13

      Can opener being invented 100 years after the can comes to mind.

    • @thecapone45
      @thecapone45 2 роки тому +8

      Like pallets.

    • @P_RO_
      @P_RO_ 2 роки тому +6

      Think of our modern world without the screw; it couldn't exist! A good book on the history of the screw is "One Good Turn" which shows how something that seems so simple is actually very complex and how hard it can be to take a great invention into the realm of everyday life in the world.

    • @ColoradoStreaming
      @ColoradoStreaming 2 роки тому

      Check out the Battle of Ferozeshah during the 1st Anglo Sikh war. The British almost got slaughtered when Gough overextended and ran right into the Khalsa army. Just when all hope was lost a British calvary unit retreated to resupply and the Sikh general thought it was a trap and didnt engage. (The general, Tej Singh, was also a traitor.) Anyway, this single chance action very well saved British India from being overrun by the Khalsa army. History would be very different if the British lost India in the 1840s.
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ferozeshah

  • @lady_draguliana784
    @lady_draguliana784 Рік тому +2

    2:15 the target of your siphoning came-a-calling! 🤣

  • @mackfisher4487
    @mackfisher4487 2 роки тому +20

    I was in the U.S. Army signal Corps where we used Jerry cans I had never heard the term Blitz Can. I believe the American blitz can opening which is the same size as the large screw opening on a 55 gallon drum was quite deliberate, as one could take an adapter to fuel a generator and shove it in a 5 gallon blitz can or a 55 gallon drum such as what I used to fuel my SF-10,10 kW generator.

  • @alanjeffrey7266
    @alanjeffrey7266 2 роки тому +6

    Wonderful video, my man! I have several modern ones for water containers. My father was a spitfire mechanic in WWII in north Africa and he told me as a kid that the best tent peg in the desert is a jerrycan buried in the sand.

    • @redrock425
      @redrock425 2 роки тому +1

      That's a very clever idea, I think I'll steal that one if I'm ever in the desert!

  • @cheefmynyon8348
    @cheefmynyon8348 2 роки тому +16

    Great video! Your British Jerrycan was made by Briggs Motor Bodies Ltd, Dagenham. I've got a similar can (mine's dated 1943) that is actually still serviceable...

    • @mavos1211
      @mavos1211 2 роки тому +3

      Did that site later become Ford in Dagenham?
      My dads family are from Dagenham and he got his name from a doodle bug that blew in the next street.
      A photo of my great uncle Les was blown off the wall and the glass cracked into a big “V”
      My great Nan said this is a sign and if it’s a boy we will call him Victor and we will soon win the war. My dad was born 9th feb 1945 and of course a couple of months later we did win.
      A side note to that story I was talking to my wife’s grandad who was telling me how he came home from leave and arrived home early hours of the morning so as not to wake the family up he sat on the doorstep.
      He then witnessed the very doodlebug fly over that set my Nan off into labour!

  • @artsdomain
    @artsdomain Рік тому +8

    The Jerry Can is so fascinating. The neighbor can’t help himself to take a peek around 2:12

  • @keithteel258
    @keithteel258 2 роки тому +5

    What a great video!! I have 4 of these cans and use them for almost everything. It’s great to now know the history of these cans. My favorite thing is I can fill them with gas and carry them in my back seat with no spills or fumes whatsoever. I have even carried 2 (10 gallons) of them evacuating hurricanes with my family without fear of running out of fuel!

  • @ArgentAbendAzure
    @ArgentAbendAzure 2 роки тому +21

    Fascinating. It shows how a small well designed item can have a huge impact on events.

  • @khorneflakes9760
    @khorneflakes9760 2 роки тому +166

    The greatest feats of engineering are often the littlest things.

    • @Dopesaur
      @Dopesaur 2 роки тому +4

      Good design is very often intended to make using the tool as effortless as possible. Things that require little effort often go unnoticed.

    • @nephicus339
      @nephicus339 2 роки тому +2

      Like the US investing a million dollars in a pen that would write in space.....and the Russians just used a pencil. xD

    • @quisquiliarum7710
      @quisquiliarum7710 2 роки тому +10

      @@nephicus339 you'd appreciate that $1,000,000 pen when you get graphite dust in your eyes, lungs, and sensitive lab equipment

    • @khorneflakes9760
      @khorneflakes9760 2 роки тому +6

      @@nephicus339 There's more to that story, the US knew that pencil graphite particles in zero G are a potential electrical fire hazard so that's why pencils were a big no to them. The Russians ended up adopting the million dollar pen too eventually for the same reason.

    • @P_RO_
      @P_RO_ 2 роки тому

      Sometimes a great feat of engineering comes from someone who knows nothing technical, but because of that isn't blinded to simple things. A case in point is Miss Tilley's orfice, which allowed British fighter planes to level the playing field against technically superior fuel injected aircraft, basically a flat washer repurposed to great effect by a simple clerk...

  • @caltrask130
    @caltrask130 Рік тому +2

    This video came up numerous times as a suggestion. I thought it would be interesting to see, just seemed like a long video "for a piece of metal". I'm glad I watched it. A very interesting video well delivered and well researched. I had no idea how much thought went into such a seemingly simple object. Many of the comments here were also interesting and thoughtful as well.

  • @petergambier
    @petergambier 2 роки тому +28

    Morning Calum, thanks for this assessment of the Jerry-can, the interesting history and design points I never knew before like the center weld and air pocket to aid the floatation should you end up in water. Also very much enjoyed the footage showing the wartime civilian & military transport, the drivers and factory workers from a 1940's world that no longer exists.
    I have a Bavarian wife and we lived in Munich for about 6 years in an old 5 floor, pre-war block of flats up by Harras which was one of the arrival points for the crowds of people visiting the Oktoberfest every year.
    At this time (1990's) because of fire regulations very few attic area's had been developed and in a forgotten corner, under piles of rubbish I found 2 gas masks still in their original cardboard boxes as well as some printed blurb about defending the fatherland and ending with Chancellor Adolf Hitler's printed signature.
    One of the drinking places me and my workmates went to was the Schellingerstrasse bar where Hitler used to address his Brown shirts and the old cleaner who took the empty glasses and swept the floor had been there during that time. It was one of the few early morning bars where you could get a pint, have breakfast and play pool at 6am and in the outside street all the buildings with stone walls had bullet holes from the street to street fighting there during WW2.

    • @mikematusky7717
      @mikematusky7717 2 роки тому +5

      Fuel floats. It is lighter than water. The air pocket would only come into play if the can was being used to carry water. In addition, the air pocket allowed the airspace to accommodate expansion / contraction of the contents along with the flex in the sides of the can. The airspace also allowed the user to tilt the can to fill the upper corner with liquid and provide airspace around the spout so the can could be opened without spilling. F*ing Brilliant.

  • @paultreviska9417
    @paultreviska9417 2 роки тому +11

    The best discussion on the Jerrycan ever. There was a dark side to these on our promotion courses ( in the field) where we had to carry one full can between 4 of us, so a section we had 2. Going on foot with these was so demanding, sticks and boy scout knowledge of knots helped but they were not the most popular item in the squad. And we would be checked at random points to ensure we hadn't emptied them - with the intention of refilling them a short distance from the RV point.

  • @7eis
    @7eis 2 роки тому +21

    What I appreciate the most about these is how close to your body the center of gravity is. Makes a world of a difference compared to modern alternatives - easier on the body even though they might be slightly heavier than modern plastic fuel storage/transportation of the same capacity.

  • @bobp.654
    @bobp.654 Рік тому +1

    2:18 did everyone see the guy with the flashlight looking in the window..... Awesome!!!

  • @mungoman7331
    @mungoman7331 2 роки тому +16

    It was a long held aim of mine to own a jerry can, I finally picked up a couple at a car show a few years ago (didn't want to cheat and buy new), another dream fulfilled! Simple pleasures ;-)