Manuel Noferini and Daniele Baggiani
The US Army in ww2 was very wealthy, at least from the enemy’s point of view. The italian peasants that met the GIs during the 1943-1945 campaign had the same thoughts. Everything was available in huge quantities: food, weapons, equipment. What got broken, or was not considered necessary at the moment, was just thrown away, as new stuff was available all the time.
After the war, the inhabitants of the countryside used all was left behind by the Americans for years! But sometime, this behaviour of the american troops created serious logistical problem. This is the case of the gas cans. The soldiers considered these containers exactly like the beer bottles: “no return, not to be refilled”: when they were empty, were just thrown away. At a certain point, the lack of gas cans became dramatic inside the US Army. Fuel was not a problem, but there were no cans where to put it! The greatest army ever risked stopping because it went out of gas cans. Sounds funny, but it really happened! So, the high commands gave explicit orders to collect the Jerrycans for recycling.
This chart very probably was hanged in the back of a truck or in a well-defined area of a camp... After the above explanation, the meaning is clear
The back of the plate is also interesting. It reads “Shoulder cleared, 4 Ft”. This should mean that the sides of the road were cleared from mines and traps for 4 feet in depth, and that over this distance the safety was not granted.
The Importance of "Jerrycans" in Military Logistics
The famous fuel containers, called "Jerrycans," became a symbol of efficient military logistics during World War II. Originally designed by the Germans in 1937, these cans were praised for their durability, ease of transport, and ability to withstand impacts. The Allies, recognizing the effectiveness of the "Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister," copied the design and reintroduced it on a large scale for their own troops. The name "Jerrycan" comes from the term "Jerry," an informal name used by the Allies to refer to German soldiers. These cans could hold 20 liters of fuel, and their three-handle design allowed them to be carried by one or two people or passed between moving vehicles. Unlike the previous fuel cans used by the Allies, which were prone to leaking or rusting, Jerrycans were more practical and efficient.
An Unexpected Problem: The Jerrycan Crisis
Despite the efficiency of the jerrycans, the "use-and-discard" behavior of American soldiers, as described, created an unforeseen crisis. The U.S. Army was well supplied with fuel, but the lack of containers to store it seriously disrupted logistical operations. This led to an absurd situation: the most powerful military machine of the time was at risk of grinding to a halt, not due to a fuel shortage, but a shortage of jerrycans! High command quickly intervened, ordering that all empty jerrycans be collected and reused. This episode highlights not only the sometimes reckless consumption of resources during the war but also the critical importance of logistics management to keep large-scale operations running.
A Lasting Symbol
Jerrycans not only contributed significantly to the Allied victory, but they also left a lasting legacy. Even today, their design remains virtually unchanged and is used worldwide for transporting liquids, both in military and civilian contexts. The abandoned cans, as mentioned, were often collected by local populations after the war, repurposed for agricultural or domestic use. Even now, old Jerrycans can be found in museums, antique markets, or even reused on some farms.
