Jerrycan

[Matt L]

Hi Guys,

I'm sure we're all familiar with the appearance of the standard Wermacht fuel can- marked 'Kraftstoff 20l' 'Feuergefaehrlich', etc., but what about that odd 'W^D' one that appears from time to time (the ^ being an upward facing arrow)? I've heard it identified as everything from 'Wehrmacht Diesel' to Allied 'War Department'.

Given that the Germans continued to mark the cansiters with the same information even until the end of the war- despite sometimes moving the info to the front of the handle and reducing its size greatly- I somehow can't imagine that 'W^D' stands for 'Wehrmacht Diesel'. The lack of a year, maker code, etc. just makes it really unlikely.

Given that the Allies did copy the 'Jerrycan' and that the upward arrow supposedly is a British symbol, the idea that the mark actually stands for 'War Department' makes far more sense.

What do you think? Does anyone know for sure?

Matt

[cicero]

is this the one ?
best regards glenn
ps: i have the german version also,so if you want to see it let me know

jerrycan1
jerry02

[Matt L]

Yes, that's it. Do you know if it's German or not?

I have a nice example of a real Wehrmacht one (in RAL 7028 Dunkelgelb no less), but these 'W^D' ones have always puzzled me.

Thanks.

Matt

[cicero]

IMO this is a british one

cheers glenn

[cicero]

and this one is the typical german can
cheers glenn

jerrycan01
jerrycan02

[Matt L]

Thanks Glenn,

That's a nice example of a 20l Wasser canister- I have one of those too.

Matt

[John Hodgin]

Lets see some more cans! Here is a 1944 example.

Best,
John

[Matt L]

Water:

<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/161773/DAKWasser.jpg" width=300 height=400>

Fuel:

<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/161773/Kraftstoffkanister.jpg" width=400 height=300>

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Matt, I can confirm that Glen is correct and the WD marked Jerrycans are British. The WD does stands for War Department. I have some info somewhere about the British production of these cans. I will dig it out and post it up. Being a Jeep owner, I have lots of these cans with different makers, dates, etc.
I also have a rare first production WH can and the scarce Waffen SS marked can too. Give me a few days and I will post up some pics
Cheers, Ade.

[Matt L]

Thanks Guys!

I kinda figured 'Wehrmacht Diesel' made no sense, and the distinct lack of other markings certainly said 'not German' too.

Matt

[Edelweiss]

The ^ you was speaking about is in fact the arrow of the War Department (if you look well), it can be seen on almost each piece of british war equipment.
Here is a close-up view of the WSS jerrycan markings ; the rest is similar to the WH ones (sorry for the bad quality of the photo).

[Pieter Verbruggen]

Be aware

Be aware that SS jerry-cans are widly reproduced these days.
So do not buy one if you are not knowing what you are holding in your hands.
Pieter.

[Edelweiss]

I wasn't aware of that. I wonder which WW2 german item is not yet faked nowadays ! moremad
Well, I had the chance to find this one just as it came out of the woodwork...

[Edelweiss]

Here's a better view ; I'd also like to see yours, Adrian. I hope it's in a fresher state than mine...

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi, I am still looking for the info I have on British made Jerrycans, I do have it somewhere!
In the meantime, here is a pic of my SS marked can. I must echo Peter's warning about these. They are made in the Czech republic, no suprise there . The steel is obviously new and the fakers are often too mean to have ever placed any fuel in them! hence no smell of fuel
My can was originally bought from a French farmer for £5 But I bought it from a friend for £90 He needed the cash to help buy his house. I have never let him forget the profit he made
The original paint is field grey, but the farmer had repainted the can lime green. I repainted it over with the current paint, but I hope to strip it back to the original sometime.
Cheers, Ade.