This set consists of thirty of the distinct American pattern of the five gallon "JerryCan", often referred to as the "AmeriCan" or "MerriCan".
The original Jerrycan design was developed in 1937 for the German Armed Forces and by 1939 they had thousands stockpiled in anticipation of war. Through a German colleague, American engineer Paul Pleiss managed to get three along with detailed drawings and realized that it was superior to anything else available in the US. He supplied one to the US Military but the War Department decided instead to use 1918 ten US gallon cans with two screw closures, which required both a wrench and funnel for pouring. However the original can was sent to Camp Holabird, Maryland, where it was redesigned. The new design only retained the handles, size and general shape. The US Pattern 5 Gallon Fuel Can is noticeably smaller than the British equivalent as a US pint is 16 fluid ounces but a British pint is 20 fluid ounces. Resultantly there are 160 fluid ounces in a British Imperial gallon (4.6 litres) and only 128 fluid ounces (3.7 litres) in a US gallon.
Solid blocks of US pattern Five Gallon Fuel Cans for use as truck loads or diorama accessories are also available (See related Products below).