G503 Military Vehicle Message Forums

What is the rarest jerrycan,any nationality,that you ever found?I am sure answers can differ worldwide,as some dream of the german ss can,while others like me would rather put their hands on a Navy WWII can,and some just drool for early galvanized cans of U.S. manufacture...I thought to run a poll on the subject,just for checking.

Hi Luca

How about a 1943 round Cam action / 2 in. threaded opening made by Monarch. Phototype can that did not go into production.

Tom
xstuff@juno.com

I was meaning mass produced cans!But that is surely rare,even more when fitted to an half ton Willys!

Guys,I am waiting your replies!

My '42 GPW came with a nice '45 RHEEM gas can on the back...a field mod of course as it was too early for a factory one.....that company made water heaters after the war, BTW....

It's a nice can, but finding what a terrible job of cutting holes to mount the thing did to my Script rear panel, I decided to put it back on until a major restoration is underway. It has the "factory" horsehoe-bracket BODL on the fender also, another field mod.....so I found a proper "D" shaped bracket for the light.

I figured that if I had a few oddball things on the jeep, they should be "right" or at least controversial, so I got that "D" BODL bracket and then found a nice 1941 German Jerry Can made by dwc, then painted it a light, flat shade of what I think cound pass for "Feldgrau" (field grey) and put that on the back.

She looks good that way, it gets some attention from you gas can nuts and the FEURGEFAHRZUG and the WHERMACHT stampings are kind of en eyecatcher.

Not all that rare in the big picture, but I don't often see German jerry cans on jeeps out here in California.....not hardly any of those British ones like that. If anything, occasionally I'm asked if it is a USMC one as it has the small necked spout. Heck, it's rare enough for me to have it on there and it is a conversation piece for most collectors that looks pretty cool.....my "captured" enemy gas can.....cool enough!

How about a 42 navy can made by wheeling and a 44 U.S.A can made by conco with a marine corps spout I bet none of you have heard of that
and no its not a marine corps can and no its not a british can

I tried to edit it i meant to say Navy can made by wheeling

One surely unusual can is the one Robin posted,with everyting upside down,but that is not one can one could purposedly look for.Not likely to find one at next garage sale or fleamarket ,I suppose.

I have a WW II galvanized one made by wheeling and the DATE: Dec. 6,1941. Yes one day before Pearl Harbor. Thanks

Interesting question. For me it would be my 41 NESCO water can or my 39 German can.
Chuck, I'm not sure but if your can is a light grey it may be too light a color. I have 5 German cans and 2 are originally grey under other colors. Carefully scraping found the original grey is quite dark. It closely matches the Panzer grey modelers use. You might want to check some hobby houses for colors.

Jeeze Mike.....
It was pointed out to me when I first got the '41 Wehrmacht can that I could probably use the spray "Feldgrau" available from the model shops. I checked with one locally and figured out it would cost $15.00 to paint the can using those small cans the modellers use. I also got some input from our European gee-men that cans came in three paint schemes.....in most cases....(German military also subscribes to the "Never" and "Always" idiom....). The Africa Korps uses that Mustard Yellow color of the sandy landscape. There was the darker, Feldgrau used in the European areas, and later on, perhaps in late summer of '44 a camo scheme showed up on vehicles (and gas cans I would imagine).

Since my '42 GPW is marked for the 121st Cavalry Squadron of the 106th Cavalry Group, which was attached to the 3rd Army up to September of '44 I chose the Feldgrau (field gray) as the can represents a "captured" enemy resource on my jeep, and this or the camo would be appropriate)

(When Bradley was directed to give more gas/supplies to Monty for his offensive, he simply transferred the XV Corps which carried the 106th Cav to the 7th Army in the 6th Army Group so they could draw supplies from the Med ports....if you check the 12th Army Group battle maps on a daily basis, the XV is shown on the shoulder of the 12 Army Group each day....while this is good field management of your flank, it was a brilliant way for Bradley to keep Patton in the game with gas/supplies)

I figured there would not be too many Paint-Nazis (or Nazi Paint Nazis?) in Marin County who could point out that the Feldgrau I used on the can on the '42 GPW was too light in color.

Thank you for pointing out my fauxpas to all concerned, I am humiliated and ashamed...so much so that I may just paint it camo to drive some others nuts about having a camo painted gas can on a WWII ETO jeep.

I guess my favorite is my '41 with two straight tabs on the lid. I found it at an old tractor swap meet for $5.
I also got two 42 or 43's made by "Chattanooga" I hadn't seen one by that company before.

I have a 1944 Dated German can, and it still has it's original coat of Feldgrau! Yes, the early color and it is all original.

BTW, SS cans are not that rare. I've seen at least a dozen or so at Beltring, and I come across them regularly on the smaller shows too.

Greetz

David

Chuck,
A pox upon me for bringing to light your "Fauxpas" to all. If you knew in advance, ok, if not I figured you might want to know As to painting using $15.00 in modeling paint I sure don't plan on that. I will find a color of spray paint that matches or is real close. As you said, I don't think there are any Nazi Paint police (yet).
I like your idea of using the 106th Cav markings on your jeep. That way you have several options to do things on your jeep. (The Cav is notorious for doing things their way )
Take care,

Mike...no sweat, so far those who have even figured out it IS a German can have not complained about the color of flat grey it is painted. However if you DO get a chance to find some Krylon or other national brand of rattlecan paint that IS the same shade as an original German "feldgrau" color, please let me (us) know what the name and number of it is.

Check out the 106th Cav Group. It consists of the 106th and 121st Cavalry Squadrons. Several companies of jeeps, usually mounting a .50 on the M31C mount and a .30 on an M-48 mount....also usually a radio and crew of three. They then had either the early Stuart tanks or the later M-24's in one company and a company of that short barrelled howitzer/tank setup.

While Armored Divs got a Squadron, a Corps got a Group (two squadrons) and usually put them on "point" or the shoulder with neighboring Corps or Army Groups to insure they had some butt-kickers holding the flank. They went out to "find" the enemy, report his strength, kick a hole in the line that the armor could exploit, or to simply find the enemy in numbers/armor so that the Corps could send up the heavy stuff (armor/arty) to deal with them.

Like the Airborne, these troops were not to be used in holding the line, but often dismounted and did that (winter of '44 for instance) and were best used as Patton did with the XV Corps (with 106th on point) in the hook around to complete the encirclement at Falaise Gap. They also made the next run to the Seine to catch more Germans on the wrong side of the river for evacuation, and then on the run to Aschaffenburg, Nurnberg and south into Munich area.

Cavalry in WWII, if used properly, was like the Cav throughout history; use it against Infantry, outflank the opposition, get into the rear area and raise hell.

Remember Robert Duvall in "Apocalypse Now" on the beach during the attack/surfing scenes? Yup. Cavalry, with cavalry hat & cords in yellow piping.

Chuck, does this help?

http://aura.olomouc.com/ukazka_4en.htm

Greetz

David