Editing Jerrycan (section)

=== British necessity ===
{{ multiple image|total_width=400
| image1   = The Battle of Passchendaele, July-november 1917 Q5718.jpg
| caption1 = British pressed steel, {{Convert|2|impgal|l|0|adj=on}} petrol cans: Strong, but heavy and expensive (1917)
| image2   = The British Army in North Africa 1942 E18640.jpg
| caption2 = British tin plate, {{Convert|4|impgal|l|adj=on}} petrol tin ("[[Flimsy]]"). Inexpensive, but weak, with a tendency to leak ({{c.|1942}})
}}

At the beginning of the [[Second World War]] the [[British Army]] was equipped with two simple fuel containers: the {{Convert|2|impgal|adj=on}} container made of pressed steel, and the {{Convert|4|impgal|adj=on}} container made from [[tin plate]]. The 2-gallon containers were relatively strong, but were expensive to produce. Manufactured primarily in Egypt, the 4-gallon containers were plentiful and inexpensive, but they had a tendency to leak after minor damage. Early 4-gallon containers were packed in pairs in wooden cases. When stacked, the timber framing protected the tins and prevented the upper layers of tins from crushing the lower. As the war progressed, the wooden case was replaced with either thin plywood or cardboard cases, neither of which provided much protection.<ref name="LRDG50">{{Cite book|title=Long Range Desert Group|last=Kennedy Shaw|first=W.B.|year=1945|publisher=Collins|location=London|pages=50–51}}</ref> 4-gallon containers carrying fuel were hazardous to the cargo ships carrying them. The leaking fuel would accumulate in cargo holds. At least one such ship exploded.<ref name="green" />

Though adequate for transport along European roads, the four-gallon containers proved extremely unsatisfactory during the [[North African Campaign]]. The crimped or soldered seams easily split during transport, especially off-road over the rock-strewn deserts of North Africa.<ref name="norris">{{Cite book|last=Norris|first=John|title=World War II Trucks and Tanks|year=2012|publisher=History Press|isbn=9780752490731}}</ref> In addition, the containers were easily punctured by even minor trauma. Because of these problems the troops referred to the 4-gallon containers as ''[[Flimsy|flimsies]]''.  Transport of fuel over rough terrain often resulted in as much as 25% of the fuel being lost through seam failures or punctures.<ref name="LRDG50" />  Fuel leaks gave vehicles a propensity to catch fire.  The containers were routinely discarded after a single use, and severely hampered the operation of the [[British Eighth Army]].<ref name="LRDG50" /> A more successful and popular use for the 4-gallon container was to convert it into a cooking stove, referred to as the '[[Benghazi burner]]'.

{{ multiple image|total_width=400|align=left
| image1   = DUKW-and-crane-slapton-sands-1944.jpg
| caption1 = British fuel jerrycans used in April 1944 during training in England in preparation of the Allied landings in Normandy
| image2   = The_British_Army_in_the_United_Kingdom_1939-45_H30616.jpg
| caption2 = British soldier refueling a lorry with petrol from a jerrycan
| image3   = Britische copy wehrmacht-einheitskanister 1943 jerrycan.jpg
| caption3 = British copy of the German design
}}

When the British Army first saw the German fuel cans during the [[Norwegian Campaign]] in 1940, they immediately saw the advantages of the superior design.  The three handles allowed easy handling by one or two people, or movement [[bucket brigade]]-style.  The handle design also allows for two empty cans to be carried in each hand, utilizing the outer handle.

The sides of the can were marked with cross-like indentations that strengthened the can while allowing the contents to expand, as did an air pocket under the handles when the can was filled correctly. This air pocket allowed the container to float if dropped in water.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jerrycan.com/the-little-can-that-could/|title=The Little Can That Could|last=Daniel|first=Richard|date=22 January 2013|access-date=29 January 2022}}</ref>  Rather than a [[screw cap]], the containers used a cam lever release mechanism with a short spout secured with a [[flip-top|snap closure]] and an air-pipe to the air pocket which enabled smooth pouring (which was omitted in some copies). The interior was also lined with an impervious plastic, first developed for steel beer barrels, that would allow the can to be used for either water or petrol. The can was welded and had a [[gasket]] for a leak-proof mouth.

The British used cans captured from the "[[Jerry (WWII)|Jerries]]" (slang for Germans), hence "jerrycans", in preference to their own containers as much as possible. Later in 1940, Pleiss was in London and British officers asked him about the design and manufacture of the jerrycan. Pleiss ordered the second of his three jerrycans flown to London.<ref name="daniel" /> After the [[Operation Crusader|second capture]] of [[Benghazi]] at the end of 1941, large numbers of [[Axis Powers|Axis]] jerrycans were captured, sufficient to equip some units such as the [[Long Range Desert Group]].<ref name="LRDG50" />

British companies such as [[Briggs Manufacturing Company|Briggs Motor Bodies]], [[Vauxhall Motors]] and the [[Pressed Steel Company]] manufactured copies of the German design.