Jerrycan/jerrican/Jerry can

Originally a 20 litre can for gasoline used by the German army from 1937. According to the OED, Jerry is a jocular designation for a German soldier first used by the British army in 1914-18, whereas the first citation for jerrycan or jerrican is from 1943. From captured German jerrycans, all the Allies, including the Russians, copied the superior German design and used them as fuel containers for the rest of the war. See also can.