A The Jerry Can was invented by the Germans in 1939, just before WWII. Made to win the war, it was designed for gas, diesel, kerosene and water. The cans were coded by their colors, showing how the red ones contained gas, the yellow ones were diesel, the light blue contained kerosene and the blue were filled with water. Their original name was the “Wehrmacht Kanister”, however, the Germans were nicknamed the “Jerries”. Therefore – the Jerry Can.