Hi Ken, yeah I assumed nobody wants to drink from a contaminated can! (Plenty of WWI stories of British troops being sick when supplies of tea and soup reached their trenches in used fuel cans…) I was thinking more in terms of brand-new cans being issued to hold water even if they had lids designed for fuel.
Not that I’ve ever seen. The risk of cross contamination is too great.
Well there were two types of metal Jerry cans at that time in the US Army, the cam top for water, and the screw top for POL stuff. If a water can was used for POL, it should be painted to reflect that use from then on, and not used for water again. Anyways, photos show both types of cans up there. I agree that MOGAS, would not be a good idea to carry up there, but 10 wt or 30 wt oil would not be overly hazardous. When I was in Mech Inf, our SOP was to carry one can of each on the back of the 113 on the external points.
The second to last photo shows both types of cans on the racks
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Gasoline or water - look at it this way: what good would 10 gallons of gas be for a tank engine? You could hardly start it with those few drops, while you could set the tank afire using a crossbow on one of the cans …
I agree about fuel. Looking at the photos, I would guesstimate that some units carried oil and water up there, while others carried only water. I suppose some units could have specified lube oils only to be carried up there. Very convenient for maintenance of topping off engine oil, tranny, differential, and final drive fluids if those are carried above the engine deck.
The jerry cans on my M47’s will remain where they are, if I even have them mounted. I’m quite certain nothing will cause them to ignite on a plastic model. 
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The fuel tanks on T-34s and IS tanks carried diesel fuel, not gasoline. It is far less of a risk. A match dropped onto diesel fuel will go out. In fact, containers of diesel fuel have been used as effective protection against shaped-charge jets.
KL
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Diesel has a higher flash point, but a lower ignition temp. For demonstrations, we used to put 55gal drums of diesel inside of a hard target, when you hit it with a tank (training TPT) round it lit up with a nice big fireball! Impressed the hell out of visiting VIPs.
Ken
Yes that’s right I forgot !
The 5 gallon cans on the turrets are water or oil, 10 weight and 30 weight, not fuel.
I have the TM for the M47 downloaded right now. The tank used three different oils for operations in usual conditions, according to the TM. 50 weight for the engine, 30 weight for the transmission, and 10 weight for the auxiliary motor. I imagine that the auxiliary motor did not go thru that much oil compared to the other two, just based upon its size alone. Not that it matters for the purpose of my build…
Logistics must have loved that! Why stock one, when you can have three?
Supply of POL products never seemed to be an issue during my time in Mech units. Various weights of oils, hydraulic fluid, grease, etc. was always well stocked. The US Army is pretty good at logistics
Kinda my original point about the cans on the turret. We’re building models. In this case of discussion, an M47, and I could care less if those cans are used for water, or POL, in my builds. Hundreds of photos show their use on the stowage bin. I don’t care what’s in 'em. In my military thinking, I see hundreds of photos out there of M47’s with those glorious cans attached to the stowage bin. And for some reason (call me crazy) the crews deciding that the photo needs to be staged just to make sure the right photo is taken showing proper use and location, or that the contents are proper and correct within those cans, or if they were properly posed was considered, to me, is utter BS. Operationally, I’ll leave that up to the crews on how they wish to outfit their vehicles for operational safety. When I was a flyer, we didn’t change our airplane because something in a photo didn’t appear in a way the photographer wished it to be. Just doesn’t quite work that way. When I build, I place the vehicle in either a combat situation or a crew rest situation…and apply the goodies on the vehicle accordingly. Enjoy, and build it your way, and model on dude!! ! 
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Depends on the unit. Some were sticklers for a load out plan and others less so.
Any updates on this great build?
By the way, I spilled gasoline all over the hot parts of lawnmower today because I dispense it from a five gallon Army fuel can and am too lazy to find my funnel. Managed to not become horribly disfigured.
Oh no ! Hopefully it won’t hinder your ability to build models !
I hit a speed bump doing the casting marks. Shaving off the first casting mark, from the ones that I had, the mark flew off into the unknown and was never found. So I ended up ordering a set of Archer casting marks that came in the mail Thursday evening. I’ll resume progress after the guests we have leave and I can get proper benchtime.
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Sounds like a E-1 move. Hope things did not go south.
I guess no Donkey Dick the fuel can? 
Mentioning E-1 move brought to mind one that I did as an E-1 comparative to losing the casting mark that flew away… learning to disassemble my M1911A1 .45 while in the field, I did exactly what my Squad Leader said not to do after he said those words and launched the little cap off the end of the spring off into the sandy ground of the woods. Also never to be found…
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