Although “Opener, Can, Hand,
Folding” is its official Army nomenclature, it soon
acquired the popular name P-38. Historians disagree as
to which of three theories explains the moniker. One is
that soldiers called it the P-38 because it could open a
can faster than the P-38 Lightning fighter plane could
fly. A more likely explanation is that the “38″ comes
from the length of the can opener, which is 38
millimeters (or 1 1/2 inches). It also is possible that
“38″ was the number of punches (a “P” word) it took to
open a ration can. All experts agree that P-38 did not
derive its name from the Walther P-38 pistol used by the
German military in World War II.
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