The Revolite division of Johnson & Johnson made medical adhesive tapes from duck cloth, beginning in 1927. In 1942 during World War II, a team headed by Revolite's Johnny Denoye and Johnson & Johnson's Bill Gross developed a new adhesive tape for the US military, intended to seal ammunition cases against moisture.[10] The tape was required to be ripped by hand, not cut with scissors. This unnamed product was made of thin cotton tape coated in waterproof polyethylene (plastic) with a layer of rubber-based gray adhesive ("Polycoat") bonded to one side.[5][11][12][13][14][15] It was easy to apply and remove, and was soon adapted to repair military equipment quickly, including vehicles and weapons.[11] This tape, colored in army-standard matte olive drab, was nicknamed "duck tape" by the soldiers.[16] Various theories have been put forward for the nickname, including the descendant relation to cotton duck fabric, the waterproof characteristics of a duck bird, and even the 1942 amphibious military vehicle DUKW which was pronounced "duck".