In another thread I have mentioned the German WW2 Tiger tank engine. This wetted my taste again for heavy engineering and the wonderful sound that comes from a glorious piece of engineering.  They may have been very representative of an evil regieme, but these beasts highlight the great German ability to build engines, that we still enjoy today in more peaceful times

Enjoy:

Guided tour of a Panther Tank Maybach V12 engine


How this engine sounds in a Panther Tank:


An ex-Tiger Tank Maybach V12 Engine running:


........and inside a Tiger:


A Tiger 1 in action:



All enough to bring fear to the hearts of the brave British tank corps, who could suffer from "Tigerphobia" due to the percieved invincibility of these great tanks during WW2.  It was reckoned that it would take 5 Sherman tanks to corner a Tiger and destroy it, but only 1 Sherman would return!

Finally a King Tiger:

Sixstring wrote on 06. Sep 2010 at 15:06:


Apparently the Maybach V12 V12 HL 210 P45 is 650hp and V12 Maybach HL 230 P45 is 700hp

Sixstring wrote on 06. Sep 2010 at 15:31:



Yes, the FW 190 A-8 was fitted with BMW 801 engine producing 2,100 hp, with a speed of 408mph at 21,000 feet.  However, the later FW 190 D-9 was equipped with a Junkers Jumo 231A engine producing 1,770 hp, but giving the plane an optimum speed of 426 at 21,000 feet.


As for the Maybach V12 HL 230 P45 it was eventually also fitted to the King Tiger, but as this tank was 11 tons heavier than the Panther it was considered inadequate.  It used 500 litres of fuel per 100 km.

Sixstring wrote on 06. Sep 2010 at 15:55:



Indeed Mike, and along with the AK47 the list is endless!

Debs. wrote on 06. Sep 2010 at 16:35:



Thanks Debs!

How true Debs, and the smell of a profit to be made often also drives the beast!  The United States of America may did make all the difference to victory being secured in WW2, but they gained an even bigger industrial profit in the process, after initially gaining industrial strength from 1900 through to the Great War and thereafter.

Wars have advanced nations throughout history from before the Romans and through to the British Empire.  The United States also came to their 'Empire' through the same route.  A warning from history.  How will the next empire be formed?

We can rightly say that wars giveth, and wars take away.

and for Hitler, although German nation had a high tech at the time (and still) he tried to swallow a big portion of the continent than he cant handle..

cem wrote on 06. Sep 2010 at 17:40:


Yes Cem, the Third Reich overstretched itself when it failed to secure the resources - oil in particular - that it needed to maintain the war.  Territorial gain was essential from the start of Hitler's war for the expansion and maintenance of the Reich.  Failure to win battles from 1942 onwards led to the decline, and indeed rendered the very tanks I mention in this thread useless when they ran out of fuel, and their crews had to abandon them where they stopped.

Indeed the final major offensive by the German Panzer divisions through the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) late in 1944 was brought to a halt when they ran out of fuel after attempting to capture Allied fuel dumps.

Lizzie Zoom wrote on 06. Sep 2010 at 18:16:




this part of the history was one of my hobies for reading  for many years Lizzie ..

the main reason for Hitler starting to loose the battle is lack of fuel.. they were heavly based on Romanian and Russian fuel .. of which, were soon stopped by allied forces and russians..

http://www.2worldwar2.com/mistakes.htm

http://vanrcook.tripod.com/Germanfuelshortage.htm