[MV] Re: Petrol vs. Diesel in MVs

Colin Brookes (colb@xtra.co.nz)
Wed, 28 Jan 1998 23:08:58 +1200

In message <m0xxHFc-0007xmC@fwd00.btx.dtag.de>, Andreas Mehlhorn
<a.mehlhorn@t-online.de> writes
>Dear Colin,
>
>I'll tell you, why I think it was stupid to use petrol engines
>for military vehicles:
>
>The biggest advantage of the diesel engine is its low fuel
>consumption.

>
>A big problem for each army is the fuel supply (may be except the
>US Army). It's not only the price for the fuel at home, it costs
>much more money (and blood) to bring the fuel to the combat zone.
>Rommel got big trouble in Africa because the fuel supply was cut
>and the Battle of the Bulge ended because the TIGERS and KING
>TIGERS run out of fuel.

hang on to your hat my friend, the Tigers and King Tigers ran on
Diesel. And as someone else has already said, the fog lifted and the
allied airfields became operational for the first time since December
22nd. Their first objective was to wipe out the fuel supply dumps. We
were also talking 50's and 60's. So forget modern tanks with their now
very efficient diesels. Also to answer another subscribers comment
about using image intensifiers in the desert. First of all 'there aint
no desert in Europe'. And the Bundeswher was not alowed to operate
outside of Europe. And image intensifiers in the 50's and 60's were
only for the SAS, GR9 etc. It was strictly Mk1 eyeball then.
>

>The Bundeswehr prefered petrol in the late 50s, because the Wehrmacht
>did it. All tanks, all cars and most of the trucks of the Wehrmacht
>had petrol engines. When the Bundeswehr was founded in the late 50s,
>many of the old Wehrmacht officers went to the Bundeswehr and so
>the Bundeswehr prefered petrol like the Wehrmacht did. Today the
>Bundeswehr has no petrol powered vehicles (except the 175 cc motorbike
>HERCULES).

Sorry Andreas I can't go along with that one. The WW2 Allies had the
same thinking. The only diesel powered vehicles the British Army used
were the Scammel, Matador and Hippo. And then only because they were
adapted from other uses. In 1945 when there was more time and money
available all were replaced with petrol versions.

>
>So I think it is smart to use diesel engines for MVs.
>
>Regards
>Andreas
>

So do I lad, but then this is 40 years on down the line.

regards

Colin Brookes
Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society (IMPS)
colb@xtra.co.nz

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