Fact File:
DAIMLER-BENZ / History Daimler-Benz DB 600 series / German aircraft engines This concern, which was the descendant of the oldest auto mobile factory in the World, took its present form in 1926 by the amalgamation of the former firms Benz & Cie., Mannheim and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, Stuttgart-Berlin, originally founded by the inventors Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler respectively. The Daimler firm supplied, up to 1911, all the petrol engines required by Count Zeppelin for his dirigibles. Up to 1911, the factories of Daimler and Benz developed petrol aero-engines, and were most successful in very many air displays and aero records. In 1913, both firms took part most successfully in the German Kaiserpreis-Wettbewerb for aero-engines. During the War 1914-18, both firms were the main suppliers of all the more powerful aviation engines, with which German aircraft were fitted. By the Treaty of Versailles, both firms were forced to stop the construction and building of aero-engines of any kind. In 1926, the former type of 120 h.p. Mercedes D IIa six-cylinder engine was rebuilt and a small 20 h.p. air-cooled twin-cylinder aero-engine developed. In 1928, the 800/1,000 h.p. F.2 twelve-cylinder water-cooled petrol aero-engine appeared. From this, in 1930, a similar 750 h.p. Diesel aero-engine was developed for long-distance air traffic. From these successful experiences Daimler-Benz produced, in 1933-34, a new 900/1,200 h.p. water-cooled sixteen-cylinder airship Diesel engine for the Zeppelin L.Z.I29 Hindenburg. In November, 1937, the new Daimler-Benz DB 600 appeared. This was a particularly interesting technical development as the twelve cylinders were arranged in inverted Vee formation thus, with the crankcase, forming an inverted Y. The new engine established a number of important records for Germany. A re-design of the DB 600 to incorporate direct fuel injection and improved supercharging capacity resulted in the DB 601, which established further records. The racing version of the DB 601, which set up a World's Speed Record of 469.2 m.p.h. (750.7 km.h.) in a special Messerschmitt Bf 109 R monoplane in 1939, was specially boosted to develop a maximum of 1,800 h.p. at 3,500 r.p.m., in contrast to the normal maximum output of 1,050 h.p. at 2,400 r.p.m. for the then standard engine. The DB 605 was a development of the DB 601 and was very similar in basic construction to that power unit. The main improvements increased the maximum permissible r.p.m.. Altered valve timing increased the inlet period and improved the scavenging to give greater volumetric efficiency at higher r.p.m. The Daimler-Benz engines most widely used during the war were the DB 601, DB 603 and DB 605. The DB 606 and 610 coupled engines were installed in the Heinkel He 177. Series production of DB engines was undertaken at Stuttgart-Unterturkheim, Genshagen - bei - Berlin, Berlin - Marienfelde, Mannheim, Brunswick-Querum (Niedersachsische Moterenwerke), Kassel - Altenbauna (Henschel), Stettin - Arnimswalde (Pommersche Motorenwerke) and Wiener-Neustadt (Henschel) The Daimler Benz company also undertook development of the turbo-jet and one unit was built and run in the Autumn of 1943. Work on the project was then stopped by the German Air Ministry because the design was more complex than those of other firms. | 
