The Daimler-Benz DB 600 was a German

aircraft engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbines, although a few have been rocket powered and in recent years ma ...

designed and built before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

as part of a new generation of German engine technology. It was a liquid-cooled inverted

V12 engine A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines. The f ...

, and powered the

Messerschmitt Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...

and

Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a " wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after t ...

among others.

Development

Most newer DB engine designs used in WW2 were based on this engine. The RLM made a set of specifications listing the technologies which the new class of German aero-engines required. Among these items was

fuel injection Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All com ...

systems rather than

carburettor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meterin ...

s. Knowing that this would take some years to implement, the RLM permitted that the manufacturers could first design and produce the basic engine, and later develop it to include the injection system. The DB 600 formed this function (having in turn been developed from the Daimler-Benz F4A and F4B V12s), therefore when the injection system was ready it meant that the DB 600 was replaced by the otherwise similar DB 601, which in addition to direct fuel injection, also added the variable speed supercharger. Later DB series engines grew in bore,

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

, and

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...

, including the DB 603 and

DB 605 The Daimler-Benz DB 605 is a German aircraft engine built during World War II. Developed from the DB 601, the DB 605 was used from 1942 to 1945 in the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, and the Bf 110 and Me 210C heavy fighters. The DB 610, a pa ...

, but were generally similar to the pattern created with the DB 600.

Variants

Daimler_Benz_DB-600_L'Aerophile_March_1939

; ;DB 600 A/B: 1,000 PS (986 hp, 735 kW) at 2,400 rpm at sea level with 5-minute ''Kurzleistung'' (short term output) :;DB 600Aa ;DB 600 C/D: 850 PS (838 hp, 625 kW) at 2,250 rpm at sea level with 1-minute ''Erhöhte Kurzleistung'' : 910 PS (898 hp, 669 kW) at 2,400 rpm at with 5-minute ''Kurzleistung'' ;DB 600 Ga/Ha: 1,050 PS (1,036 hp, 772 kW) at 2,400 rpm at sea level with 1-minute ''Erhöhte Kurzleistung'' : 1,050 PS (1,036 hp, 772 kW) at 2,400 rpm at with 5-minute ''Kurzleistung'' Note: *DB 600 A/C/Ga with a reduction gearing of 1.55 *DB 600 B/D/Ha with a reduction gearing of 1.88 Source:
Luftfahrt-Lehrbücherei, Band 21, Die Deutschen Flugmotoren: DB 600, Berlin, 1940

Applications

Arado Ar 197 The Arado Ar 197 was a German World War II-era biplane, designed for naval operations for the never-completed German aircraft carrier . Only a few prototypes were built; the project was abandoned in favour of the Messerschmitt Bf 109T and Me 15 ...

V1. 1937 prototype - naval variant of

Arado Ar 68 The Arado Ar 68 was a German single-seat biplane fighter developed in the mid-1930s. It was among the first fighters produced when Germany abandoned the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles and began rearming. Design and development Designe ...

. * Dornier Do 17 S-0 Three pre-production aircraft. *

Focke-Wulf Fw 57 The Focke-Wulf Fw 57 was a prototype German heavy fighter and fighter-bomber. Prototypes were built in 1936 but never entered production. Design and development In 1934, the Reich Air Ministry (RLM) declared a requirement for a ''Kampfzerstörer ...

Focke-Wulf Fw 187 The Focke-Wulf Fw 187 ''Falke'' ("Falcon") was a German aircraft developed in the late 1930s. It was conceived by Kurt Tank as a twin-engine, high-performance fighter, but the ''Luftwaffe'' saw no role for the design, perceiving it as intermediat ...

V6. *

Heinkel He 60 The Heinkel He 60 was a German single-engined biplane reconnaissance seaplane designed to be catapulted from ''Kriegsmarine'' (German navy) warships of the 1930s. Development and design The Heinkel He 60 was designed by Heinkel engineer Reinh ...

C One test aircraft. *

V5: DB 600A, B-1, B-2: DB 600C, G-4: DB 600G, G-5: DB 600C, J-1: DB 600C * Heinkel He 112 V7, V8. *

Heinkel He 114 The Heinkel He 114 was a sesquiwing reconnaissance seaplane produced for the ''Kriegsmarine'' in the 1930s for use from warships. It replaced the company's He 60, but did not remain in service long before being replaced in turn by the Arado Ar ...

Three He 114 B-2 exported to

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. *

Junkers Ju 90 The Junkers Ju 90 was a 40-seat, four-engine airliner developed for and used by Deutsche Luft Hansa shortly before World War II. It was based on the rejected Ju 89 bomber. During the war, the ''Luftwaffe'' impressed them as military transports ...

V1. *

Henschel Hs 128 The Henschel Hs 130 was a German high-altitude reconnaissance and bomber aircraft developed in World War II. It suffered from various mechanical faults and was never used operationally, only existing as prototype airframes. Development Develo ...

V1. Twin engine, pressurised cockpit, high-altitude research aircraft. *

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

V10 through V14. Prototypes. *

V1, V2, V3. Prototypes. *

Messerschmitt Bf 162 The Messerschmitt Bf 162 was a light bomber aircraft designed in Germany prior to World War II, which flew only in prototype form. Design and development The Bf 162 was designed in response to a 1935 RLM (''Reichsluftfahrtministerium'', Reic ...

V1, V2.

Specifications (DB 600C/D)

References

Bibliography

* * * * Green, William. ''The Augsburg Eagle: A Documentary History - Messerschmitt Bf 109''. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishing Group. 1980. * Smith, J R and Kay, Anthony L. ''German Aircraft of the Second World War''. London: Putman & Company. 1972 * Neil Gregor ''Daimler-Benz in the Third Reich''. Yale University Press, 1998

External links

Aviation History.com, DB 600 series page
{{Daimler-Benz aeroengines Daimler-Benz aircraft engines 1930s aircraft piston engines Inverted V12 aircraft engines