Motore Alfa Romeo RA1000 008 Museo scienza e tecnologia Milano

The Daimler-Benz DB 601 was a German

aircraft engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Aircraft using power components are referred to as powered flight. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbin ...

that was built during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was a liquid-cooled inverted V12, and powered the

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, 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-engined (de ...

, and many others. Approximately 19,000 601s were produced before it was replaced by the improved Daimler-Benz DB 605 in 1942. At its core, the DB 601 was an improved DB 600 with direct fuel injection. Fuel injection required power to be taken off the

drive shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power (physics), power, torque, and rotation, usually ...

, but in return, improved low-RPM performance significantly and provided aerobatic performance in maneuvers where early versions of carbureted engines like the British

Rolls-Royce Merlin The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British Coolant#Liquids, liquid-cooled V12 engine, V-12 Reciprocating engine, piston aero engine of 27-litre (1,650 cu in) Engine displacement, capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited, Rolls-Royce designed the engine an ...

lost power when the carburetor float bowl ran dry. The 601's fuel injection provided a significant boost in performance which its competitor, the

Junkers Jumo 210 The Jumo 210 was Junkers' first production inverted V12 gasoline aircraft engine, first produced in the early 1930s. Depending on the version it produced between 610 and 730 PS and can be considered a counterpart of the Rolls-Royce Kestrel in m ...

, did not match for some time. By the time the fuel-injected 211 arrived, the 601 had already cemented its place as the engine for high-performance designs like fighters, high-speed bombers, and similar roles. The 211 was relegated to use in bombers and transport aircraft. In this respect, the 601 was the counterpart to the Merlin engine of roughly the same size and power. The DB 601Aa was licence-built in Japan by Aichi as the Atsuta, by Kawasaki as the Ha40, and in Italy by

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

as the R.A.1000 R.C.41-I ''Monsone''.

Development

Based on the guidelines laid down by the German "Reichverkehrsministerium" (

Reich Ministry of Transport The Reich Ministry of Transport (, ''RVM'') was a cabinet-level agency of the Germany, German government from 1919 until 1945, operating during the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. Formed from the Prussian Ministry of Public Works after the end o ...

),MTU-Museum Triebwerksgeschichte – gestern, heute und morgen
, on www.mtu.de (German, PDF, 4,4 MB) in 1930 Daimler-Benz began development of a new aero engine of the

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

class: a liquid-cooled inverted-vee 12-cylinder piston engine.Mankau&Petrick, 2001. pp. 347-355 This was designated F4, and by 1931 two prototypes were running on the test bench. These were followed by the improved F4B, which became the prototype for the DB 600. In 1933, Daimler-Benz finally received a contract to develop its new engine and to build six examples of the DB 600. For the year after, the DB 600 was the only German aero engine in the 30-litre class. In total, 2,281 DB 600s were built. The DB 601A-1 was a development of the DB 600 with mechanical direct fuel injection. Like all DB 601s, it had a 33.9 litre displacement. The first DB 601A-1 prototype, designated as F4E, was test run in 1935, and an order for 150 engines was placed in February 1937. Serial production began in November 1937, and ended in 1943, after 19,000 examples of all types were produced.

Variants

;DB 601 A-1 :Up to at sea level with 2,400 rpm, up to at 2,400 rpm and altitude, B4 fuel ;DB 601 Aa :Up to at sea level with 2,500 rpm, up to at 2,400 rpm and altitude, B4 fuel ;DB 601 B-1:Same as DB601 A-1 for use in

and/or bomber aircraft (different prop/engine ratio, 1:1.88 instead of 1:1.55) ;DB 601 Ba:Similar to Aa for use in

and/or bomber aircraft (different prop/engine ratio, 1:1.88 instead of 1:1.55) ;DB 601 M :For use in the Heinkel He 100D ;DB 601 N :Up to at sea level and at altitude with 2,600 rpm, C3 fuel :Up to at altitude with 2,600 rpm ;DB 601 P :Same as DB 601 N for use in

and/or bomber aircraft (different prop/engine ratio, 1:1.88 instead of 1:1.55) ;DB 601 E :Up to at sea level with 2,700 rpm, up to with 2.700 rpm at altitude, B4 fuel :Up to at altitude with 2,700 rpm ;DB 601 F/G :Same as DB 601 E for use in

, Messerschmitt Me 210 and/or bomber aircraft (different prop/engine ratio,1:1.875 (601F), 1:2.06 (601G) instead of 1:1.685) ;DB 606 A/B :Project initiated in February 1937, to "twin-up" two DB 601As or Es coupled to work on a single propeller shaft with all-up weight of some 1.5 tonnes; for use in Heinkel He 119 (one DB 606) and Messerschmitt Me 261 (twin DB 606) designs, where they worked well in their prototype airframes; saw first combat use with early

Heinkel He 177 The Heinkel He 177 ''Greif'' (Griffin) was a long-range heavy bomber flown by the ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II. The introduction of the He 177 to combat operations was significantly delayed by problems both with the development of its ...

As - 2,700 PS (1,986 kW) at sea level with a mirror-imaged starboard component engine supercharger. Derided as "welded-together engines" by ''Reichsmarschall''

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

in August 1942, from the problems they caused with engine fires in the He 177A during service from their inadequate installation design. ;Alfa-Romeo R.A.1000 R.C.41-I Monsone:Licence built by Alfa Romeo in Italy ;Aichi Atsuta:Licence built by Aichi in Japan ;Kawasaki Ha40:Licence built by Kawasaki in Japan

Applications

;DB 601 * Arado Ar 240 * CANSA FC.20 * Dornier Do 215 * Heinkel He 100 *

Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and medium 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 a ...

P *

Henschel Hs 130 The Henschel Hs 130 was a German high-altitude Aerial reconnaissance, 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. ...

A-0 * Kawasaki Ki-60 *

* Messerschmitt Me 210 * Savoia-Marchetti SM.88 ;DB 606 * Heinkel He 119 *

A-1 and A-3 * Junkers Ju 288C * Messerschmitt Me 261

Licensees

; Aichi Atsuta *

Aichi M6A The is a submarine-launched attack floatplane designed for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. It was intended to operate from I-400 class submarine, I-400 class submarines, whose original mission was to conduct aerial attacks agains ...

* Yokosuka D4Y ;Alfa Romeo R.A.1000 R.C.41 * Macchi C.202 * Reggiane Re.2001 ; Kawasaki Ha40 *

Kawasaki Ki-61 The Kawasaki Ki-61 ''Hien'' (飛燕, "flying swallow") is a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft. Used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service, it was designated the "Army Type 3 Fighter" (三式戦闘機). Allied intelligence initially be ...

Specifications (DB 601 Aa / Ba)

References

Bibliography

* * * * Mankau, Heinz and Peter Petrick.'' Messerschmitt Bf 110, Me 210, Me 410''. Raumfahrt, Germany: Aviatic Verlag, 2001. . * Neil Gregor ''Daimler-Benz in the Third Reich''. Yale University Press, 1998

External links

Daimler-Benz Aircraft Engines

Kurfürst - Resource on Messerschmitt Bf 109 performance.(1940) Betriebs und Wartungsvorschrift zum Mercedes-Benz Flugmotor DB 601 A u. B - 1940 dated operation and maintenance manual for the Daimler-Benz DB 601A and DB 601B aircraft engines

DB 606 "power system" CAD-based animation of crankcase/conrod/piston components
{{Daimler-Benz aeroengines Daimler-Benz aircraft engines 1930s aircraft piston engines Inverted V12 aircraft engines