Luftwaffe copy the Merlin

[Horst Weber]

Good evening Tapper !

Interesting question but I must agree Graham almost totally. There were three German factories, which developt and produced hight-performance piston-engines: Junkers with JUMO 211/213, Daimler-Benz with DB 601-605 and BMW (radia) 801. In development was jet-engine JUMO 004.

How and Why should a situation appear, that anyone in the German military equipment providement offices could come in war-times to the decision, to cut existing piston-engines lines, only to built up production-lines with all consequences in a time of war.

This would have been slightly thinkable in 1940 or 1941, but never under the circumstances of the years 1943 - 1945, when much of the key production went to the underground. This was much more important, than thinking about building the Merlin because the engine is some lighter and has a good supercharger, but no access to key-materials.

In this matter of questions, I could ask, why Great Britain, the USA and Russia never equipped their forces with own-built machineguns MG-42 of German origin, which are light, well designed, thrustworthy, cheap in production and with a high firepower of 1.200 rounds a minute. The German Army and many other forces are using this weapon for military purposes up to now.

Well, there are more examples like that, widespread all over the military world. It not so easy, to change a good-oiles own machienery-system in war-times with harsh changements.

All the best !

Horst Weber