Which vehicles used the Maybach SHL 66 petrol engine?

Discussions on the vehicles used by the Axis forces. Hosted by Christian Ankerstjerne
Post Reply
Last-Man-Out
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: 12 Jul 2007, 22:56
Location: Ireland

Which vehicles used the Maybach SHL 66 petrol engine?

#1

Post by Last-Man-Out » 30 Dec 2007, 14:43

Like the subject title asks does anyone know in which German vehicles this engine was used in?
I have not come across any mention of this engine type in any of the standard references, yet a manual for this (Maybach 6 Zylinder-Vergasermotor SHL 66) was sold recently on ebay.

So I am hoping some of our resident experts may be able to help out.

Many thanks and a Happy New Year to all. :D

Regards :)
John

SIS 5
Member
Posts: 5893
Joined: 22 Nov 2006, 18:27
Location: Germany

#2

Post by SIS 5 » 30 Dec 2007, 17:00

Hi John,

in the book "Kraftfahrzeuge und Panzer" by Werner Oswald I´ve found two vehicles with the engine Maybach HL 66 P: Panzerkampfwagen II type D and E and the Panzerspähwagen "Luchs" (also called Panzerkampfwagen II type L).

Regards and the best wishes for 2008

Bert


FKDeane
Member
Posts: 102
Joined: 01 Mar 2007, 21:26
Location: Ireland

Maybach SHL 66

#3

Post by FKDeane » 30 Dec 2007, 18:28

I am sure that read somewhere that the SHL 66 was for use in assault boats or ferries. It was never used in tanks although it would been from the same family of Maybach motors.

Fred

Last-Man-Out
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: 12 Jul 2007, 22:56
Location: Ireland

#4

Post by Last-Man-Out » 30 Dec 2007, 19:25

Thanks for taking the time to answer Bert.
I have an original copy of the Maybach engine manual "HL 66 P Pla und Z" and you are right it was used in Pz II D, E, and L (Luchs). (I am not sure what vehicles the Pla and Z versions were used in)
It is the similarity in naming to the SHL 66 that has me curious as I cannot find refernces to SHL 66 anywhere.
Fred (or anyone else that may know) many thanks for your answer, could you possibly confirm that if you can find the time.

Many thanks and a Happy New Year to all. :D

Regards
John

Last-Man-Out
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: 12 Jul 2007, 22:56
Location: Ireland

#5

Post by Last-Man-Out » 30 Dec 2007, 19:47

Here are the pics of the covers if it helps.
The blue cover is my Maybach manual HL 66 P Pla und Z.
The Beige Cover and small pic is from the ebay manual SHL 66 (auction expired).
Maybe the engine pic will help?

Image

Many thanks and a Happy New Year to all. :D

Regards
John

FKDeane
Member
Posts: 102
Joined: 01 Mar 2007, 21:26
Location: Ireland

Maybach SHL66

#6

Post by FKDeane » 31 Dec 2007, 13:56

John,

Thanks to Hilary Doyle I have the answer for you.

I am sure that every one knows that Hilary Doyle has been publishing detailed drawings and leading the way with accurate research since the Sixties. Now a days he works with Tom Jentz to publish their “bible” on Panzers in the series Panzer Tracts.

According to Hilary Doyle;

The Maybach designation SHL 66 means Sonderausfuehrung Hoch Leistungs (motor) 66.

• A total of 193 HL66 motor were built between 1940 and 1944 for use in Panzer.
• A total of 478 SHL66 were built in the same period for use in Pionierschnellboote.

He has seen drawings of this Pionierschnellboote powered by the SHL66 during one of his many research trips but as boats were not his area of interest he did not make copies.

While the basic motor is the same the photo of the SHL66 you attached shows all of the extra fittings attached making it more of what we would call today a “power pack”. If you post the pictures from your HL66 manual we can compare and will see that the motor for the Panzer is quite bare in comparison as the ancillary equipment is built into the motor compartment of Panzer such as the Luchs. (Super drawings and history of the Luchs are covered in new Panzer Tracts No.2-2)

Fred

Last-Man-Out
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: 12 Jul 2007, 22:56
Location: Ireland

#7

Post by Last-Man-Out » 31 Dec 2007, 19:22

Thank you so much for this information Fred. :D

I had a small nagging feeling from the frame-like construction of the SHL 66 that it might have possibly been in a boat, or a power generator engine or something else and not a land vehicle.
Your information has clinched it.

Is the information from Hilary Doyle about the SHL 66 in the Panzer Tracts 2 book or from elsewhere?

I have not scanned in the HL 66 Book yet but I will post some pics of the engine for comparison.

One more final question, does Doyle discuss the P. Pla or Z designations and their differences in the Panzer Tracts book? I am still most curious about what they meant.

Many thanks and a Happy New Year to all. :D

Regards
John

FKDeane
Member
Posts: 102
Joined: 01 Mar 2007, 21:26
Location: Ireland

Maybach HL66 sub-designations P, PLa and Z

#8

Post by FKDeane » 05 Jan 2008, 16:19

Maybach HL66 sub-designations P, PLa and Z

John,

Again thanks to Hilary Doyle of Panzer Tracts who gave his time to provide the answer to your interesting questions concerning the sub-designations associated with the Maybach HL66 namely P, Pla or Z.

P
Apparently these Maybach sub-designations are not universally used but the P will be recognised for example with Maybach HL230 motor used in the Panther and Tiger. The HL230 P30 is the motor for a Panther. The Versuchs-serie for Panther was known under the designation VK30.02 as it was the 30t class. So the P30 in Maybach HL230 P30 designation stands for HL230 for use in a Panzer in the 30t class (P30). Obviously, from this one can work out that the HL230 P45 is a HL230 for use in a Panzer in the 45t class (P45), namely the Tiger where the Versuchs-serie was know as VK45.01

• If you want to learn more about the VK30.02 you need a copy of Panzer Tracts No.5-1 Panzerkampfwagen “Panther” Ausf.D with Versuchs-serie Panther by Thomas L. Jentz and Hilary Louis Doyle, Panzer Tracts 2003. You already know about the Luchs being covered in No.2-2 for other information try http://www.panzertracts.com/

• For similar information on the Tiger you need “German’s Tiger Tanks – D.W. to Tiger I by Thomas L. Jentz and Hilary Louis Doyle, Schiffer 2000.

PLa
The PLa designation can only be unravelled from Maybach listings and even Hilary Doyle does not remember seeing it in other documents and would welcome hearing references for any documents using this designation. Maybach lists PL as stands for “Motor fuer leichte Panzer-Spaehwagen”. The “a” refers to a motor with Lichtmetallgehause, so it would have had a light weight cast alloy block. One could presume that there was a Maybach project to win business by providing a lightweight motor for a Pz.Spaeh.Wg.

Z
Maybach defines the Z designation as meaning “Motorausfuehrung fuer Zugmaschine”. Clearly Maybach produced a huge range of motors for use in the Zugkraftwagen but one seldom sees references with this Z sub-designation. Hilary Doyle would welcome hearing references to any documentation where this Z designation is used.

John is there any details for the HL66 Pla and HL66 Z motors in your Maybach manual?

John, since you are from Ireland you should be able to talk directly to Hilary Doyle as he will be giving a lecture during the 50th Anniversary Show of the “Irish Model Soldier Society” which will be held in Dublin Castle from 16th to 18th May 2008. For details of the show http://www.imss.moonfruit.com/

Fred

Last-Man-Out
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: 12 Jul 2007, 22:56
Location: Ireland

#9

Post by Last-Man-Out » 08 Jan 2008, 14:48

Many thanks to you and Hilary Doyle for taking the time to answer in detail.
I have been literally inundated with work over the past few days and apart from quick visits here to check new posts I have not been able to prepare comprehensive answers to your questions.
However, while I have not yet scanned the manual, a quick reading of it has provided some answers to your questions.
John is there any details for the HL66 Pla and HL66 Z motors in your Maybach manual?
The answer to that is yes and no.
The manual is essentially about the HL66 P engine which seems to have been the primary production version.
Like most of the Maybach Engine Manuals it limits itself to the engine description and not the intended vehicles.
However, it does provide a very interesting comparative and detailed table of the main differences between the P. Pla and Z versions and also provides some drawings of components where they differ between the P and other versions.

When I have it scanned I will post the table here.
It is my longer-term plan to publish all of my original manuals with full English translations in a format that will be useful to modellers and historians.
These will sell for a few Euros and not the many hundreds I am paying for the very rare originals.

Because of my professional experience in my main area of research (Early Medieval History) I feel that this kind of primary source material should be easily and cheaply available to all interested.
I find it surprising that so little primary source material of this nature is being published or re-published today, given the fact that the events are historically recent and there is a large industry in publishing WW2 related books.
In my area of Early Medieval History the use of and access to published primary source documentation is a core component of any research work. I am sure Hilary Doyle would agree and it appears he has spent much of his life seeking such material out.

Thank you for the information about the "Irish Model Soldier Society.” It must be thirty years since I was a member as a teenager. I had completely forgotten about it. It may be time to rejoin! :D

Regards
John

Last-Man-Out
Member
Posts: 39
Joined: 12 Jul 2007, 22:56
Location: Ireland

#10

Post by Last-Man-Out » 08 Jan 2008, 15:28

Hi Fred
I got a moment after my last post to fire up my scanner and get this posted.
Here is the table of major differences between the P, Pla and Z.
When I go through the text in detail there will probably be more.

Image

Regards
John

gibbs
Member
Posts: 5
Joined: 17 Jun 2010, 19:50

Re: Which vehicles used the Maybach SHL 66 petrol engine?

#11

Post by gibbs » 28 Jun 2010, 18:14

if you can could you upload the manual for download in pdf format

Post Reply

Return to “The Ron Klages Panzer & other vehicles Section”