Why did tanks like the Sherman run on gas, not diesel? Was it a power to weight issue, or something to do with fuel compatability?
2006-11-09 20:01:44 · 10 answers · asked by michinoku2001 7 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
It is more a question of what type of engine that country could produce at mass to cover the needs.
The German industry had already a great experience with gasoline engines so Maybach ( the fabricator of the all German tank engines ) produced gasoline engines for ALL tanks even so the tiger and king tiger ( HL 230 TRM P45 700hp/3000rpm = tiger I )
In the UK they changed quickly a Rolls-Royce airplane engine ( the Merline used in the Lancaster ) to a tank engine nl. the Meteor
In America the Sherman tank was built with gasoline and also with diesel engines . The ones with diesel engines (M4A2) where used by the marine corps in the Pacific they used the same fuel as there boats . But at the European theater the Sherman's where almost all gasoline engines
let us not forget the USSR with the T 34 with his diesel engine a sturdy easy to maintain engine. The USSR with his great plains was better off with a diesel engine then a gasoline engine that had a greater consumption .
2006-11-10 04:35:00 · answer #1 · answered by general De Witte 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ww2 Tank Engines
2016-10-16 07:13:27 · answer #2 · answered by graciela 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Sherman tank weighed more that 35 tons. There was no diesel engine that could pull that weight.
2006-11-09 20:06:18 · answer #3 · answered by majorcavalry 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The German Tiger (55 tons) and King Tiger (70 tons)tanks were heavier and diesel powered and MUCH better tanks than the Sherman....so the idea that a diesel engine couldn't power a tank adequetly is false.
Gasoline engines were used because they were easier to produce and more readily available.
2006-11-10 03:48:09 · answer #4 · answered by Robert b 4 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Gasoline engines were more prolific in the existing civilan auto industry and the militaryy generally relied on existing civilan designs which allowed for easy size upgrading without having to start from scratch in designing and building a completely new diesel engine. The US could have done a diesl engine, but it instead relied on not disrupting the existing production lines and so we were left with the more dangerous gasoline and less powerful gasoline engines. The diesel engines performed better in combat due to its simplicity, more torque and much less explosive.
2015-03-20 16:32:07 · answer #5 · answered by Edwardo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Although Diesel engines had been around for 40-odd years, they did not have the engineering, nor the knowledge to build high performance ones back then. Petrol engines reach a high performance at a lower build quality, within WW2 mass production capabilities.
2006-11-09 20:18:12 · answer #6 · answered by cdrotherham 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-12-14 04:43:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it had to do with the need to build a lot of tanks in a hurry, and gasoline engines were more readily available.
2006-11-09 20:06:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Was curious on the answer to this as well
2016-08-08 19:04:34 · answer #9 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
very good question
2016-08-23 10:25:54 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋