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No, I'm referring to Nazi Germany, so up to 1945.Are you referring to post war?
Lee and Sherman tanks used aircraft-derived engines. The Rolls Royce Merlin was used in vehicles as the Meteor and postwar Meteorite (including diesel variant). Aero engines, with some aluminium replaced by steel and iron appear in many army vehicles in WW2. But not the Germans, which surprises me, as their aero engines, such as the Junkers Jumo 223 look like a good start.
Why didn't German army vehicles use aeroplane-derived engines?
The Italians and Japanese also fielded diesel armour.Only the Russians focused on diesel powered armour.
Lee and Sherman tanks used aircraft-derived engines
Air cooled radial engines designed for aircraft use did not work so well in the Sherman tank.
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Using aircraft engines (even trainer engines) in tanks was not an efficient use of resources when production was in the thousands, however attractive it looked when production was in the dozens.
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Because you could use engines not intended for use in aircraft in tanks, built by factories not building aircraft engines. That leaves the aircraft engine factory clear to make aircraft engines, even if they are for trainers.Why would that be the case for US radial engines used in tanks?
Because you could use engines not intended for use in aircraft in tanks, built by factories not building aircraft engines. That leaves the aircraft engine factory clear to make aircraft engines, even if they are for trainers.
Maybachs were originally zeppelin enginesBecause the Germans had the very good V12 Maybach engines.
Advantage might be that, in a country well established in making aircraft engines en masse and in a reliable fashion, but not making tanks en masse, a factory tooled for aircraft engines can quickly switch production between aircraft and tank engines. Just like it was the case with US industry.
Maybach may have built Zeppelin engines but the tank engines were not really derived from the Zeppelin engines.Maybachs were originally zeppelin engines