Mercedes-Benz L3000

The Mercedes-Benz L3000 was a 4x2 3-tonne rear axle drive truck used by Nazi Germany in World War II, powered by a Daimler-Benz OM 65/4 74 hp 4-cylinder diesel engine. It was used alongside the Opel Blitz, and proved even more reliable in rough terrain; and was used in all fronts and extensively by the Afrika Korps. It was manufactured in three versions, the L3000, the L3000A, and the L3000S, from 1938 to 1944. When production was discontinued, more than 27,700 L3000 type trucks had been built, making it the most produced Mercedes-Benz truck of World War II.

Mercedes-Benz L3000
Mercedes-Benz L 3000 S, Greece, 1943.
TypeTruck
Place of originGermany Nazi Germany
Service history
In service19381945
Used byNazi Germany
WarsWorld War II
Production history
ManufacturerMercedes-Benz
Produced1938-1944
No. built33,265
VariantsL3000, L3000A, L3000S
Specifications
Mass4,020 kg (8,860 lb)
Length6.255 m (20 ft 6.3 in)
Width2.350 m (7 ft 8.5 in)
Height2.600 m (8 ft 6.4 in)
Crew2

Armornone
EngineOM 65/4 4,849 cc (296 cu in) Diesel engine
55 kW (74 hp) at 2,250 rpm
Payload capacity3,020 kg (6,660 lb)
Ground clearance225 mm (8.9 in)
Fuel capacity90 L (20 imp gal; 24 US gal)
Maximum speed 70 km/h (43 mph)
Mercedes-Benz L 3000S truck in a museum in Noginsk, Russia
Mercedes-Benz L 3000 S in Italy with Fallschirmjäger, 1944
Romanian soldiers riding a Mercedes-Benz L 3000, Hungary, 1944
A vintage L3000 bearing markings of the Dossenheim Fire Police in 2016

History

From 1896, Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft built not only passenger cars, but also light and heavy trucks with a payload of up to 10 t for the civilian and military sectors. The Reichswehr also used 3-ton trucks as a personnel carrier. Daimler-Benz in 1934 produced some off-road test vehicles under the name Mercedes-Benz LG 63, which went on to successful testing as a Mercedes-Benz LG 3000 in mass production and were delivered from 1936 to the Wehrmacht, Reichspost, Reichsbahn and business operations.

The L3000 was used in all major theaters of World War II where German forces were deployed, and was also used by civilian fire departments.

Variants

  • L3000 - civil version
  • L3000A - military version with all-wheel drive
  • L3000S - military version using some standardized parts

Technical data

L 3000 A
Dimensions and Weight
Length 6255 mm
Width 2350 mm
Height 2600 mm
Wheelbase 3800 mm
Front trackwidth 1633 mm
Rear trackwidth 1650 mm
Ground clearance 225 mm
Fording capability 700 mm
Turning diameter 15.2 m
Mass 4020 kg
Payload 3020 kg (2600 kg)
Max. total mass 7040 kg (6620 kg)
Further data
Top speed 70 km/h
Fuel consumption 20 L / 100 km (30 L / 100 km)
Fuel tank 90 L Diesel fuel
Lead acid battery 2 × 12 V, 90 Ah
Drivetrain
Clutch Single disc dry clutch
Gearbox Fivespeed gearbox with additional intermediate gearbox
Tyres 7.50-20 offroad tyres
Drive All-wheel-drive
Engine
Model OM 65/4
Type Straight four diesel with precombustion chamber injection
Cooling system Water
Valvetrain OHV
Bore × Stroke 105 × 140 mm
Capacity 4,849 cc (296 cu in)
Compression ratio 20:1
Rated power 55 kW (74 hp) at 2250 rpm
Torque at rated power 234 N·m at 2250 rpm

() Figures in brackets: For driving offroad

A replica of an L3000 based on the chassis of a GMC CCKW appears in the 1981 film Raiders Of The Lost Ark. It is involved in the film's most famous chase scene.[1]

A modified Lo 2000 or L3000 truck carrying a detachment of SS Einsatzkommandos appears on the village arrival scene of the 1983 British Horror film The Keep, set in Romania in 1941.[2]

See also

  • Mercedes-Benz Lo 2000

References

Notes

Bibliography

  • Oswald, Werner: Kraftfahrzeuge und Panzer der Reichswehr, Wehrmacht und Bundeswehr. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1982. (in german)
  • Frank, Reinhard: Mercedes im Kriege - Personenwagen, Lastkraftwagen, Sonderaufbauten. PODZUN-PALLAS-VERLAG, Dorheim. 1985. ISBN 3-7909-0244-6


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