LFG Roland D.VIa oil tank and Bosch starter location?

[Bill McGill]

I'm researching the Roland D.VI and am wondering if anyone knows the location of the oil tank and Bosch starter on the Merc powered D.VIa.

I'm quite sure the oil tank will be in the engine bay and the starter will be in the cockpit but any further info would be great.

I'm pretty sure that the D.VIb oil tank (and the b additional oil? radiator) is visible in Toby Young's Krakow museum photo from the WWI models site below.



Is the D.VIa oil tank the same? Any insight would be appreciated. Also, if anyone had images of it then that would be awesome!

Cheers
Bill.

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Hello Bill:
On the Rol.D.VIa, the oil tank is mounted on a plywood panel on the right side of the Mercedes D.IIIaü engine. The tank had a 5 liter capacity. On the rear face of the oil tank was a glass tube sight gauge. Access to cap ofthe oil tank was the forward top access door on the right side of the nose. All the Rol.D.VIa were powered with the 180 Ps Mercedes D.IIIa engine with the dual cylinder air pump and water jackets on the intake manifolds.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[Bill McGill]

Hi Dan,

Thanks so much for the oil tank information. I don't suppose there are any photos or drawings of it anywhere?

Regarding the engines, it appears that it might not be so simple a case of 1 type of Mercedes. In the Datafile (step number 1 in any research if available) these are several photos which appear to show old 'central rocker box' 160PS Merc engines;

P3 - 2nd prototype
P9 - 1211
P25 - with thin vertical waterpump at front
P31 - with thin vertical waterpump at rear (an early 160PS feature I believe).

Perhaps I'm wrong in my interpretation of these photos, but using 160PS Mercs this late in the war could possibly account for some of the poor performance experienced by the Merc engined aircraft as opposed to the Benz IIIa equipped machines.

Actually, I've just noticed the Bosch starter under the magazines in the large photo on page 29 so that's (nearly) 2 mysteries solved, but another begun.

Thanks again Dan.

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Hello Bill:
I have a set of drawings in metric 1/12.5 scale, 5 sheets, 44" x 33". Covers the D.VIa and D.VIb aircraft in complete detail. All part drawn and dimensioned. The set is $75.00 plus P&H USA, folded, $12.00, rolled in a mailing tube $20.00. Foriegn, $22.00 folded, $30.00 in mailing tube. USA check OK, Foriegn, cash or international money order.
Shipment within two week of receipt of order and money. My mailing address is: Dan-San Abbott
1800 Stone Cress Court
Ceres, CA 95307
USA
(209) 537-0422
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[Bill McGill]

PM sent.

Cheers