Magirus-Deutz - Danish Army Vehicles Homepage

Magirus-Deutz

The first Magirus truck was officially launched in September 1917. This was a truck with 3 ton carrying capacity, powered by a 4-cylinder, 6.082 cm3 capacity petrol engine developing 40 hp at 1.100 rpm.
At the beginning of 1918 Magirus was invited to send vehicles to the German Army proving ground, and soon afterwards, they also started deliveries to the civilian market.
The first diesel-powered trucks arrived in December 1932.
In September 1935 a agreement was signed with Humboldt-Deutz-Motoren AG of Cologne, which lead to the merger of the companies in March 1936 with Magirus as a division of Humboldt-Deutz-Motoren AG.
In 1938 Humboldt-Deutz-Motoren, linked by a financial agreement with with Klockner-Werke AG of Duisburg, then became Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz (usually abbreviated "KHD").
During WW II Magirus supplies trucks, primarily in the 3 ton class, and the RSO (Raupenschlepper Ost) to the German Wehrmacht.
The factory suffered extensive air-raid damage during the war and was forces to close in 1945.
In 1946 Magirus starts producing trucks based on the pre-war 3 ton truck of the Schell-plan, and April 1951 the first authentic post-war vehicles are launched.
The range includes models known as the Mercur and the Jupiter.
In 1955 a number of heavy-duty 6 x 6 and 6 x 4 Uranus tractors were build mainly for military tank transporter duties.
In 1971 Magirus-Deutz was one of four leading European manufacturers (the others being DAF, Volvo and Saviem) to form The Euro truck Development Group - known as the Club of Four.
In 1974 the company was reorganized as Magirus-Deutz AG and the following year was merged into the IVECO-group.