In 1955, the German Federal Railways (Deutsche Bundesbahn), together with the company Krauss-Maffei, took the DB Class V 200 locomotive V 200 005 on a demonstration journey to Turkey, Greece, and Yugoslavia.

Additionally, a more efficient cooling system than in the V 200 was installed, as Yugoslavia has a warmer climate than Germany.

The main frame was welded, the basic construction and design was like that of the DB Class V 200: In the engine room the 2 Maybach MD650 engines of 1,100 hp each were located, one over each bogie, each bogie being driven by a separate hydraulic transmission, Maybach Mekydro K104.

JZ D 66-001 was exhibited at the Hanover Fair in the spring of 1957 and transferred to Yugoslavia in May, being delivered to Belgrade on 27 May 1957, on the president's 65th birthday.

Nevertheless, Krauss-Maffei built of its own accord a ML 2200 C'C' in 1957, ready for purchase, painted in blue and cream.

Specifically more powerful engines were installed of the type MD 12 V 538 TB 10 Maybach MD655 producing 1,500 hp each.

In August 1970, it was based at the engine shed at Hamburg-Altona, working on daily express trains on the Marschbahn in Westerland in Schleswig-Holstein.

[6][page needed] Although it performed capably, the unit's length restricted it from some branch lines, thus after about a year it was brought back to Germany in late 1978 as the Italian sale was cancelled.