FightingSteel1
Apr-18-2016, 04:41
A little bit of a more obscure topic today, but one I hope everyone finds interesting:
The Schwerer Gustav
In the race to come out the victors in WWII, the engineering of new weapons by the main playing countries exploded past the previous, natural technology progression of the 1930's. War drives technology, and perhaps no other time in human history has that technology advanced then 1939-1945. This story is about one of those weapons, but unlike a futuristic marvel like the jet engine or Atomic bomb, this is a little more archaic. The German's loved unique and grandiose weapons, and the Schwerer Gustav exemplifies this as much as any.
Origins
http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/vipe155/CondensedHistory/gustav.jpg
The massive gun - photo credit unknown
The Schwerer Gustav began life in 1934, following a German High Command inquiry for an artillery piece capable of destroying the Maginot Line. The Maginot Line was a defensive front built by the French along it's border with Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. The line was intended to aid France in another engagement like WWI with its European neighbors. The design specification called for a weapon able to fire through one meter of steel plate, or seven meters of concrete fortification from beyond enemy artillery range.
The famous steel producer Krupp drew up a concept, and provided for 70cm, 80/85cm and 100cm caliber model possibilities. Such a weapon would weigh in excess of 1000 tons, and need to be moved by rail to support it's massive size. The weapon seemed to be simply a propaganda idea until Adolf Hitler visited Krupp's facilities and inquired as to the feasibility of the gun. He was assured that it could be built (but with many technical challenges) and the project was approved. The main stipulation was that the gun be finished by Spring of 1940 for a possible invasion of France.
Work on forging the gun barrel began in 1937. The complications in forging a weapon of that size were massive, and the project proceeded very slowly. These setbacks would consume so much time that the invasion of France in 1940 had come and gone without the gun being completed. The German Army simply outflanked the Maginot Line and sped past the heralded fortifications, and the original purpose of the Schwerer Gustav was gone.
Completion
Finally the gun barrel was done at the end of 1940. It was put on a makeshift mount and transferred to the Hillersleben firing range. Schwerer Gustav first fired its massive shells at the range, and easily met the design specifications of destroying seven meters of concrete or one meter of steel plate. Once these initial tests were completed, a huge carriage was finished to mount the gun to.
This carriage would straddle two parallel sets of railroad tracks when assembled. It consisted of 8 five axle bogies, giving the mount a total of 40 axles/80 wheels. The gun couldn't be transported in one piece, so the barrel, mount and carriage were made to be broken down into pieces. The barrel, breech block/rings and cradle were five separate parts (the barrel itself was two halves). The decks, railing and other support surrounding the gun were broken down in two halves lengthwise, while the tracking axles would travel whole by rail.
Officially, the Schwerer Gustav was completely finished and tested in November 1941 at the Rugenward firing range on the Baltic Coast. Trials were carried out that saw the gun firing at a range of 31,000 meters with success. Later Alfried Krupp personally hosted Adolf Hitler at the proving grounds, where the gun was formally fired and accepted by the German Army. Krupp donated and accepted no payment for the project as his personal contribution to the war effort.
http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/vipe155/CondensedHistory/Gun1.jpg
Hitler and other commanders visit the guns completion ceremony - photo credit Imperial War Museum
Deployment
Finally, after the protracted development and construction phase, Schwerer Gustav was finally deployed in battle. The gun was to be sent to the Crimea, where it would assist the siege of Sevastopol. Everything was loaded onto a special train in February 1942 (it was nearly 1.5km/1 mile long) and it began the long journey to the front. The gun did not reach it's deployment area until March. After sitting throughout the month of April, construction began on a suitable spur to the nearby railroad lines to assemble the weapon.
The Germans set up the gun around 16km/10 miles away from it's intended targets. A double tracked railroad spur was built, with semi-circular tracks at the ends to allow the gun to traverse for aiming (the gun was able to be positioned up and down, but not moved much side to side). In a further demonstration of how much work using the weapon was, more track had to be placed around the weapon for large cranes that were needed to assemble the barrel and supporting parts.
Next post for Part 2: Deployment
The Schwerer Gustav
In the race to come out the victors in WWII, the engineering of new weapons by the main playing countries exploded past the previous, natural technology progression of the 1930's. War drives technology, and perhaps no other time in human history has that technology advanced then 1939-1945. This story is about one of those weapons, but unlike a futuristic marvel like the jet engine or Atomic bomb, this is a little more archaic. The German's loved unique and grandiose weapons, and the Schwerer Gustav exemplifies this as much as any.
Origins
http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/vipe155/CondensedHistory/gustav.jpg
The massive gun - photo credit unknown
The Schwerer Gustav began life in 1934, following a German High Command inquiry for an artillery piece capable of destroying the Maginot Line. The Maginot Line was a defensive front built by the French along it's border with Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. The line was intended to aid France in another engagement like WWI with its European neighbors. The design specification called for a weapon able to fire through one meter of steel plate, or seven meters of concrete fortification from beyond enemy artillery range.
The famous steel producer Krupp drew up a concept, and provided for 70cm, 80/85cm and 100cm caliber model possibilities. Such a weapon would weigh in excess of 1000 tons, and need to be moved by rail to support it's massive size. The weapon seemed to be simply a propaganda idea until Adolf Hitler visited Krupp's facilities and inquired as to the feasibility of the gun. He was assured that it could be built (but with many technical challenges) and the project was approved. The main stipulation was that the gun be finished by Spring of 1940 for a possible invasion of France.
Work on forging the gun barrel began in 1937. The complications in forging a weapon of that size were massive, and the project proceeded very slowly. These setbacks would consume so much time that the invasion of France in 1940 had come and gone without the gun being completed. The German Army simply outflanked the Maginot Line and sped past the heralded fortifications, and the original purpose of the Schwerer Gustav was gone.
Completion
Finally the gun barrel was done at the end of 1940. It was put on a makeshift mount and transferred to the Hillersleben firing range. Schwerer Gustav first fired its massive shells at the range, and easily met the design specifications of destroying seven meters of concrete or one meter of steel plate. Once these initial tests were completed, a huge carriage was finished to mount the gun to.
This carriage would straddle two parallel sets of railroad tracks when assembled. It consisted of 8 five axle bogies, giving the mount a total of 40 axles/80 wheels. The gun couldn't be transported in one piece, so the barrel, mount and carriage were made to be broken down into pieces. The barrel, breech block/rings and cradle were five separate parts (the barrel itself was two halves). The decks, railing and other support surrounding the gun were broken down in two halves lengthwise, while the tracking axles would travel whole by rail.
Officially, the Schwerer Gustav was completely finished and tested in November 1941 at the Rugenward firing range on the Baltic Coast. Trials were carried out that saw the gun firing at a range of 31,000 meters with success. Later Alfried Krupp personally hosted Adolf Hitler at the proving grounds, where the gun was formally fired and accepted by the German Army. Krupp donated and accepted no payment for the project as his personal contribution to the war effort.
http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp55/vipe155/CondensedHistory/Gun1.jpg
Hitler and other commanders visit the guns completion ceremony - photo credit Imperial War Museum
Deployment
Finally, after the protracted development and construction phase, Schwerer Gustav was finally deployed in battle. The gun was to be sent to the Crimea, where it would assist the siege of Sevastopol. Everything was loaded onto a special train in February 1942 (it was nearly 1.5km/1 mile long) and it began the long journey to the front. The gun did not reach it's deployment area until March. After sitting throughout the month of April, construction began on a suitable spur to the nearby railroad lines to assemble the weapon.
The Germans set up the gun around 16km/10 miles away from it's intended targets. A double tracked railroad spur was built, with semi-circular tracks at the ends to allow the gun to traverse for aiming (the gun was able to be positioned up and down, but not moved much side to side). In a further demonstration of how much work using the weapon was, more track had to be placed around the weapon for large cranes that were needed to assemble the barrel and supporting parts.
Next post for Part 2: Deployment