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View Full Version : Big Gun Duel - German Artillery Targets England



Vlerkies
Jul-24-2019, 05:06
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtRhkTNihlE

RAF74_Buzzsaw
Jul-24-2019, 16:26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtRhkTNihlE

Although the emphasis in this documentary is on the fire directed at land targets, the German Naval guns were actually installed primarily to fire at Royal Navy ships which might enter the channel and attack German invasion forces during Operation Sea Lion. Later they formed a key deterrent against Royal Navy and USN ships which might be used in an Allied invasion of the Pas de Calais region.

It was not cost effective to use these guns to attack land targets... huge guns like these wore out their barrels very quickly, requiring a very costly replacement.

Naval guns of this size were built primarily to attack ships... which could be sunk with relatively few rounds.

After the guns were put under siege by Canadian forces in 1944, there was no choice but to fire off the rounds before they were captured... so Dover became a target.

Vlerkies
Jul-26-2019, 11:42
Thx Buzz.
The one thing that always manages to get me off guard is the scale of the war, the effort, manpower, engineering, resources, etc.
Never ceases to astound me the lengths human beings will go to to eliminate each other.

The technology, and development thereof is fascinating though.