German Rail Gun

[boltaction]

So that's where the idea of the Imperial Walkers in Star Wars came from!

As the post in earlier this page states, these are indeed white elephants but when you consider they were purpose built it makes more sense. These two behemoths were designed and built solely for the purpose of trashing the French Maginot Line. However, the German surprise attack through the Ardennes and French lack of organization meant the MAginot Line fell rapidly, and from behind as I recall, so the guns were never needed to break a "siege". Remember most wars are fought based on the previous one, and in the 1930's the assumption was that a war between France and Germany would risk becoming another bloody useless stalemate, so the equipment was designed on that assumption. Once France fell, other uses had to be dreamt up, and these guns did a fine job (or Gustav anyway) hammering Leningrad. Ludicrously large siege pieces, yes, but then, how much of military equipment and design is ludicrous anyway?

Ed

[CINDERS]

Yes I guess the other end of the spectrum like boltaction says about useless designs I wonder if the person whom designed the FRED got an award.........

[Daan Kemp]

Definitely photo shop. The gun was real and was mounted on a normal carriage when in firing mode. Not as in the photo

[imntxs554]

Definitely photo shop. The gun was real and was mounted on a normal carriage when in firing mode. Not as in the photo

At least we're finding out more about this animal. The only thing that when I saw this photo on the Web I wouldn't put it past the Germans to have something like this. The Germans were always building the first of everything that's what made the US and Russia up its game. To have the type of planes with twin Rocket engines, the a V2 Rocket, if they didn't screw up going into Russia in Winter these programs they had were way more advanced than we were. That's why the US and Russia took there engineers and had them build there type of weapons they didn't get a chance to finish.

[Sentryduty]

Oh, the German's nearly held a monopoly of unusual and often unnecessary technological endevours.

Take the German Tiger I (and others) it had a Maybach HL230 engine, a 23 Litre displacement gasoline engine, you know what it needs?

The aluminum crank case and cylinder block casting housed a circular web crank shaft in seven roller bearings.

The motor failures that did occur were all the same nature, bearing damage and broken connecting rods.

British Army report in June 1944 reported that a German POW had stated that the engines in one Panther battalion had an average life span of only 450 miles (724 km).

Why roller bearings when standard bearing would have done perfectly well?

[Flying10uk]

Does any-one know what sort of life the barrels of these 800mm (80cm) guns had i.e. what sort of number of shells on average were the barrels capable of firing before they needed replacement. I seem to recall hearing or seeing somewhere that the barrels of these massive guns had a very short life. The barrel would have been difficult, time consuming and expensive to manufacture and then difficult to actually transplant onto the actual gun.

[Sentryduty]

Does any-one know what sort of life the barrels of these 800mm (80cm) guns had i.e. what sort of number of shells on average were the barrels capable of firing before they needed replacement. I seem to recall hearing or seeing somewhere that the barrels of these massive guns had a very short life. The barrel would have been difficult, time consuming and expensive to manufacture and then difficult to actually transplant onto the actual gun.

I don't recall but I do remember reading, that the great Krupp siege guns like Dicke Bertha and the larger pieces had progressively larger diameter shells to be fired in sequence as each shot would erode the bore.

I think this was covered in "The Arms of Krupp" book but I may have mis-remembered.

[imntxs554]

Yes...It's true that the life span were very short on there massive heavy Artillery weapons...Just look at size of the Projectiles being shot out of them, but I figured with there horrible labor camps and stripping other countries of there materials to make replacements parts and barrels and other equipment needed to keep a supply of parts. But since they weren't rolling out hundreds of these Monsters that is the only reason I thought they would have replacements barrels and the other items. Thank God they didn't. I don't know about the Germans logistics I can only assume. I know you guys are more educated in this I only figured cause of the many Battle Ships we had in the Pacific a lot came in for a few days to replace such worn out parts.

[Flying10uk]

I have seen a section of barrel from one of Saddam's "Super-guns" at a museum here in the U.K.. The barrels were of a smooth bore and manufactured in relatively short sections and with a drilled flange at each end in order to attach to the adjoining section. If memory serves me correctly the section of barrel which I looked at was at the Imperial War Museum's Duxford site. This was some years ago and so I do not know if this exhibit is still there.

[imntxs554]

I have seen a section of barrel from one of Saddam's "Super-guns" at a museum here in the U.K.. The barrels were of a smooth bore and manufactured in relatively short sections and with a drilled flange at each end in order to attach to the adjoining section. If memory serves me correctly the section of barrel which I looked at was at the Imperial War Museum's Duxford site. This was some years ago and so I do not know if this exhibit is still there.

Is that the Barrel that was built by Gerald Bull ? He also built it on tracks for the recoil and the Projectile could reach Israel. If I'm not mistaken Gerald Bull was assassinated.